|
|
|||||||||||
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|||||
Showcasing our
writing serves all the items listed on the WomanWords Statement of Purpose:
sometimes it only takes reading/listening to another’s stories to spark
our own Creative Fire; we are telling our stories, no matter what form they
take in the writing; we are encouraging others to tell their stories simply
by telling ours first (someone’s gotta go first!); and we empower ourselves
and each other every time our voices are heard.
This page changes, as Marilyn solicits writing from various groups and women
connected in some way with WomanWords. And we archive the writings as well,
so you can check out the work of women previously featured on this page (October
2004 - Wild Women Writing). Eventually,
it may move toward a more general submissions policy. For right now, though,
you’ll enjoy poetry and perhaps some short prose from invited groups
of women—and hopefully get inspired to write a few lines yourself!
The currently featured group, Women Who Write, meets in Ohio.
It has a large membership, but we are able to highlight the Voices of almost
a dozen of its writers at this time. Marilyn met Doris Larson, the founder
and longtime facilitator, at the International Women's Writing Guild summer
conference years ago and they've occasionally conferred along the way on creative
matters related to their groups and their events. Several of its group members'
writings were included in the WomanWords print newsletter when it was being
published. Marilyn has often referred to Women Who Write
as WomanWords' "sister group in Ohio." Here's what Doris provided,
when asked for a short historical "blurb" about these writing women:
After returning home from the 1996 International Women's Writing Guild "Remember
the Magic" conference, Doris Larson felt the need to form a local group.
Judy Huge, an IWWG member from nearby Hudson, Ohio, helped with the organization
of that initial group-- made up of IWWG members within a two hour drive of
Kent. Women Who Write met monthly at my home. Over the past eight years, our
membership has retained a steady base along with welcoming new members into
our company of women who write. Today, we have a membership of 46. In 2003,
Sally Lentz and Marsha McGregor took over leadership of the group.
Why do these women write? Perhaps for different reasons on different days,
but here are their responses (click on the name to go to the writing):
Pamela Z. Daum
(Hudson, Ohio): For me, writing is like breathing--I couldn't exist without
it.
Linda Durnbaugh
(Kirkland, Ohio): I write because I am a reader who wants to "join the
gang," those wonderful word-crafters and poetic pilgrims who value the
precision and promise of language to honor and celebrate our life adventure
together.
Pamela Frost
(Medina, Ohio): I write because I must. There are so many stories
already written rambling around in my head and, if I don't get them down on
paper, the words will create too much pressure and cause an aneurysm or a
tumor or something.
Doris Larson
(Kent, Ohio): I write to share my stories, to bring others along to sample
the treasures I find on my travels. A day without time to write seems unbalanced.
Writing has become part of the fabric of my daily life.
Sally Lentz
(Kent, Ohio): Why do I write? I'd like to say because I want to share something,
or help someone-- but the honest truth? I write because I'm addicted to that
feeling I get - when I close my eyes and the words flow out of my finger tips.
The times when the right words and the right combinations and phrases seem
to float in from nowhere and then...pop like a bubble, splatting into the
exact spot that I need them. The times when I just know ... I'm merely taking
dictation- but I'm afraid I won't be able to type fast enough to keep up and
the words will stop. It's funny, but every time is like this -the tension,
anticipation, downright fear - each an intricate part of my process and something
that must happen before I am able to find any satisfaction with something
I write. The feeling of accomplishment obtained when I can actually see -
what it is - I've written...that's the payoff for me. P.S. Besides, I can't
dance, can't sing, don't play an instrument and abhor physical exercise in
all shapes and forms!
Marsha McGregor
(Hudson, Ohio): I write because I need a place to put the stream of words
that is always running through my head. I write to explore my own questions,
hoping I’ll connect with people who may have the same questions. I write
so that my family and I have a record of our lives, a snapshot of our world
as we walked around in it together. I write to know myself.
Jan Rodgers
(Youngstown, Ohio): I write because it amuses me.
Jan Stadulis
(Kent, Ohio): Why I write? I don't. At least not as much as I'd like. Why?
There's still part of me that's afraid of what will come out. But when I do
make the time and allow the spirit to move through me onto the page, I feel
awake, aware, alive. And sometimes I'm more afraid of not being all those
than I am of what I might discover. And then I finally write.
Becky Schaal Tompkins
(Akron, Ohio): I like to write because it fills a need that nothing else in
my life satisfies. It helps me share elation, celebration, get rid of frustration,
indignation-- in short, it provides both catharsis and pleasure.
Dorothy Wright
(Youngstown, Ohio): I write because on paper my poems to each reader can give
insights to new meanings, just as the characters in my stories can come to
life over and over again.
Joy York (Hudson,
Ohio): I write to tell stories that will delight, entertain, encourage, promote
understanding and compassion, and add a touch of humor to daily life. It is
my passion. My writing pours from my mind and heart, hoping to share a story
that will touch others in some small way.
Previously Featured Writing Groups:
October 2004
- Wild Women Writing
