Never have I seen so much amazing women writer talent in one living room. A Portland writer named Sharon graciously welcomed a bunch of women writers into her home to read their pieces and get feedback. It was all in a national celebration for A Room of Her Own, a foundation that gives over $600,000 to support the work of women writers. Here’s the thing about AROHO: They understand that in order to write, you need CHILDCARE. That’s right, childcare can be a line item in your application to get money to write. I’ve always been honest about how I would use money like this, and it’s always involved childcare. I always wondered if that’s why I never received funding of any kind, other than my Visa. That’s one reason why I’m in the financial nightmare that I’m in right now.
I learned several lessons yesterday. One, don’t use Visa to fund your expenses while you write your book. Two, that it’s never too late to start writing. Many of the women poured themselves into careers their entire lives before they started writing. Some of the younger women have blasted into it. All of them – brilliant. One of the TIME OUT writers, Jillian Starr, especially amazed me. Whatever non-earthly ways she’s channeling the material, it’s working.
Thank you, Sharon, for having us all there. It was a soul-charging experience. To check out AROHO, go to: http://www.aroomofherownfoundation.org.
jacki kane 