Works in Process: Women Over 50 Reflecting

Works in Process: Women Over 50, Reflecting

The Gillie Writers Workshop
Columbus, Ohio

Works in Process: Women Over 50, Reflecting offers an unusual opportunity to hear the voices of ordinary older women, born between 1924 and 1955, sharing their diverse experiences of family, love, employment, learning, aging, and loss.  The anthology is written by members of an informal women’s writing group at an urban senior center in Ohio.  Jeannetta Holliman, a long-time member of the International Women’s Writing Guild, facilitated the group, edited the collection, and compiled profiles of each woman’s life based on taped and transcribed interviews.

The book is organized into fourteen sections, from the oldest to the youngest writer:  Ruth Newman, Chrystel Dickens, Patte Burgoon, Ruthmary Mangan, Elizabeth Bartley, Shirley Wright, Barbara Thomas, Lynne Hodge, Carol Rosebrough, Sharon Deevey, Rosemary Muldowney, Pamela Hamilton, Kym Hackenberger, and Linda Fuchs.  Each section includes a photograph of the writer, her life profile, and several types of writing—journal entries, prompted exercises, narratives, and poetry.  As editor, Jeannetta Holliman honors each woman at her current stage of development, both in her writing and in her personal life. 

The writings sparkle with unique and varied perspectives, countering the sometimes bland and faded stereotypes of aging women.  This anthology is highly recommended for writing groups, Women’s Studies classes, gerontology programs—and for anyone trying to awaken a writing voice for the first time.

ISBN: 978-1-62249-208-4

Pages: 209