About the Author

Valerie Orth is a feminist songwriter, producer, and educator whose songs weave personal narrative with sharp social commentary. Her work blends resilience with vulnerability and power, spanning five independent albums and writing and production projects for major publishing companies.

An innovator in music as resistance and transformation, Valerie developed The F Word: Sex & Equity in Songwriting, a groundbreaking feminist songwriting curriculum she offers through workshops and courses worldwide. She also co-founded Palestine Beats, the first initiative in the West Bank to integrate songwriting, beatmaking, and Nonviolent Communication.

A longtime community organizer, Valerie produced The League of Badass Women podcast and has led youth and women’s empowerment programs internationally. She teaches songwriting and music technology at Berklee College of Music in Boston, in the Songwriting Master’s program at Berklee Online, and at Northeastern University. Her work centers songwriting as a site of reflection, agency, and identity.

A woman with shoulder-length hair, wearing a sleeveless white top, is holding an electric guitar and singing into a microphone. She is extending her right arm outward with her index finger pointing, possibly performing on stage.