Empowering Words by Women Writers

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A century ago, women won the right to vote, but from some perspectives, today’s America is growing increasingly repressive toward women. A number of states have recently passed resolutions that restrict a woman’s right to an abortion, while at the beginning of the year, daily accounts of sexual violence perpetuated against women filled the airwaves, spawning the #MeToo movement. Women have had to fight throughout history to be heard, to be seen, to be afforded the same rights as men; yet across time and cultures, women writers have found power in their struggles toward justice and equality. Margaret Atwood, the renowned writer and feminist, once said, “A word after a word after a word is power.”

Perhaps taking their cue from Atwood, a trio of strong Wisconsin women writers will come together to share their empowering words at a Thursday, June 6, Woodland Pattern event entitled “Raising our Voices.” Kathie Giorgio, the founder and director of the Waukesha-based AllWriters’ Workplace & Workshop and acclaimed author of four novels, will headline the evening, alongside poets Cristina M.R. Norcross and Lisa Marie Brodsky.

For Giorgio, writing and womanhood have always been entwined and in her latest poetry collection, When You Finally Said No, she tackles personal trauma by speaking about the sexual assault she experienced as a young teenager. Norcross, the author of eight collections of poetry, explores issues of feminism with depth and wisdom, often finding healing in the natural world. Her latest book is entitled Beauty in the Broken Places. Lisa Marie Brodsky is the author of two full-length poetry collections. She has long recognized poetry as a tool for emotional healing and is currently training to become a Poetry Therapy Practitioner.

Raising our Voices takes place at Woodland Pattern Book Center, 720 E. Locust St., at 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 6.