Member Newsletter — January 2026

Photo by Nancy Burgess

Happy New Year friends!

WHAT IS YOUR WORD?

As each new year begins, there’s an electric sense of possibility in the air—a quiet hope that this year might be different. Yet fewer than 10% of people follow through on their New Year’s resolutions. After many failed attempts myself, I chose a different approach.

Instead of resolutions, I choose one WORD—a word that grounds me, clarifies my focus, and keeps me rooted in who I am and what truly matters.

Since 2018, I’ve chosen a word each year that reflects the season of my life:

• 2018: Vulnerability — choosing openness
• 2019: Authenticity — living genuinely
• 2020: Stillness — releasing control
• 2021: Firm — setting healthy boundaries
• 2022: Equipped — growing confidence through adversity
• 2023: Shine — letting God’s love flow through me
• 2024: Suddenly — embracing unexpected change
• 2025: Honest — using my voice, even when uncomfortable

My 2026 word: WHOLE.

During one of the most difficult seasons of my life, I found myself standing at the ocean’s edge beside my precious, four-foot-eleven Korean mother. Tears fell freely as heartbreak poured out of me. She stood quietly, then gently spoke in her soft, sweet accent:

“Nancy,” she said, “broken China can be put back together and make even better masterpiece.”

She picked up a smooth stone, placed it in my palm, and closed my fingers around it. Gazing out at the water, she said, “You take every pain and throw it into ocean. You leave it for water to take away.”

I did exactly that. As the waves washed over my feet, something shifted. A quiet resolve began to take root.

Later, inspired by her wisdom, I signed up for a broken-glass art class. I carefully chose shards of blue, white, and gray—sharp, jagged pieces—and slowly shaped them into smooth curves. With patience and focus, brokenness became something beautiful—a tangible reminder that even shattered pieces could be reassembled into something meaningful.

And yet, as life unfolded in unexpected ways, I noticed something unsettling: my self-confidence had quietly eroded, and I felt lost again in a familiar sea of brokenness.

“When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, ‘Do you want to be made well?’” — John 5:6 (NKJV)

The man responds with explanations for why healing hasn’t happened yet. Jesus answers simply and powerfully:

“Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk.”

Change begins the moment we decide to stand. Picking up the mat is symbolic—it represents our story, the place we once lay, evidence of where we’ve been. But it is not meant to be our permanent residence. By picking it up, there is no going back.

The storybook of my life is not over.

As 2026 unfolds, I choose to believe that I am not broken—I am whole. Every experience, every scar, every chapter has shaped me into something uniquely and beautifully woven. I will walk forward with intention—seeking steady progress, not perfect progress—and remain grateful for every moment I am given.

~Nancy Burgess

UPCOMING MEETINGS

Our January 13th member meeting will be from 6:30 PM to 8:30 at the St. Matthews Library at 3940 Grandview Ave 40207.

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.

Photo by Nancy Burgess

WRITING PROMPT

Words carry immense power. The words we speak to ourselves can either bring life or quietly pull us into shame, doubt, or fear. Even a single word—chosen with intention—has the ability to calm our nervous system, strengthen our faith, and bring peace.

I invite you to choose your word for the year ahead. Write it down. Capture it in a short essay, poem, or story.

Return to it often. Let it guide your thoughts, actions, and practices over the next twelve months.

And if you feel led, I would love to hear—or read—about your journey.

~ Nancy Burgess

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.

Photo by Nancy Burgess

SUBMISSION OPPORTUNITIES & LOCAL EVENTS

Submissions for the Kentucky Visions Short Story Contest are due by January 31st. Entry fee $20.

The Bluegrass Writers Coalition’s annual Conference of Writers will be April 11th from 8:30 to 4:00 pm. Registration is required and includes a $100 fee.

Regular local events:

• ‘Zine Lunch with Sarabrande Books, monthly on Fridays at noon
• Carmichael’s regularly hosts authors and poets in the evenings

Submission directories:

• Submittable
• Duotrope
• Poets and Writers’ list of literary magazines
• NewPages

Women’s publications seeking women writers:

• Landslide Lit(erary) (by WWW members Kimberly Crum and Bonnie Omer Johnson)
• HerStry, literary essay/memoir blog
• Ashes, an online magazine of personal essays
• Brown Sugar, online magazine for women of color
• Bi Women Quarterly, bisexual+ women’s publication
• Literary Mama, journal dedicated to motherhood
• Persimmon Tree, online magazine for women older than 60
• So To Speak, an intersectional feminist journal

SUPPORT OUR WRITING COMMUNITY!

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.

Visit our webpage WomenWhoWrite.com.

Visit our Facebook Page—@womenwhowriteky. Don’t forget to like us and follow us.

Thank you, WWW members, for joining our nonprofit group, for sharing your unique voices, and for supporting each other with open hearts and minds.

Your Leadership Team

Megan, Erin, Holly, Colleen, Liz, Irene, and Nancy