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[[File:Taylor Marsh.jpg|thumb|Taylor Marsh]]
[[File:Taylor Marsh.jpg|thumb|Taylor Marsh]]
'''Taylor Marsh''' (born 1954), the [[pseudonym]] for '''Michelle Marshall''', is an author, political analyst, writer and [[strategist]], as well as founder and publisher of the [[new media]] blog TaylorMarsh.com. Marsh lives in the Washington, D.C. area with her husband. Marsh is best known for being a "die hard Clintonite," as ''[[The Washington Post]]'' described her in a 2008 profile, "For Clinton, A Following Of 'Marshans'."<ref>Krissah Williams, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/03/AR2008060303852.html "For Clinton, a following of Marshans"], ''The Washington Post'', June 4, 2008</ref> However, Marsh started out skeptical of [[Hillary Clinton]], as the National Journal's [[Hotline On Call|Hotline OnCall]]<ref>National Journal's [[Hotline On Call|Hotline OnCall]], [http://hotlineoncall.nationaljournal.com/archives/2007/01/clintons_ads_on.php "Clinton's ads on conservative websites"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301220557/http://hotlineoncall.nationaljournal.com/archives/2007/01/clintons_ads_on.php |date=2012-03-01 }}, January 23, 2007</ref> revealed early in 2007. "TaylorMarsh.com" became a central hub for Hillary supporters during the 2008 [[Democratic primary 2008|primary election cycle]]. It's part of the reason why ''[[The New Republic]]'' profile of her in 2008, "The Hugh Hefner of Politics,"<ref>Joe Matthews, "The Hugh Hefner of politics", ''The New Republic'', June 16, 2008,([http://taylormarsh.com/pdf/The_Hugh_Hefner_of_Politics_061708.pdf retrieved]; (3a) also available at the [http://newamerica.net/node/8944 New America Foundation]</ref> chronicled Marsh's professional career. She was a contributor to ''[[The Huffington Post]]'', covering [[SEIU]]<ref>Taylor Marsh, [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/taylor-marsh/uhs-locks-out-seiu-nurses_b_35608.html UHS locks out SEIU nurses], ''The Huffington Post'', December 5, 2006</ref> events, and the [[AFSCME]] Democratic debate during 2007,<ref>Taylor Marsh, [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/taylor-marsh/carson-city-democratic-fo_b_41807.html Carson City democratic forum] (Marsh sponsored by AFSCME), ''The Huffington Post'', February 21, 2007</ref> and has written for many other new media sites.<ref>Taylor Marsh, [http://www.alternet.org/story/45177/seiu_nurses_win_concessions_&#91;video&#93;/ "SEIU nurses win concessions"], AlterNet, December 6, 2006</ref><ref>Taylor Marsh, [http://themoderatevoice.com/124914/the-hillary-effect-nobel-peace-prize-for-2011-goes-to-three-activist-women/ "The Hillary effect: Nobel Peace Prize for 2011 goes to three activist women"], The Moderate Voice, October 8, 2011</ref><ref>Taylor Marsh, [http://firedoglake.com/2006/05/22/who-started-the-iranian-badge-story/ "Who started the Iranian badge story?"], Firedoglake, May 22, 2006</ref>
'''Taylor Marsh''' (born 1954), the [[pseudonym]] for '''Michelle Marshall''', is an author, political analyst, writer and [[strategist]], as well as founder and publisher of the [[new media]] blog TaylorMarsh.com. Marsh is best known for being a "die hard Clintonite," as ''[[The Washington Post]]'' described her.<ref>Krissah Williams, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/03/AR2008060303852.html "For Clinton, a following of Marshans"], ''The Washington Post'', June 4, 2008</ref> However, Marsh started out skeptical of [[Hillary Clinton]], as the National Journal's [[Hotline On Call|Hotline OnCall]]<ref>National Journal's [[Hotline On Call|Hotline OnCall]], [http://hotlineoncall.nationaljournal.com/archives/2007/01/clintons_ads_on.php "Clinton's ads on conservative websites"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301220557/http://hotlineoncall.nationaljournal.com/archives/2007/01/clintons_ads_on.php |date=2012-03-01 }}, January 23, 2007</ref> revealed early in 2007. "TaylorMarsh.com" became a central hub for Hillary supporters during the 2008 [[Democratic primary 2008|primary election cycle]]. She was a contributor to ''[[The Huffington Post]]'', covering [[SEIU]]<ref>Taylor Marsh, [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/taylor-marsh/uhs-locks-out-seiu-nurses_b_35608.html UHS locks out SEIU nurses], ''The Huffington Post'', December 5, 2006</ref> events, and the [[AFSCME]] Democratic debate during 2007,<ref>Taylor Marsh, [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/taylor-marsh/carson-city-democratic-fo_b_41807.html Carson City democratic forum] (Marsh sponsored by AFSCME), ''The Huffington Post'', February 21, 2007</ref> and has written for many other new media sites.<ref>Taylor Marsh, [http://www.alternet.org/story/45177/seiu_nurses_win_concessions_&#91;video&#93;/ "SEIU nurses win concessions"], AlterNet, December 6, 2006</ref><ref>Taylor Marsh, [http://themoderatevoice.com/124914/the-hillary-effect-nobel-peace-prize-for-2011-goes-to-three-activist-women/ "The Hillary effect: Nobel Peace Prize for 2011 goes to three activist women"], The Moderate Voice, October 8, 2011</ref><ref>Taylor Marsh, [http://firedoglake.com/2006/05/22/who-started-the-iranian-badge-story/ "Who started the Iranian badge story?"], Firedoglake, May 22, 2006</ref>


==Personal history and education==
Taylor Marsh was born in Columbia, [[Missouri]], but spent most of her life growing up in [[St. Louis]], raised by her mother after her father died. She came of age during the modern feminist movement, which imprinted politics in her persona. [[Gloria Steinem]], the woman who impressed Marsh as the spokeswoman for the [[women's liberation movement]], represented a new breed of smart, beautiful women who wanted more than what was possible for their mothers and were determined to make it happen.


Marsh was born in [[Columbia, Missouri]], but spent most of her life growing up in [[St. Louis]], raised by her mother after her father died.
Taylor competed in the [[beauty pageant]] scene to pay for college, starting with Miss Teenage St. Louis and earning the title of "Miss Friendship" in the [[Miss Teenage America Pageant]].<ref>Pageantopolis.com, Michelle Marshall was Miss Teenage St. Louis and "Miss Friendship", {{usurped|[https://web.archive.org/web/20121009121428/http://www.pageantopolis.com/international/teenage_america.htm Miss Teenage America pageant]}}</ref> Years later, she was crowned [[Miss Missouri]],<ref>Jim Dye, [http://www.missmissouri.org/news/40th.htm "40th anniversary special edition"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929025309/http://www.missmissouri.org/news/40th.htm |date=2011-09-29 }}, MissMissouri.org</ref> of 1974 going to the [[Miss America 1975]] pageant.<ref>Taylor Marsh, [http://taylormarsh.com/about/blast-from-the-past/ Miss America Pageant photos] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120719100313/http://taylormarsh.com/about/blast-from-the-past/ |date=2012-07-19 }}, TaylorMarsh.com</ref> [[National Organization for Women|NOW]] picketed the year she was in the pageant, confronting Marsh one day in front of reporters as she came out of her hotel. One angry [[National Organization for Women]] supporter got in her face and asked: "How can you demean yourself like this?" Marsh simply replied: "You want to pay for my college tuition?"


Taylor competed in the [[beauty pageant]] scene to pay for college, starting with Miss Teenage St. Louis and earning the title of "Miss Friendship" in the [[Miss Teenage America Pageant]].<ref>Pageantopolis.com, Michelle Marshall was Miss Teenage St. Louis and "Miss Friendship", {{usurped|[https://web.archive.org/web/20121009121428/http://www.pageantopolis.com/international/teenage_america.htm Miss Teenage America pageant]}}</ref> Years later, she was crowned [[Miss Missouri]],<ref>Jim Dye, [http://www.missmissouri.org/news/40th.htm "40th anniversary special edition"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929025309/http://www.missmissouri.org/news/40th.htm|date=2011-09-29}}, MissMissouri.org</ref> of 1974 going to the [[Miss America 1975]] pageant.<ref>Taylor Marsh, [http://taylormarsh.com/about/blast-from-the-past/ Miss America Pageant photos] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120719100313/http://taylormarsh.com/about/blast-from-the-past/|date=2012-07-19}}, TaylorMarsh.com</ref>
Marsh went to [[Stephens College]] in Columbia, Missouri, a liberal arts school, on scholarship, where she performed in the [[modern dance]] troupe and as lead dancer in productions, as well as the drama department's "[[Sweet Charity]]", in the lead role of "Charity." Marsh graduated with a [[Bachelor of fine arts|B.F.A.]] in three and one-half years.


Marsh went to [[Stephens College]] in Columbia, Missouri, a liberal arts school, on scholarship, where she performed in the [[modern dance]] troupe and as lead dancer in productions, as well as the drama department's "[[Sweet Charity]]", in the lead role of "Charity." Marsh graduated with a [[Bachelor of fine arts|B.F.A.]] in three and one-half years.
==Personal history and education==


Taylor Marsh's interest in politics began when she was a kid, through her older brother Larry R. Marshall,<ref>Taylor Marsh, [http://taylormarsh.com/blog/2011/06/the-only-father-ive-ever-known/ "The only father I've ever known"], TaylorMarsh.com, June 19, 2011</ref> who was an assistant attorney general for the state of Missouri when [[John Ashcroft]] was [[Attorney General of Missouri]]. (Years later, Marshall would interact with Senator [[Orrin Hatch]]'s office, providing a statement for Ashcroft's [[confirmation hearing]] and also appearing on [[CNN]]<ref>CNN.com transcripts, [http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0101/15/ee.14.html "The Ashcroft factor: Larry Marshall and Gary Orfield debate qualifications for U.S. Attorney General"], January 15, 2001</ref> to debate the [[desegregation]] [[History of St. Louis, Missouri (1981–present)#School desegregation and voluntary transfers|issue]].) Marsh's sister, Susie, was married to the late Joseph Stephen Simon, Vice President [[ExxonMobil]]. Mr. Simon testified before the [[United States Congress]] during [[Senate Judiciary Committee]] hearings<ref>David M. Herszenhorn, [https://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/22/business/22oil.html "Senators sharply question oil officials"], ''The New York Times'', May 22, 2008</ref> on gas prices.
Marsh's interest in politics began when she was a kid, through her older brother Larry R. Marshall,<ref>Taylor Marsh, [http://taylormarsh.com/blog/2011/06/the-only-father-ive-ever-known/ "The only father I've ever known"], TaylorMarsh.com, June 19, 2011</ref> who was an assistant attorney general for the state of Missouri when [[John Ashcroft]] was [[Attorney General of Missouri]]. Marsh's sister, Susie, was married to the late Joseph Stephen Simon, Vice President [[ExxonMobil]].


==Professional background==
==Professional background==


=== Acting ===
[[Jerry Herman]] cast Taylor Marsh in her very first audition that landed her in "[[The Grand Tour (musical)|The Grand Tour]],"<ref name="GrandTour">[http://www.ibdb.com/person.php?id=86275 Internet Broadway Database]: "The Grand Tour", ensemble and bride; "Happy New Year," Bridget, Joan, and "standby"</ref> starring [[Joel Grey]] and [[Ron Holgate]], with the show receiving several [[Tony Award]] nominations. Marsh also did other shows, including [[bit part]]s<ref name="GrandTour" /> and acting as [[understudy]],<ref name="GrandTour" /> living in New York City for several years. Marsh was cast in numerous national and regional [[commercials]], beginning from the time she was a teen, and extending into her time in New York, then in [[Los Angeles]], where she lived for almost two decades.
[[Jerry Herman]] cast Marsh in her very first audition that landed her in "[[The Grand Tour (musical)|The Grand Tour]],"<ref name="GrandTour">[http://www.ibdb.com/person.php?id=86275 Internet Broadway Database]: "The Grand Tour", ensemble and bride; "Happy New Year," Bridget, Joan, and "standby"</ref> with the show receiving several [[Tony Award]] nominations. Marsh also did other shows, including [[bit part]]s<ref name="GrandTour" /> and acting as [[understudy]],<ref name="GrandTour" /> living in [[New York City]] for several years. Marsh was cast in numerous national and regional [[commercials]], beginning from the time she was a teen, and extending into her time in New York, then in [[Los Angeles]], where she lived for almost two decades.


In 2005, Marsh wrote, produced and directed “Weeping for J.F.K.” at [[Two roads theater|Two Roads Theater,]]<ref>[[Two Roads Theater]], "Weeping for J.F.K. - A one woman show starring Taylor Marsh", June 2005</ref> a one-woman show staged in Los Angeles that traced the intersection of politics, [[John F. Kennedy]] and her life, from the 1960s to the early 2000s.
Taylor worked at the [[alternative newsweekly]] ''[[LA Weekly]]'' in the [[personal ad]] department, starting in the early 1990s, as [[online dating]] was hitting. "Relationship consultant" became her official title. Marsh was responsible for starting the first "alternative" personal ad section at the ''LA Weekly''. When the web exploded in 1996, Taylor started writing short pieces online about dating and the personals, marriage and relationships. Taylor Marsh's trademark column inside the ''LA Weekly'' was "What Do You Want?" It was a mixture of dating and personal ad advice, with political opinion included periodically.


=== Writing ===
In 1997, Taylor Marsh became managing editor to one of the first sites online to make money, a site covered [https://web.archive.org/web/19970725212836/http://www.danni.com/press/wall_street_journal_052097.html on the front page] of ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]''.<ref>Thomas E. Weber, [http://www.danni.com/press/wall_street_journal_052097.html "As other Internet ventures fail, sex sites are raking in millions"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970725212836/http://www.danni.com/press/wall_street_journal_052097.html |date=1997-07-25 }}, ''The Wall Street Journal'', May 20, 1997</ref> The big drawback for Marsh was that it was a soft-core adult site. But Marsh also knew that the [[Adult industry|sex industry]] would exploit technology, as they did with the [[VCR]]. Marsh wrote about politics daily on "The Editor's Desk," covering the fight between [[Ken Starr]] and [[Susan McDougal]] regularly, as the [[Monica Lewinsky]] imbroglio unfolded. Marsh lasted barely a year, because one day a model turned in pictures that showed her on an elementary school playground. Marsh refused to publish them and when the boss bucked her, Marsh resigned and walked out. She wrote about her brief excursion in her self-published chronicle, ''My Year in Smut...'' David D. Waskul, asst. professor of sociology at [[Minnesota State University, Mankato|Minnesota State University]] and author of empirical articles covering Internet [[cybersex]], featured excerpts of Marsh's story in his book, ''"nets.sexxx - Readings on Sex, Pornography and the Internet".''<ref>David D. Waskul, ''Net.sexxx: readings on sex, pornography and the Internet'', Peter Lang Publishing November 26, 2004, {{ISBN|978-0-8204-7072-6}}</ref> He called Marsh's book "a rare glimpse into the inner workings of a major Internet [[pornography]] corporation."
Taylor worked at the [[alternative newsweekly]] ''[[LA Weekly]]'' in the [[personal ad]] department, starting in the early 1990s, as [[online dating]] was hitting. "Relationship consultant" became her official title. Marsh was responsible for starting the first "alternative" personal ad section at the ''LA Weekly''. In 1996, Taylor started publishing short pieces online about dating and the personals, marriage and relationships. Taylor Marsh's trademark column inside the ''LA Weekly'' was "What Do You Want?," which included mixture of dating and personal ad advice, with political opinion included periodically.


In 1997, Taylor Marsh became managing editor to one of the first sites online to make money.<ref>Thomas E. Weber, [http://www.danni.com/press/wall_street_journal_052097.html "As other Internet ventures fail, sex sites are raking in millions"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970725212836/http://www.danni.com/press/wall_street_journal_052097.html |date=1997-07-25 }}, ''The Wall Street Journal'', May 20, 1997</ref> Marsh wrote about politics daily on "The Editor's Desk," covering the fight between [[Ken Starr]] and [[Susan McDougal]] regularly, as the [[Monica Lewinsky]] scandal unfolded. Marsh resigned from the post after about a year. She wrote about her brief experience in her memoir, ''My Year in Smut...''
Taylor was quoted in the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' in a 2000 article titled "L.A.'s Long Strange Tryst with Democrats,"<ref>Reed Johnson, [http://articles.latimes.com/print/2000/aug/09/news/cl-928 "L.A.'s long strange tryst with the democrats"], ''Los Angeles Times'', August 9, 2000</ref> just after the time she began freelance writing, consulting and [[Strategist|strategizing]], which lasted throughout the 2000s (decade). The ''Times'' quoting Marsh about former Pres. [[Bill Clinton]]: "I think Clinton understands the messiness of being human. Clinton knows how bright he is, but deep in his soul he has some sexual healing that he needs to go through, that he has some sexual urges that take him in an opposite direction <nowiki>[from]</nowiki> his intellect. Whole people are messy and incongruous and terribly, terribly flawed."


Taylor was quoted in the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' in a 2000 article titled "L.A.'s Long Strange Tryst with Democrats,"<ref>Reed Johnson, [http://articles.latimes.com/print/2000/aug/09/news/cl-928 "L.A.'s long strange tryst with the democrats"], ''Los Angeles Times'', August 9, 2000</ref> just after the time she began freelance writing, consulting and [[Strategist|strategizing]], which lasted throughout the 2000s. The ''Times'' quoting Marsh about former Pres. [[Bill Clinton]]: "I think Clinton understands the messiness of being human. Clinton knows how bright he is, but deep in his soul he has some sexual healing that he needs to go through, that he has some sexual urges that take him in an opposite direction <nowiki>[from]</nowiki> his intellect. Whole people are messy and incongruous and terribly, terribly flawed."
In 2005, Marsh wrote, produced and directed “Weeping for J.F.K.” at [[Two Roads Theater]],<ref>[[Two Roads Theater]], "Weeping for J.F.K. - A one woman show starring Taylor Marsh", June 2005</ref> a one-woman show staged in Los Angeles that traced the intersection of politics, [[John F. Kennedy]] and her life, from the 1960s to the early 2000s.


Taylor Marsh began [[blogging]] online during the [[John Kerry]] primary [[Democratic Party (United States) presidential primaries, 2004|campaign of 2004]]. Marsh backed [[Hillary Clinton]] in July 2007, after reporting on the candidates.
Taylor Marsh took her long established eponymous site, where she'd been writing on politics, to the platform of [[blogging]] during the [[John Kerry]] primary [[Democratic Party (United States) presidential primaries, 2004|campaign of 2004]]. But it was the [[2008 Democratic primaries|2008 Democratic primary season]] that catapulted her into the political forefront. Marsh backed [[Hillary Clinton]] in July 2007, after reporting on the candidates. What drew her to support Clinton in the race was the media bias<ref>Journalism.org, [http://www.journalism.org/node/8194 "The invisible primary-invisible no longer - A first look at coverage of the 2008 presidential campaign"], October 29, 2007</ref> and sexism]<ref>Andrew Malcolm, [http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/06/nancy-pelosi-ag.html "Nancy Pelosi agrees that sexism hindered Hillary Clinton"], ''Los Angeles Times'', June 24, 2008</ref> coming from traditional<ref>Michael James, [https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2008/05/obama-backing-c/ "Obama-Backing congressman compares Hillary Clinton to Glenn Close in 'Fatal Attraction'", May 10, 2008]</ref> and new media, even progressives,<ref>Linda Hirshman, [http://taylormarsh.com/blog/2008/03/talking-points-memo-cuts-female-writer-not-making-case-for-obama/ "Talking points memo cuts female writer not making case for Obama"], TaylorMarsh.com, March 10, 2008</ref><ref>Taylor Marsh, [http://taylormarsh.com/blog/2008/02/harold-meyersons-clinton-race-smear-scrubbed-from-american-prospect-site/ "Harold Meyerson's Clinton race smear scrubbed from American prospect site"], TaylorMarsh.com, February 28, 2008</ref><ref>Melissa McEwan, [http://shakespearessister.blogspot.com/2008/04/hillary-sexism-watch-castrating-bitch.html "Hillary sexism watch: Castrating bitch edition"], ShakespearesSister blog, April 7, 2008</ref> which is detailed in her upcoming [[e-book]].


In 2009, Marsh moved to the Washington, D.C. area.
In 2009, Marsh moved to the Washington, D.C. area. She spent the year attending foreign policy lectures at think tanks like the CATO Institute,<ref>Taylor Marsh, [http://taylormarsh.com/blog/2009/03/in-our-world-and-cato-institute-event/ "In our world, and Cato Institute event"] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120729145029/http://taylormarsh.com/blog/2009/03/in-our-world-and-cato-institute-event/ |date=2012-07-29 }}, TaylorMarsh.com, March 15, 2009</ref> as well as at the [[New America Foundation]], attending events conducted by [[Steve Clemons]] that included reporting on foreign policy events with [[British Foreign Minister]] David Miliband;<ref>Taylor Marsh, [http://taylormarsh.com/blog/2009/05/notes-from-session-with-british-foreign-minister-david-miliband/ "Notes from session with British Foreign Minister David Miliband"] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120723082722/http://taylormarsh.com/blog/2009/05/notes-from-session-with-british-foreign-minister-david-miliband/ |date=2012-07-23 }}, TaylorMarsh.com, May 12, 2009</ref> covering U.S.-[[Saudi Arabia|Saudi]] relations;<ref>Taylor Marsh, [http://taylormarsh.com/blog/2009/04/liveblogging-ussaudi-relations-void-equilibrium/ "Liveblogging U.S./Saudi relations void equilibrium"] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120720035624/http://taylormarsh.com/blog/2009/04/liveblogging-ussaudi-relations-void-equilibrium/ |date=2012-07-20 }}, TaylorMarsh.com, April 27, 2009,</ref> and events with Daniel Levy,<ref>Taylor Marsh, [http://taylormarsh.com/blog/2009/04/conversation-with-daniel-levy-amjad-atallah-and-guests/ "A conversation with Daniel Levy, Amjad Atallah and guests"] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120718222643/http://taylormarsh.com/blog/2009/04/conversation-with-daniel-levy-amjad-atallah-and-guests/ |date=2012-07-18 }}, Taylor Marsh.com, April 7, 2009</ref> to name just a few.


==Bibliography==
==Bibliography==


Marsh's book "The Sexual Education of a Beauty Queen: Relationship Secrets from the Trenches" will be published by Open Road Media in August 2014, available in paperback 978-1-4976-6316-9 and ebook 978-1-4976-6313-8 editions.
Marsh's book "The Sexual Education of a Beauty Queen: Relationship Secrets from the Trenches" will be published by Open Road Media in August 2014,.


Marsh's book, "The Hillary Effect - Politics, Sexism and the Destiny of Loss," was first published as an eBook on November 14, 2011 through Premier Digital Publishing. It debuted exclusively on Barnes & Noble as 1 of 4 eBooks selected in the launch of their “Nook Featured Authors Selection." It is now available in print through Amazon.com {{ISBN|1937624641}}, {{ISBN|978-1937624644}}.
Marsh's book, "The Hillary Effect - Politics, Sexism and the Destiny of Loss," was first published as an eBook on November 14, 2011 through Premier Digital Publishing.


==Media==
==Media==

Revision as of 18:30, 10 August 2022

Taylor Marsh

Taylor Marsh (born 1954), the pseudonym for Michelle Marshall, is an author, political analyst, writer and strategist, as well as founder and publisher of the new media blog TaylorMarsh.com. Marsh is best known for being a "die hard Clintonite," as The Washington Post described her.[1] However, Marsh started out skeptical of Hillary Clinton, as the National Journal's Hotline OnCall[2] revealed early in 2007. "TaylorMarsh.com" became a central hub for Hillary supporters during the 2008 primary election cycle. She was a contributor to The Huffington Post, covering SEIU[3] events, and the AFSCME Democratic debate during 2007,[4] and has written for many other new media sites.[5][6][7]

Personal history and education

Marsh was born in Columbia, Missouri, but spent most of her life growing up in St. Louis, raised by her mother after her father died.

Taylor competed in the beauty pageant scene to pay for college, starting with Miss Teenage St. Louis and earning the title of "Miss Friendship" in the Miss Teenage America Pageant.[8] Years later, she was crowned Miss Missouri,[9] of 1974 going to the Miss America 1975 pageant.[10]

Marsh went to Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri, a liberal arts school, on scholarship, where she performed in the modern dance troupe and as lead dancer in productions, as well as the drama department's "Sweet Charity", in the lead role of "Charity." Marsh graduated with a B.F.A. in three and one-half years.

Marsh's interest in politics began when she was a kid, through her older brother Larry R. Marshall,[11] who was an assistant attorney general for the state of Missouri when John Ashcroft was Attorney General of Missouri. Marsh's sister, Susie, was married to the late Joseph Stephen Simon, Vice President ExxonMobil.

Professional background

Acting

Jerry Herman cast Marsh in her very first audition that landed her in "The Grand Tour,"[12] with the show receiving several Tony Award nominations. Marsh also did other shows, including bit parts[12] and acting as understudy,[12] living in New York City for several years. Marsh was cast in numerous national and regional commercials, beginning from the time she was a teen, and extending into her time in New York, then in Los Angeles, where she lived for almost two decades.

In 2005, Marsh wrote, produced and directed “Weeping for J.F.K.” at Two Roads Theater,[13] a one-woman show staged in Los Angeles that traced the intersection of politics, John F. Kennedy and her life, from the 1960s to the early 2000s.

Writing

Taylor worked at the alternative newsweekly LA Weekly in the personal ad department, starting in the early 1990s, as online dating was hitting. "Relationship consultant" became her official title. Marsh was responsible for starting the first "alternative" personal ad section at the LA Weekly. In 1996, Taylor started publishing short pieces online about dating and the personals, marriage and relationships. Taylor Marsh's trademark column inside the LA Weekly was "What Do You Want?," which included mixture of dating and personal ad advice, with political opinion included periodically.

In 1997, Taylor Marsh became managing editor to one of the first sites online to make money.[14] Marsh wrote about politics daily on "The Editor's Desk," covering the fight between Ken Starr and Susan McDougal regularly, as the Monica Lewinsky scandal unfolded. Marsh resigned from the post after about a year. She wrote about her brief experience in her memoir, My Year in Smut...

Taylor was quoted in the Los Angeles Times in a 2000 article titled "L.A.'s Long Strange Tryst with Democrats,"[15] just after the time she began freelance writing, consulting and strategizing, which lasted throughout the 2000s. The Times quoting Marsh about former Pres. Bill Clinton: "I think Clinton understands the messiness of being human. Clinton knows how bright he is, but deep in his soul he has some sexual healing that he needs to go through, that he has some sexual urges that take him in an opposite direction [from] his intellect. Whole people are messy and incongruous and terribly, terribly flawed."

Taylor Marsh began blogging online during the John Kerry primary campaign of 2004. Marsh backed Hillary Clinton in July 2007, after reporting on the candidates.

In 2009, Marsh moved to the Washington, D.C. area.

Bibliography

Marsh's book "The Sexual Education of a Beauty Queen: Relationship Secrets from the Trenches" will be published by Open Road Media in August 2014,.

Marsh's book, "The Hillary Effect - Politics, Sexism and the Destiny of Loss," was first published as an eBook on November 14, 2011 through Premier Digital Publishing.

Media

Marsh has been interviewed by the BBC, CNN, MSNBC, C-SPAN's Washington Journal, Al Jazeera, among others, including radio from coast to coast. Marsh has been featured in The Hill's "The Washington Scene",[16] covered in the National Journal's Hotline's OnCall;[17] and quoted on NewYorkTimes.com[18] and many other new media and traditional news venues.

References

  1. ^ Krissah Williams, "For Clinton, a following of Marshans", The Washington Post, June 4, 2008
  2. ^ National Journal's Hotline OnCall, "Clinton's ads on conservative websites" Archived 2012-03-01 at the Wayback Machine, January 23, 2007
  3. ^ Taylor Marsh, UHS locks out SEIU nurses, The Huffington Post, December 5, 2006
  4. ^ Taylor Marsh, Carson City democratic forum (Marsh sponsored by AFSCME), The Huffington Post, February 21, 2007
  5. ^ Taylor Marsh, "SEIU nurses win concessions", AlterNet, December 6, 2006
  6. ^ Taylor Marsh, "The Hillary effect: Nobel Peace Prize for 2011 goes to three activist women", The Moderate Voice, October 8, 2011
  7. ^ Taylor Marsh, "Who started the Iranian badge story?", Firedoglake, May 22, 2006
  8. ^ Pageantopolis.com, Michelle Marshall was Miss Teenage St. Louis and "Miss Friendship", Miss Teenage America pageant[usurped]
  9. ^ Jim Dye, "40th anniversary special edition" Archived 2011-09-29 at the Wayback Machine, MissMissouri.org
  10. ^ Taylor Marsh, Miss America Pageant photos Archived 2012-07-19 at archive.today, TaylorMarsh.com
  11. ^ Taylor Marsh, "The only father I've ever known", TaylorMarsh.com, June 19, 2011
  12. ^ a b c Internet Broadway Database: "The Grand Tour", ensemble and bride; "Happy New Year," Bridget, Joan, and "standby"
  13. ^ Two Roads Theater, "Weeping for J.F.K. - A one woman show starring Taylor Marsh", June 2005
  14. ^ Thomas E. Weber, "As other Internet ventures fail, sex sites are raking in millions" Archived 1997-07-25 at the Wayback Machine, The Wall Street Journal, May 20, 1997
  15. ^ Reed Johnson, "L.A.'s long strange tryst with the democrats", Los Angeles Times, August 9, 2000
  16. ^ The Washington Scene, "Global women leaders mentoring partnership evening at the State Department" Archived 2012-03-22 at the Wayback Machine, The Hill
  17. ^ "Clinton's ads on conservative websites" Archived 2012-03-01 at the Wayback Machine, National Journal, January 23, 2007
  18. ^ Chris Suellentrop, "A sermon’s echoes threaten Obama", "Opinionator" The New York Times, March 13, 2008

External links