For me, their greatest power is in those moments when words help you to heal. One of those moments for me came when I stood on a small stage at the Bards Town and read my essay about being sexually assaulted as a child. It was there that I was able to finally say the words that had been silenced for too long.
Standing on that small stage I was able to say Me Too.
Standing on that small stage I stared down my childhood ghosts.
Standing on that small stage I took my power back.
Standing on that small stage my words helped me to finally heal.
I hope each of you are able to find your own personal power and healing through your words.
Diane Cruze Director, Women Who Write
Readings & Respite
Women Who Write presents our first Readings and Respite on Mon., Feb. 19, 2018. This café version of our November Bards Town reading event will be at Fante’s Coffee, 2501 Grinstead Drive, 40206, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Fante’s menu includes soup, salads, sandwiches, coffee, tea, wine, and beer. Invite your friends. Sign up to read at .
Fante’s is one of our conference sponsors.
Send Us Your Success Stories
Did you have a writing success in 2017? Women Who Write would like to celebrate your accomplishments at the 2018 Spring Rejuvenation Annual Writer’s Conference on March 24. We want to share your stories about publishing a book, having your writing selected for a literary journal or magazine, winning a writing contest, attending an artist retreat, or any other success you had between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2017. WWW will recognize our members and share their success stories during the Writer Conference’s wine and cheese reception.
If you would like to participate, sign up on the WWW website. The deadline to submit is March 15, 2018.
WWW Seventh Annual Spring Rejuvenation Conference
Registration is open for our 7th annual WWW Spring Rejuvenation Writers Conference. Register now to join us on Saturday, March 24, 2018, at the Purdue Research Park of Southeast Indiana, Purdue Polytechnic New Albany, 3000 Technology Avenue, New Albany, IN 47150. The theme “How Do I Get My Words Out to the World” highlights keynote speaker George Ella Lyon, the 2015-16 Kentucky poet laureate. Space is limited. For more information and online registration visit the WWW homepage.
We are also seeking members to volunteer to assist at the conference. If you would like to help please contact Terri Lindsey at
Member Opportunity to join WWW Board
WWW is seeking a volunteer to join our board as secretary. This is a position where you can provide leadership and support for Women Who Write. There is also the possibility that two members could work together to share the secretary’s responsibilities.
Please consider volunteering for this unique opportunity to assist in the continued success and development of WWW. If you are interested contact Terri Lindsey at or Diane Cruze at .
February Meeting and Readings
Nine members gathered at February’s meeting. A Women Who Write Code of Ethics was approved by members. We had a small crowd but a record high percentage of readers. 67% of attendees read!
Our authors’ quality continues to delight. Readers shared a variety of topics.
Suzanne Cordery - “Tiny Breaths” and “All Around Us”
Irene Sulveyich - “Shut Up!”
Cheri Powell - Scene from larger work: “Amanda goes to foster home. She is totally in denial about situation. She meets Ellen and Lee Etta”
Joan Dubay - “Percolator”
Diane Cruze - “Gold Star Mother”
Brittni Caudill - “Sepia”
March Meeting
The next regular WWW meeting will be Thursday, March 1 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., at the Highlands-Shelby Park Library reading room, in the Mid-City Mall, 1250 Bardstown Road.
If you plan to read, please remember to use the industry’s standard of double spaced, 12-point, Times Roman font when preparing copies of your work for distribution during regular meetings.
Welcome New Members
Welcome to the following who recently joined Women Who Write.
Debbie Lowery
Bonnie Omer Johnson
Upcoming Events
12th Annual Kentucky Women Book Festival
The 12th annual Kentucky Women’s Book Festival featuring authors from a wide variety of genres is March 3 at the University of Louisville’s Ekstrom Library on Belknap Campus. The UofL Women’s Center and University Libraries host the free event, which is part of the university’s observance of Women’s History. WWW is a proud sponsor of the event.
Women Who Write will host the afternoon workshop “So, You Want to Write: Let’s Get Started” facilitated by Dr. Selene Phillips, a WWW member and assistant professor of communications at UofL.
Festival sessions, presentations, and parking are free, except for an optional $10 lunch. Register at https://louisville.edu/womenscenter/our-programs/kwbf. Or call the UofL Women’s Center at 502-852-8976 to register and for more information.
Spring Rites
The winter Rite scheduled for Feb. 28 has been canceled.
Selene Phillips will host a Spring Rite on Wed., March 7, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at 5730 Moser Knob Rd., Floyds Knobs, Ind. RSVP at . Join us for this opportunity to bring your laptop or writing tablet and start on that new writing project, revise and edit a piece, or use a writing prompt to jumpstart new writing ideas.
We would love for members to host a Rite at their home or at a community location. As the host, you choose the date, place and time for us to gather. Contact a board member if you would like to host a Rite.
Louisville Literary ArtsWorkshop
Prosetry – Poetry meets Prose is a 6-week workshop at 21c Hotel on Sundays, March 4 through April 15. Award-winning poet Sarah McCartt-Jackson will lead the class in an in-depth exploration of lyric poems, prose poems, and other intersections of poetry and prose. Members: $142. Non-members: $190.
WWW Book Club Want to read and discuss books? Our new book club will meet on a regular basis to read a variety of books. E-mail to participate. Louisville Literary Arts
Louisville Writing Project: Poetry Network The Louisville Writing Project Poetry Group has invited us to their meetings on the second Saturday of each month. Future meetings will be held on March 10, April 14, and May 12. For more information, contact John T. Bensing at or Maria J. Reyes at .
The Writers’ Workshop of Asheville, NC, is sponsoring its 29th Annual Poetry Contest, open to any writer regardless of residence. The guidelines are also posted at their website, www.twwoa.org. For questions, email or call 828-254-8111. Deadline: Postmarked by Feb. 28, 2018
