“When women work together nothing is impossible.”

-Susan B. Anthony

One of the most fulfilling experiences of my life has been working with, and getting to know, the contributors in The Spirit of a Woman. They have enriched and deeply expanded my life and the lives of other women, leading us all to new places.

Janet Grace Riehl is one of those contributors, and she has generously helped me get the messages in The Spirit of a Woman out in to the world. It has been difficult at times, as our callings sometimes are, but I can always count on Janet to share her wisdom and experience with me. I also enjoy her enthusiasm and rich creativity.

Recently, I was as happily surprised when I read her essay about being a contributor in The Spirit of a Woman. Janet’s post “Life Takes Time. So Do Books”, is the first in the Womens Memoirs’ (www.womensmemoirs.com.) Wednesday series by authors talking about how the books they’ve written changed them. Kendra Bonnett and Matilda Butler are celebrating Women’s History Month on their site and I thought you might enjoy it, and think about giving your own books and stories the time they need to come to light, and life.

Read Janet’s essay here: http://womensmemoirs.com/memoir-book-reviews/life-takes-time-so-do-books-by-janet-grace-riehl/

Peace and Harmony,

Terry

——-

Read Janet’s Bio – Click Here

Janet’s, Sliding Glass Door, is a beautiful story about the importance of friendship and history in the Changes and Choices chapter in The Spirit of a Woman.  Visit Janet at www.Riehlife.com

The International Women’s Writing Guild

Presents its 61st

BIG APPLE CONFERENCE

Saturday, April 16, 2011 “Memoir and Metaphor:  Illuminating Your Life through Writing”

Sunday, April 17, 2011
 Meet the Authors (Terry Laszlo-Gopadze is on this

Panel) Meet the Agents

National Arts Club
15 Gramercy Park South (just East of East 20th Street)
New York City

“The Spirit of a Woman: Stories to Empower and Inspire”

7 p.m. March 23rd, Women’s History Month
Schlafly Library
St. Louis, MO
Left Bank Books will sell books.

Alice Butler Collins and Janet Grace Riehl lead a women’s empowerment event during Women’s History Month. We’ll share our stories in the anthology and engage the audience is remembering their own stories.

Alice Butler Collins (of Chicago) website: www.alicebutlercollins.com

Janet Grace Riehl’s (of St. Louis) website: www.riehlife.com

Here’s the link on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Spirit-Woman-Stories-Empower-Inspire/dp/1595800522

Friday, March 18 to Sunday, March 20, 2011

Bosch Bahái School, 500 Comstock Lane, Santa Cruz, California

Setting: The California Conference, in its 28th year, takes place at Bosch Bahai School, a 67 acre retreat center situated in the Santa Cruz Mountains among the Redwood Trees.

Program: How do we transform our simple thoughts into works that will transfix the reader? Can we become borrowers, using the information and form the great masters; nature’s images, and our own poetic lines? The alchemy of language stems from being open to inspiration wherever we find it. Come join us in finding robust nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs to make our writing shimmer.

WORKSHOPS:

Imitation to Originality – Modeling Our Work on the Masters’: Richelle McClain

Nature as Thesaurus – Culling Vibrant Images from the Pages of Nature: Mary Reynolds Thompson

Poetry as Springboard – Start with a Poem; Finish with a Flourish: Rachel de Baere

Workshop Directors:

Richelle McClain, Mary Reynolds Thoompson, and Rachel de Baere (see website for bios)

Conference Fees:

Members:

• Weekend guests inclusive of entire program, two nights room and all meals: $375
• Weekend commuters inclusive of program, exclusive of room and meals: $160
• Day attendees – Saturday Only: $125
• Day attendees – Sunday Only: $55

Non-Members:

• Weekend guests inclusive of entire program, two nights room and all meals: $395
• Weekend commuters inclusive of program, exclusive of room and meals: $180
• Day attendees – Saturday Only: $150
• Day attendees – Sunday Only – $70

Registration Deposit (will be applied to the registration fee): $60

Meals: Breakfast ($9), Lunch ($12), Dinner ($13)

IWWG Annual Membership: $55
Payment: Payment may be made by credit card at www.iwwg.org. Click on Events/Calandar. Or send a check made out to IWWG and mail it to: IWWG, P.O. Box 810, New York, NY  10028.

Regional IWWG Representatives:

Northern California: Rachel de Baere (415) 456-4574, [email protected]
IWWG Headquarters: Hannelore Hahn (212) 737-7536, [email protected]

With Terry Laszlo-Gopadze and Sheri Ritchlin

May 19 – May 26, 2012
Rancho La Puerta
Tecate, Mexico

Terry Laszlo-Gopadze, editor of The Spirit of a Women: Stories to Empower and Inspire, and editor/contributor Sheri will share stories from the book and consider the ways in which such personal narratives can heal, especially through clarifying and strengthening the sense of self and purpose.  The workshop series will bring participants together in a circle to conceive, compose, and tell their stories, offering techniques for transforming energies of crisis and suffering into a rich and meaningful narrative. Every story has a gift. What will yours be?  In the final session, we will carry those stories in a quiet sharing through a labyrinth walk in the Ranch oak grove.

www.rancholapuerta.com