Women Who Write | A Place, A Space, A Voice | Louisville, Kentucky
Melony Dixon and Selene Phillips finally find the Spring Mill waterfall at the 2016 fall retreat.
Photo by Selene Phillips.
Searching for Spring in Fall
by Selene Phillips
Sniffing out streaming consciousness,
Wandered until we found it.
Enlightened mornings of forgiveness.
Destinations earlier denied
Become our place of placid preservation.
Once more
We are renewed
Upon a moment of
Blessed simplicity,
stillness,
solitude.
And
Realize our mossy obsolescence.
See there?
Dancing stillness.
Glimpses of our humanity.
Trickles of strength.
Roll toward our destinies.
Of fallen trees and logs,
Sun kissed lightened leaves,
Reaching me until
I can no longer soak it in.
Dear WWW Members,
Come to all or part of the WWW fall retreat this Saturday and Sunday. Trekking through the trails, you will see sights like the Spring Mill waterfall. You may be inspired to write or start something new. I took the enclosed photographs last year and soon after wrote the accompanied poems. They were displayed at the University of Louisville’s Open Walls exhibit this summer. Your inspiration awaits.
Fall Retreat This Weekend!
Need to write but your world is full of distractions? Come to the annual WWW fall retreat. The members-only event starts Sat., Sept. 30, at 10 a.m. and lasts through Sun., Oct. 1, at 3 p.m., at the Hopscotch House. Attend part of the weekend if you can’t stay overnight. Cost is $15. Register online at womenwhowrite.com. Bring your lunch, snacks, and a dish to share for Saturday’s dinner. WWW will provide coffee, decaf, tea, chicken for Saturday dinner, and Sunday breakfast items.
Carolyn Humphrey, Kim Snead, Melony Dixon, and Joan Dubay keep busy at the 2016 fall retreat.
Photo by Selene Phillips.
SeptemberVisitors were Faith Grady from Louisville who is working on a memoir and Kim Esteran invited Phyllis Scalzo, who is recording family stories. Eight readers read.
Cheri Powell – scene Amanda Wakes Up
Liz Nickley – Standard Procedures
Kim Estran – The Way My Mother Cooked and Dragonbox
Diane Cruze – Soul Eclipse
Sherry Emery – Treasure Found
Selene Phillips – i grade your papers
Joan Dubay – Stuck in the Middle
Janet Finger – Aunt Polly’s House
Please remember when you are preparing your work for distribution to double space and use 12-point Times Roman font, the industry’s standard.
Sue K. Ballard coached participants at the Sept. 11, WWW workshop, “Conquering the Challenges of Writing a Historical Novel,” helping ease writers into the genre. Fall Writes: Passageway to the Rites of FallWWW member Kim Esteran hosted our first fall writes in September at Georgetown, Ind. The group munched tasty treats, watched hummingbirds and other feathery creatures, while horses neighed. We visited, relaxed, ritualistically welcomed fall, and oh yeah, we wrote and read.
Debbie Chartoff is hosting a fall writes on Oct. 13, from 9 to 11:30 a.m. at Fante’s Coffee, 2501 Grinstead Dr., 40206, RSVP at debbiechartoff@gmailcom. Joan Dubay will host a Nov. 10, fall writes on Nov. 10, from 9 to 11:30 a.m. at 1636 Tyler Pkwy, Louisville 40204. RSVP at .
November Meeting
Instead of our regular meeting at the library on Thurs., Nov 2, we will gather at 6 p.m. to order food and drinks, at the Bards Town, 1801 Bardstown Rd., Louisville. Sign up to read at .
Member NewsIf you see Debbie Chartoff, congratulation her and welcome her back from a month-long residency in upstate New York. We’ll have more on Debbie’s adventures in next month’s letter. We’re proud of her and look forward to hearing about what she wrote.
Bonnie Jean Feldkamp received first place in the Best Overall Blog category for the Ohio Society of Professional Journalists Awards. The organization recognizes outstanding achievement in journalism, representing the industry’s highest standards and principles. Coming EventsThe Writer’s Block Festival will be on Sat., Oct. 21, 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., at the Tim Faulkner Gallery, 1512 Portland Ave. Members may bring their book to sell but must be there to watch the table. Call Debbie Chartoff to join other WWW authors. Louisville.www.louisvilleliteraryarts.org/writersblockworkshops.
The Kentucky Book Fair will be Nov. 18 at Alltech Arena, Kentucky Horse Park, Lexington. Children’s day is Nov. 17. www.kyhumanities.org/kentuckybookfair.html
December holiday luncheonOur holiday Dutch treat luncheon is scheduled for Sat., Dec. 2, noon to 2 p.m., at the University Club, 200 East Brandeis Ave., Louisville. Sign-up on the WWW website.
Dagwaagin means “It is fall” or “It is autumn.” October is binaakwe-giizis. My grandmother used to greet us with biindige, biindige. It means come in. She always welcomed us and offered some niibiish, tea, from her potbellied stove. One of my cousins once said, “I like fall and colder weather. It brings people closer together.” He’s right. Come closer to women who write at one of our upcoming events. You’re valued and needed.May someone welcome you in and offer you a nice cup of tea.
Morning met fog at the 2016 fall retreat. Photo by Selene Phillips.
Fog Fenced In
by Selene Phillips
Attention morning revelry
and
Atmospheric changes
Lighting future dawns.
Corralled fog
Waits mystical disappearance,
Evaporating our future.
Fenced in.
Flanked by old ones.
Buttressed by sacred ground
Unsheathed azure above.
Remaining dangled leaves,
Stretch tangled branches
watch
and
Anticipate dangling moons.
From bark to branch
grass to greatness,
Be lost in the promise of today.
Selene Phillips
Director, Women Who Write
