Tayari's Blog: Flanked: A Women Writers Collective

Posted by TayariJones on March 28, 2006 09:24 AM
Filed under The Writing Life

Through of series of gorgeous coincidences, I have become aware of Flanked, a women writers collective based in Baltimore. Ladylee, I am thinking that something like this should be started in ATL as well. (Hint, hint. I think you'd be an ideal founder!) Here is a excerpt of the Flanked mission statement:

Flanked connects serious women writers to women as fierce as themselves— writers often unrecognized, sometimes unpublished, but certainly on the verge of “making them a world.” Housed in Baltimore, Maryland, we’re unafraid of picking up, leaving home, and chasing after literature, but still, we suspect that our backyard gardens are wild and warm enough. Our relationships are built and maintained through classes with local and regional writers, through workshops headed by closet masters of the craft, through readings, through conferences, through mere telephone conversations and chance meetings in the park.

[divider]

There are 3 comments on "Flanked: A Women Writers Collective". If you'd like to leave a comment, click here to jump down to the comments entry form.

Comment #1, by Jackie [TypeKey Profile Page]

Sitting here at work being unproductive and wondering how I will fill my day surfing the net without disapproval, I decided to check out your blog to see what was new. Suprise, surprise to learn of Flanked and it's right here in my own backyard. I have checked out the website, the upcoming conference, the bios on the writers and I am stumped. This sounds like what I have been looking for to bring my writing out of the closet and into the light of day. Well, maybe to own up to wanting to be a writer instead of just pretending to be only a reader. Hmmmmmmm. Isn't it ironic how what you need just appears in your path seemingly out of nowhere.........

At least once a day I wonder if God meant for me to suffer at a job that pays the bills, but doesn't feed my soul. I also wonder that I can actually type out that lament as if I am some upper middle class diva yearning to find herself in a land of privilege. No, I am within one year of retirement and just marking time until my adult child gets closer to finishing grad school so I can cut loose. Could today's posting on your website be divine intervention, a nudge in the direction of taking my writing out of my head and on to the page and publicly? Could it be fascinating material to wish upon while not checking out the clock to see how much time remians in my "work" day?

March 28, 2006 10:20 AM

Comment #2, by Ladylee [TypeKey Profile Page]

@ Jackie...

"At least once a day I wonder if God meant for me to suffer at a job that pays the bills, but doesn't feed my soul."

Wow, what a statement, Jackie... I second you on that!

@Tayari,

Now Tayari, I have been LOOKING for something like this in the ATL, but I am a scientist, and I don't know the darndest thang about starting up an organization... I would be HAPPY to get 2 or 3 writers who live in this area and are working on manuscripts together for mutual support, because that is something that I really need right now...

Sounds quite interesting... you definitely got my wheels turning with that idea :)

March 28, 2006 03:01 PM

Comment #3, by Tinesha [TypeKey Profile Page]

Hmmm - that's a great idea for all areas - I'm diggin' that mission statement. Wonder if something like it exist in the DC metro area?

March 29, 2006 02:09 PM

Your Comments

You are signed in as (sign out)

Please keep comments relevant to the topic. Inappropriate and offensive comments may be edited and/or removed without warning. Comments found on this site don't necessarily reflect the views of Tayari Jones.

(optional)

(required)