2013 - A Celebration of Stories

Four years ago I met a handful of women in a bookstore and began with them the Women's Writing Circle. As chronicled on this blog, it has been an amazing journey of grace.

A diverse group of women took a risk to spend a Saturday morning and offer each other their writing, their hearts . . . their lives.  And they continue doing so in community and camaraderie.


With exquisite grace, women tell their stories, transform and illuminate.  To quote Anais Nin: "We write to taste life twice, in the moment, and in retrospection."

In 2013 we took workshops on journaling, memoir and creativity; met for read-around over coffee and candlelight; published our stories and poems and read them in our neighborhoods and libraries.  We celebrated the inspiration and the "stories behind the stories."

We were filmed talking about our journey as writers and published authors. As one writer said to me, "If not for the Circle, I may have abandoned my idea of being a writer.  And who would have imagined I would ever agree to being filmed?  Now that's amusing!"

We found solace in writing and sharing. From this emerged new friendships, connections and teachable moments - learning our voices resonated with women from every generation. This is the power - and hope - of women supporting other women.  

We shared the many challenges that come with marketing our work and making it known.  We shared our thoughts that writing and getting it down on paper are more important than publishing.

Creativity workshop hosts Flo and Jan with Susan.

Flo Shore reading her story .

Our authors at a summer fete with local artists.

After a reading of Slants of Light at an assisted living community.

I try never to forget the spiritual nature of this work of the Circle; a container which provides a safe haven to break the silence and explore the feminine in community. 

We guide and mentor each other through our pain,  loss, and desire to create . . . and find in this a shift of perspective and an enlargement of sense of self.

Do you have a place to share your writing, where you can connect in safety and validation?  We'd love to hear from you and have you celebrate your stories with us.

Ginger Murphy reading her story.