Women Who Write | A Place, A Space, A Voice | Louisville, Kentucky Our Story
Women Who Write is a non-profit organization for women writers in the Louisville area. We welcome, educate and support all women who aspire to write. Our vision is to be the “go-to” place for women writers. All women interested in writing, in any genre, at any level, are invited to our meetings. Women Who Write was co-founded in May 1992 by local playwright and historian, Carridder (Rita) Jones.
Board Members
Megan Oliver Thompson, Interim Director
Megan Oliver Thompson is an attorney who practiced litigation in Chicago and San Francisco for over seventeen years before moving to the Louisville area with her husband and two daughters in 2020. During her recent hiatus from the legal world, she read A LOT of those novels she’d been meaning to get to, installed ceiling fans and painted several rooms in her home, experienced Disney World for the first time, assistant-coached one daughter’s soccer team, and got back into creative writing with NaNoWriMo 2021 and Women Who Write. She hasn’t quite figured out how to tolerate the humidity of the Ohio River Valley, but she’s enjoying the change of pace that comes with blooming hydrangeas, katydid calls, and baby wrens chirping in the holly tree.
Erin Wedemeyer, Assistance Director
Erin Wedemeyer recently graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Louisville. She writes mostly prose and dabbles in poetry and loves all things animal, fantasy (especially dragon), and sci-fi. Connect with her on social media or check out her website at https://linktr.ee/erinwfantasyauthor.
Katie Odom, Secretary
Ashley Striegel, Treasurer
Ashley Striegel has a bachelor’s degree in English and is a marketing professional at the University of Louisville. Most recently Ashley and her husband Scotty welcomed their first child Nora. When she’s not soaking up all the baby snuggles and coming up for air from a sink full of bottles, Ashley can be found with a book in hand, ideating about her novel.
Irene Sulyevich, Public Relations
Irene Sulyevich came to Louisville from Ukraine 32 years ago. IT professional, seasoned Toastmaster, fitness nut and a culinary Goddess, she never cheated on her biggest passion—her writing. She has a collection of personal essays published on medium.com, and she is also a contributor to multi-genre literary anthology The Boom Project: Voices of a Generation (Butler Books 2019). Trilingual, multicultural, her voice gives her writing unique dimension that always sets her work apart.
Nancy Wynn, Membership Coordinator
Nancy Wynn is a writer and mother of two teenagers, and works full time as a nurse practitioner. She joined the 5am club to squeeze in time to write and is in the pursuit of writing a personal memoir. She is a lover of trees and you will often find a tree metaphor mentioned in her essays.
Holly Hinson, At Large (Programs)
Colleen Ryan, At Large (Membership)
“Whenever I write a bio for something, I always start with the fact that I am a psychiatrist, now semi-retired. However, that is only one facet of my life. I am a wife, mother, grandmother, reader, quilter, and writer. I write as a hobby. I have always been drawn to poetry, but I am trying to venture into other genres. I was a member of Women Who Write several years ago, then I took a job which was primarily out of town. Although I still lived in Louisville, that pulled me away from connections here. Now I have more time, so I rejoined Women Who Write a couple of years ago. I love the support of the group. It has helped me feel more confident in sharing my writing with others. I do enjoy the visual arts, and quilting allows me to explore colors and patterns. I love fabric art, and I wish I had more time to pursue it. I wish I could spend all of my time writing and quilting and completely forget the outside world – except for my family, especially my grandkids!”
What Our Members Say
The Women Who Write community sets free one of a writer’s inner demons. The one that tries to convince you you’re not ready. It’s the voice that says, ‘I need a crisp new journal to write in, a better laptop, my idea stinks, or I need my favorite coffee shop to be open for business. Without those things, I simply can’t begin to write.’” WWW helps every writer realize all you need is pure intent and a bit of inspiration to begin creating. The intent is provided by you, the inspiration is provided by the insight and generosity of our members.”
—Terri—
“My favorite aspect of Women Who Write is the wealth of experience found in the group. Journalists, poets, novelists, memoirists – each kind of writer contributes something that will make me a better writer.”
—Pam—
“The solitary nature of writing often makes me crazy! Through Women Who Write, I have found a community of women with common interests, as well as a place, a space, a voice. I have found people who understand it is important to choose the right word, build complex characters, create tension, include terrific details, create vivid scenes . . . We can all be a bit crazy, together!
—Kim—