Back in my very distant childhood, June was freedom from the stress of being the perfect, well-behaved student. At last, no worries about finishing homework, finding someone to sit with at lunch, or whether my best friend was talking to me that day. The summer of 1965, I was 13 and my baby sister was 3. I was dealing with the usual adolescent girl stuff. I didn’t have a boyfriend like many of my friends, and I felt awkward and unattractive.
Though freedom from school was a relief, the best part of June was summer vacation.
Vacation in the 1960’s for families in small Kentucky towns like mine was Florida—Florida pre-Disney World. In our case, the final destination was Pompano Beach, Florida, an 891 mile trip.
We headed down I75 (which wasn’t totally completed back then) in our 1962 Ford Oldsmobile at a speedy 60 miles per hour. That was the speed limit, and that’s what my Dad drove. I spent 2 ½ days in the back seat with my 3 year old sister, who was not much of a conversationalist, listening to my father’s music choice on the radio, Lawrence Welk.
Most of the time I was staring out the back window. I preferred seeing where we had been rather than where we were going. My mother was the navigator, reading from a Rand McNally map. Occasional curse words interrupted my reverie as I watched the road recede out the back window. “LaVerne where the Hell am I supposed to turn?”
I knew we were close to Florida when I started smelling the orange groves. That sweet citrus smell still reminds me of those trips. But nothing would compare to that first sliver of blue ocean coming into view. The atmosphere in the car immediately lightened and we all breathed a collective sigh of relief. We made it.
We stayed in a pink pastel concrete block cottage with no grass in the yard, just sand that we tracked all through the house. The open windows let in that quintessential Florida scent of salty ocean, oranges, and bougainvillea. We awoke to a glowing tangerine sunrise reflecting on the beach, just waiting for us. Gathering up our beach towels and Coppertone suntan lotion, we walked 2 blocks to the ocean, found our spot and proceeded to turn from white to lobster red. At the end of the day we watched rosy orange sunsets, and drifted to sleep to the tune of waves lapping the nearby beach.
Florida was much slower then. Folks were friendly and curious about where you were from. Invariably we would find some other Kentuckians and brag about how great our hometowns were. It wasn’t uncommon to come across someone from a nearby town. Then the conversation would revolve around what friends we had in common and whether we might be related.
All too soon, it was time for the 2 ½ day car ride back to Kentucky. It seemed to take twice as long to get home as it did to get there. But we made it back, hoping for a repeat next June.
In my mind, June will always be synonymous with summer vacation, bonding time with family, rosy, orange sunsets over a blue ocean and little pink concrete block houses with sand on the floor.
~Colleen Ryan
UPCOMING MEETINGS
On June 7th from 9:00am to 5:00pm, we will host our annual Spring Into Summer Writers Retreat at Valaterra Retreat Center in La Grange, Kentucky. Cost is $50 for members and $75 for non-members, plus $11 for an optional box lunch. Registration will open on the WWW website at 10am on May 12. Space is limited.
Our June 10th meeting will be held at the St. Matthews Library (3940 Grandview Ave 40207) from 6:30pm to 8:30. If you would like to receive a peer critique, email us () before June 10th at noon.
If you would like a peer critique, email us () before [meeting date] at noon and describe your piece. Please bring 15 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.
To give all members an opportunity to read, priority for peer critique will be given to those who email us ahead of time and who have not read at a recent meeting.
Image by ErikaWittlieb from Pixabay
WRITING PROMPT
Do you have any memories of a special childhood summer vacation? How did the family dynamics change during vacation time? Did it bring you closer or not? Or was there a vacation that you wished for or fantasized about?
~ Colleen Ryan
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
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.
SUBMISSION OPPORTUNITIES & LOCAL EVENTS
On Saturday, June 14th from 10:00AM - 5:00PM, the Kentucky Book Festival will be celebrating its first Louisville Edition at the Paristown Arts District. There will be over 30 booths and many activities/programs. Free and open to the public!
On June 18th, Pat Owen will be reading her new book of poetry The Crossroad at Carmichael’s (linked below).
Submissions for the Heroines Anthology and Women’s Writing Prize ($500) on the theme witchcraft close on June 30th.
Regular local events:
‘Zine Lunch with Sarabrande Books, monthly on Fridays at noon
Carmichael’s regularly hosts authors and poets in the evenings
Spalding & The Louisville Review’s Voice & Vision literary showcase
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.
