I haven’t set foot in a college classroom for 18 years, but for some reason, I don’t feel anxious at all, even as I clock the fact that everyone except the professor is clearly in their early 20s while I am dangling here on the precipice of 60. In fact, I am excited, elated even, remembering the almost visceral rush from learning, stretching my brain, discussing writing with like-minded folks.
I always wanted to write, but in my post high school years, I was talked into going into communications for money because I had my first child at 21.
Now, in this familiar classroom in the Humanities building on campus, faced with laptops and the pristine baby faces of undergrads, I feel utterly connected and disconnected at the same time. I want to tell them, don’t be afraid to pursue the dream – write and rewrite and write some more. Despite AI, despite the near collapse of print journalism, despite the way the internet has devalued the power and pleasure of words. Don’t sell out.
I can’t help but feel a tiny sting of that road not chosen in creative writing as I read these young people’s sophisticated and heartbreaking stories. Why did it take me decades to return to my creative writing and to reclaim my identity as a storyteller?
I have been delighted workshopping pieces with my new classmates. They have tremendous insight, and I am awed by how much better their writing is than mine was at 20 years old. The questions they ask, their kindness, their open hearts to embrace diversity of all stripes, it lifts my heart, gives me hope in this world that seems to be a huge dumpster fire at the moment. That said, I don’t totally understand their Tik-Tok Instagram worlds, their days filled with continuous digital stimulation, dorm-mates and exams and angst.
At one Open Mic I attended on Valentine’s Day, I was startled when one of my classmates read her tweets: “I wonder, do vegetarians eat dick?” I’m not exactly a prude, but wow! I admire them with their raw confidence and tenacity. Their eyes and their books are so wide open, unapologetically comfortable in their own skin.
I feel like we are bookends: I am reclaiming my identity as a “real” creative writer as I watch them forging theirs. But in the classroom, discussing the craft of literature, we are still working towards the same goal, reading and creating works that are powerful, resonant, inventive, compelling, moving, dazzling. I may be the old dog in the room learning a few new tricks, but I daresay I am teaching a trick or two myself.
~Holly Hinson
UPCOMING MEETINGS
Our April 8th member meeting will be from 6:30 PM to 8:30 at the Eline Library Branch in St. Matthews at 3940 Grandview Ave, Louisville, KY 40207.
If you are interested in receiving a peer critique, let us know before the 8th at noon through email () and tell us what you are bringing. Please bring 8 printed copies of the manuscript you want us to read. No more than 1300 words (4 to 4.5 pages double-spaced) for prose (excerpts of longer pieces welcome), or two pages of poetry.
Our May meeting on the 13th will be a poetry workshop with Lennie Hay! We will continue to meet at the Eline Library Branch at St. Matthews from 6:30 PM to 8:30. More details to come.
Photo by Hannah Olinger on Unsplash
WRITING PROMPT
Write a list essay. In a recent workshop, we studied a great piece from the collection, The Best of Brevity, called “Things I’ve Lost,” by Brian Arundel. (This is a terrific book worth your money if you are interested in short creative nonfiction.) I loved the easy style and loose format, allowing your mind to wander and be creative.
Your list need not be about grief. It can be about anything you feel like listing. Start with a focus on concrete objects and let this lead you to more abstract ideas. Have fun with it. Need an example? I was inspired to create my own “Things I’ve Lost” list essay, which you can read on the Women Who Write blog.
~ Holly Hinson
CELEBRATING POETRY IN APRIL
Friends, April is officially National Poetry Month, a special occasion launched by the Academy of American Poets in 1996. If you’d like to celebrate poetry and poets during the month of April, consider one of the following activities, several of which are described in more detail on Poets.org.
Read a poem at our April member meeting!
Write a poem every day in April. If you need some structure, try one of these:
Acrostic: Choose a word, any word - a color, a food, a flower - and arrange the lines of the poem so that the first letter of each line spells that word.
Limerick: You know how these five-line poems go… There once was a man from Nantucket….
Haiku: Traditional Japanese haikus are three line poems with a 5-7-5 syllable structure, often focusing on images from nature.
Read a poem every day in April. If you need material, sign up for Poem-a-Day, curated in April by Willie Perdomo.
Go bananas and read a book of poems every day in April to enhance your craft, as suggested by poet Rebecca Gayle Howell on a recent Writing Lessons podcast. Pick out 7 books at the library at the beginning of each week, and read away.
Members, WWW wants to highlight the creative voices of our community. Send a short biography, headshot, and links to your author/poet accounts and website (if applicable) to . Additionally, share a favorite resource of yours for writing tips (like a podcast or social media account) and your most recent favorite read. We may spotlight you in a future newsletter!
WWW BLOG
Women Who Write has a blog on our website to showcase our community’s talent. We want to publish your writing or republish a recent publication of yours (given that reprints are permitted). Please send us your short stories, poems, and essays! No more than 2,000 words.
Browse our web blog now! Publishing on our blog will expand your writing platform. For more information, email and pitch your story or poem—the one you’ve written or the one you want to write! We may provide suggested edits, for flow and clarity.
Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash
SUBMISSION OPPORTUNITIES & LOCAL EVENTS
Member and former Director Kimberly Crum’s retreat "Re-imagining your characters in your story” at the Valaterra Spiritual Retreat Center in LaGrange, KY has been rescheduled to April 19th from 9 AM to 5:30 PM. The cost is $65 (plus $12 for an optional box lunch). Send your request for a PayPal invoice to Kim at .
The Kentucky Arts Council’s 2025 Kentucky Writers’ Day celebration will be April 24, 10 a.m. Eastern, at the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History in Frankfort and will feature the induction of the Kentucky Poet Laureate 2025 through 2026 and readings from Silas House, Kentucky Poet Laureate 2023 through 2024.
The Bluegrass Writers Coalition is hosting the 2025 Conference of Writers on April 26, 2025 Kentucky State University's Harold Benson Research and Demonstration Farm in Frankfort, Kentucky. It promises to be “a jam-packed day of instruction, networking, and fellowship.”
Miracle Monocle, UofL’s lit mag, is hosting a Mini Book Fair April 25th at the Logan Street Market from 5:30 PM to 7:30.
Submit a story to Landslide Lit(erary) on Medium.com, a publication edited by two WWW members—Kimberly Crum and Bonnie Omer Johnson—who will provide editorial suggestions.
Regular local events:
‘Zine Lunch with Sarabrande Books, monthly on Fridays at noon
Carmichael’s regularly hosts authors and poets in the evenings
Become a member or renew your membership—As a community, WWW strives to nurture your writing life. We hope you choose to join or renew as a member and participate in our monthly meetings, author talks, retreats, and workshops. Our membership coordinator will notify anyone due to renew. Regular annual membership is $50. Student annual membership is $25. Scholarships are available. Membership entitles you to discounts on workshops and retreats.
Attend our monthly member meetings on the second Tuesday of each month for a brief program, peer critiques, and conversations about the writing life. Not currently a member? You can attend two meetings before deciding to join.
