Books and Workshops and Poetry oh my!

For starters, we are excited to announce the publication of our anthology Women with Wings. The editors of this book have compiled writing by over 50 WWf(a)C Bloomington writers and are excited to present their poems, essays and short fictions in this amazing volume. There are over 75 short pieces which include writings from all five years of classes and retreats in Bloomington, as well as some writings of the participants in the women's circles we hold at the Monroe County Jail. WWf(a)C writers Kim Evans designed the beautiful cover and Yvonne Wittmann painted the bird image. This book reflects a multitude of creative talents found in our diverse and multifaceted community. We hope you will join us in celebrating 5 years of Women Writing for (a) Change-Bloomington.

(We plan to release the book officially on December 5, 2009 and are taking pre-orders now. If you would like to order a copy of this book before it goes to print, we can sell it for only $12. The the book release party it will be $15. Contact

us at: Amy@womenwritingbloomington.com if you would like to order an advanced copy.)

Also, Women Writing for (a) Change is pleased to offer a day long memoir writing workshop called: Memory, Imagination and Writing: Telling our True Stories

At the Poplar Grove School house on Saturday, October 24th from 10-3 we will explore memories and turning them into our own unique stories. Email us at Amy@womenwritingbloomington.com to reserve a space. We have about 4 spaces left.

Please join the Poetry detectives on the second Saturday of every month for a unique exploration of poetry. The next discussion is Saturday, November 14, 2009 from 10-12 at the Poplar Grove School House.

Watch our website for announcements of more classes and workshops and events. Also become a fan on facebook!

Summer 2009, WWF(a)C Retreat

It’s the first evening of our summer, 2009 retreat at St. Mary of the Woods. As the opening circle unfolds, I experience visions of color. Like the fabrics of a scrap quilt, each woman in our group of 13 brings a unique intensity and texture to the retreat circle. One woman is bright orange, another soft pink. A calico, a graphic print. Our words piece together, forming a beautiful quilt of diversity and organic harmony.

Beth has chosen a theme of change. As always, I find the topic to be both inspiring and confounding. I teeter on the thin wire – arms out for balance – deciding if I will skate across or let myself fall deeply into my truths.

I spend the next morning writing in my room. It is spacious, simply appointed, with a comfy rocking chair and a large window looking over a grassy field. After lunch, I find a quiet bench outside in what feels like my very own hobbit hole. I write until our group meets at 2 pm. I should be more precise. I write, I wander, I doodle, I daydream, I snap photos, I think about decisions that need to be made, I write some more.

Magic happens here. For example, during an evening stroll several of us encounter a security guard. “Are you the writers?” he asks. In unison we proclaim, “Yes!” That was a shining moment. Not a single voice hesitated. We are writers.

We continue our after-dinner walk to the cemetery, a sea of sisters. Their tombstones glimmer in the moonlight. Whether by night or day, St. Mary of the Woods is full of secret gardens and quiet nooks. There are chapels of iridescent shells, faces carved in stately poses, limestone covered in verdant green moss, and that cemetery of whispering stories. I find muses hiding in the boughs of trees, the robes of bronze saints, and the voices of quiet stones. I do some of my best writing here.

With no irony, St. Mary of the Woods has become sacred to me. I love it for the gorgeous grounds, the progressiveness of the nuns, the writing circle, Beth’s leadership, and the beautiful women who glow as they proclaim “We are writers!”

Stephanie, for the Poplar Grove Muse