Listen to the interview here.
In this interview, WLRN producer Jenna talks with Maria Klemperer-Johnson, founder of Hammerstone Carpentry and School for Women. Having grown up with a woodworking father and grandfather, Maria found her way back to carpentry after going to college for computer science, and later starting a PhD program in geology. She talks about the the empowerment of being physical; using your body to create; knowing your strengths and limits. Being part of a small percentage of wimmin in the trades, and specifically carpentry, she has a unique perspective on the way we work, the baggage associated with being a woman doing “men’s work”, and the limits we place on ourselves. Ms. Klemperer-Johnson also spent time is Puerto Rico in March of 2018, holding construction workshops for local residents, and doing crucial renovations on one home that had been without a roof since hurricane Maria. Working with her team of women, and the recovery group Rogues on Roofs, Maria made extensive repairs – and also important connections – and is planning her return to the Island to continue this necessary work.