Dear IWWG Sisters,

I am so pleased to be able to announce the publication of my latest book, A Writer's Journey: What to Know Before, During, and After Writing a Book with Gray Rabbit Publications.

While I wrote a few small pieces, and, occasionally, had one published, joining the International Women’s Writing Guild was the turning point in my writing life. It was in that positive environment, that I began to believe that I could actually write a book. And I did. My first book sold at auction to Doubleday, a major publishing house. And last year the second edition was released by Taylor and Francis' Routledge, an academic press.

I am indebted to Hannelore Hahn, who suggested I teach a workshop based on the journey that brought me from neophyte writer to successfully published author and marketer. That was how my classes "The Smart Writer's Guide: What to Know Before, During and After Writing a Book" came about. It was during those classes, at the urging of the attendees, that my latest book, A Writer's Journey: What to Know Before, During, and After Writing a Book, came to be written and I am especially grateful to you.

I am also grateful to all of you who have attended the summer conferences with me, and were, and are, my mentors, teachers, and friends.

It may be purchased through Amazon at: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1604599200/ref=nosim/?tag=artemismagazine, or through Amazon or any other on-line bookstores by typing in the full title. It can also be purchased directly through me at carrenstrock.com.

With warmest regards,

Carren

"Who Am I?" I am a woman who writes because my mom and her mom and her mom and so on were denied their voices solely based on their sex and gender. I write because it fuels my soul and to keep the memories of all those who have come before me alive . . . they were the ones who were denied the simple pleasure of that which they desired most—a voice— and for them, I am that voice.
— Stacie Ann Leininger, Everett, WA

I write to give my life meaning, continuity, to keep me alive and growing at age 76, and for other more prosaic reasons: I like to do what’s difficult if not impossible, I like to spend hours trying to find the right word or phrase or metaphor—these aspects of writing are so compelling, I forget the pain in my knees, I forget the passage of time, I forget my worries and troubles and am involved only in the search. Walker Percy wrote: “To become aware of the possibility of the search is to be onto something; not to be onto something is to be in despair.”
— Judith S. Antrobus, New York, NY

Dear Hannelore,

It is with great pleasure and satisfaction that I write to you after a wonderful conference experience in Saratoga Springs. “Remember the Magic” was indeed a magic experience for me. This magic came sprinkled with a high dose of professionalism and care and sets a precedent for my career as a writer. The wide variety of workshops made it possible for me to find sessions to suit my needs. The open critique sessions offered a great opportunity to re-evaluate my work. Thanks to the skillful facilitators, these sessions were conducted so they offered a gentle and honest evaluation. The great selection of presenters and workshops inscribes this conference as one of the finest of its kind in the world.
— Marianela Medrano-Marra, New Milford, CT

I’m just a simple person with a life full of stories.
— Rebecca J. Chesnutt, Davenport IA

Dear IWWG,

My membership in the Guild and what I have learned through the newsletter and workshops are two of the main reasons I have achieved enough self-confidence to put my essays together in book form—a dream come true. The knowledge that I am part of a sisterhood that truly understands each other is one of the greatest gifts I have received. Thank you again for being there.
— Geri Di Gesu, West Chatham, MA

In the years I’ve been an IWWG member, I’ve never had the nerve to respond to who I am and why I write. I think, perhaps, I can now. Writing is the way I find my voice in a world that has required silence from me. Writing is how I know I “am.” Even though I make my living writing instructional materials and marketing materials, my first training was as a poet, and my love is not instructional design. Yes, I love to help people learn. I love to learn, too. I thrive on constant re-invention through growing. Yet I write, not just to help people learn, but to create myself. I write as a means of giving witness to purpose, to power, and to being. If anyone had ever told me that my first works as a writer would be self-help books for people with trauma-based disassociative disorders, I’d have told them they were crazy. It was me, instead, who was crazy, living in the insanity of crowding “I am a writer” into the small box of romanticized beliefs. My life now flourishes and thrives because of writing.
— Elizabeth Power, Franklin, TN

Dear Hannelore Hahn,

I can’t begin to detail the things I learned about the craft of writing at the June conference. Though I recently read ten books on writing, nothing I read taught me what I learned in the numerous workshops led by the inspired and dedicated teachers at Skidmore this past week. My background for the past 40 years has been the world of business. And I’ve been to many business conferences. But there is a tone, I call it an organizational culture, that I felt at the conference. A culture of welcome, non-competitiveness, friendliness and acceptance that is rare. It allows newbies to join in the experience and feel comfortable. Most unusual.
— Jeanine Malarsky, North Andover, MA

I am a woman whose characters are constantly urging me to write characters who will keep me awake night after night until their stories are told.
— Debora D’Alessio, Bayside, NY

Dear Elizabeth,

Thank you so very much for including my new book, Now and Forevermore, on the IWWG website. The sales through Amazon have increased substantially! I highly recommend members take advantage of the opportunity to sell their books through the IWWG link to Amazon, and at the same time benefit the IWWG Scholarship Fund.
— Denice Fecketter, Poughkeepsie, NY

“Who am I?” I am a writer! Finally, after 46 years, I can say it out loud and not feel like I’m a phony, or ashamed, or even silly. My first conference (“Remember the Magic”) gave me that pride and self confidence to shout it out loud.
— Cathy LeSage, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Dear Readers,

I received an issue of Spirituality & Health and found the Guest Column was written by our own Jan Phillips! Here’s what I culled from it, which is, of course, the kind of thing she keeps telling us and telling us—because we need these affirmations. Let this be our mantra:
“While artists make it their business to bring the inner outward, creating thresholds for others to cross, we each do this daily in one way or another—shedding light or shadow, bringing comfort or pain, adding energy to others, either positive or negative. We are all artists at being alive. This is why our creative work is essential. It is an act of faith, an act of kindness, a leave-taking from the chaos as we move from the choppy surface toward the stillness of the center.”
— Marilyn Zembo Day, Albany, NY

“Who am I?” I am a 29-year-old computer programmer and modestly published poet, newly single, writing my way back to emotional health. Although everything else in my life has changed (moved from the Midwest to California, lost my house, my dogs, mutual friends)—still poetry is my unchanging and constant companion, my solid ground in the midst of the turbulent storms of life. I am a former member and excited to rejoin IWWG. Thank you for community, inspiration and hope!
— Elizabeth Simson, Ventura, CA

I write because it’s as natural as communicating with a friend. I have always loved to spin tales, and entertain my loved ones. I believe the best form of writing is simple and insightful to the nature of us humans. Writing seems to let me look at life and have a clear sense of wonderment that makes me feel full and fulfilled. I am very grateful to have such a loving affair with words and the combination of words.
— Evonne Randolph, Dickinson, TX

“Who Am I?” I am not only renewing my membership but my relationship with myself and my writing following recent widowhood. This is a unique opportunity for me, being able to turn an avocation into a vocation, for wherever that may lead.
— Dana Starr, Carmichael, CA

Dear Hannelore and Elizabeth,

I thank the Guild for the forum you give us, for existing and for all the works that exist because you do. There is nothing quite like the IWWG.
— Lorraine Ash, Allendale, NJ

In some ways I write because the writing comes to me. I’m one of the writers who feel I have a calling to the craft. In other ways, I write to sort out my feelings about the world, about relationships, about work itself. I write to share my particular vision/angle/take on things with other people. From the beginning, friends reacted strongly to my work. So I kept it up. Now, I am coming into the public circle with my work. Writing keeps me grounded, focused and in many ways, the magic of the process keeps me happy!
— Joan Gelfand, San Francisco, CA

Dear Hannelore,

Thank you for allowing me to present the Tea and Writing workshop at the conference at Skidmore. It was so much fun, made more so by the vibrant women who attended the sessions. They thirsted for every bit of information and taste I could bring to the class, and their enthusiasm was infectious.
“Remember the Magic” was just the injection I needed: I feel motivated and inspired and ready to face the challenges of many new projects ahead. I met some wonderful people, but it was the “old gals” who had a profound effect on me. They shook all my preconceived notions. I saw that age allows one to let go of the baggage that distracts us in our lives. These people knew what they wanted and said what they meant. Their generosity towards talent, especially from the youngest participants, was tribal. It was a privilege to be in their company.
— Edith Smith, Scarsdale, NY

The idea of writing has been in the back of my head for most of my 60 years. And now I must write because the writing is going on in my head and getting it out is the only way I can get space—it’s a relief. So I am excited and glad to have found you.
— Carolyn Storey, Haddonfield, NJ

Dear IWWG,

I just want to say thank you so much for finding me a sponsor. I discovered the Guild while wandering around the Internet one day and really liked what I saw and read. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to afford the fees and asked about a scholarship or sponsorship to join the Guild. I found out today that I got one, and I just wanted to thank everybody out there who made it happen, especially Sharon Wyse. I think it’s really awesome that there is a program to help those of us who are down on our luck and have big dreams.
— Ashlee Vanek, Portland, OR

I write because I have to write. I am a private journal writer looking to go public. Up until now, I have written only for myself, keeping notebooks over the past 15 years. I have written to empty my brain of thoughts that circle unendingly unless they are spit out for my viewing on the page. I have written to bemoan my adversities, to celebrate my triumphs and to learn from my life.
I have kept my thoughts private, not believing they could be of sufficient interest to anyone. But as I get older, I realize that the lessons I’ve learned can be an important tool to help others, and I’m working to sculpt those words for public viewing. I have also spent many years working in the corporate infrastructure and have determined that I need to find another way to make a living—hopefully through writing.
— Anne Murray, New York, NY

Dear Hannelore,

I'm still doing my weekly column "Que Pasa En San Felipe" for the Calexico Chronical newspaper. Of course, my writing group is still going strong as well. This year, instead of teaching the student writer's group at the high school, the principal asked me to help out with English classes. Attending school is a privilege here— these Mexican students have such a different perspective. They already have skills far beyond most U.S. students. They can tell you what a gerund is, what a preposition is, and identify a perfect present tense sentence and more. I am extremely proud of them.
— Lynne M. Ruegger, Calexico, CA

I write because I must. I write because it keeps me sane. I write because I want to tap into my body wisdom. I write because that’s my calling. I write because it's my bliss.
— Nancy Andres, Tucson, AZ

"Who Am I?" I am a disabled widow living on limited income yet have the determination to fulfill my dream of having work published. Presently working on nonfiction novels, I have compiled spiritual short stories with others yet to be written. Prior to my husband's death three years ago, I had already begun my journey into an area I never would've considered before being involved in an automobile accident. Now that my life has taken another turn, I am even more resolved to follow the pathway that I believe I should take.
— Kathleen A. Brink, Penn, PA

Dear IWWG friends,

I’ve been very busy—teaching and visiting students around central and western Uzbekistan, and now starting a new semester in Tashkent. My thanks to the Guild and especially Marilyn Day and Martha Pedersen for their extraordinary efforts in soliciting/sending more books for my growing library in English for students and fellow teachers. We now have over 200 books—about 100 in circulation (that’s a guess, it could be more). Also, thanks to many other special friends who’ve kept me supplied with peppermint tea, vanilla and love. It makes a difference!
--- Connie Cohn, Tashkent, Uzbekistan

I am, at long last, listening to the voice inside.
— Ann Stephenson Karasinski, Comstock Park, MI

Dear Hannelore,

I want to thank you for the wonderful magic you made possible at Skidmore. I took Natalie Reid's new workshop. It was a very special class, offering an immensely safe space in which to do this special creative work. In addition to the brilliant information she provides and the journey experiences she creates for her voyagers, I think one of the things that makes it so powerful and effective is the fact that the class is closed after the first day. I think it's part of what makes such a life-altering experience possible and also part of Natalie's overall emphasis on the participants' well being. As you said on closing night—there's no other writer's conference that would offer such an experience.

This year I also took Alice Orr's class—invaluable for my work on my novel—a warrior woman who wants us all to succeed. Diane Gallo's showed me not only a new way of editing my own work, but the approach and demeanor (and tone and words) I've been searching for in working with writing students. When I told her I hoped to teach, she made a special effort to tell me how she works with students at different times. I took her workshop all week and I feel I was able to make a lasting change in how I will approach another's work.
Lastly, Erika DeRuth's course (my second year) continues to amaze me with the doors and windows it throws open in my life and my writing.
— Paula Mate, Oradell, NJ

I am a 36-year-old Afro-American poet/ writer. I live to write and write to live.
— Renee Glenn Ward, Chattanooga, TN