Despite women authors penning some of history’s most well-revered texts, for centuries writing and publishing were, like so many endeavors, considered exclusive to the realm of men. This trend persisted well into the most recent decade, but as of 2021, there are now more women who identify as writers than men. And, the ladies of lit are not only openly expressing themselves as artists, we are publishing and selling more books than ever before.
As an organization founded and run by women writers and creative practitioners, we at The Inner Loop like to think we’ve contributed to this sea change, at least on the local level. For the past decade, we have supported local writers (and readers!) from all backgrounds and experience levels through no-to-low cost literary programming. Among the more than 1,500 literary artists we have served over the years, at least 60% are femme writers. This diverse cadre includes award-winners, pocket poets, teachers, mothers, daughters, memoirists, and more.
But, and take it from us, numbers don’t tell the whole story. The Inner Loop is about building and sustaining community— even and especially in the face of adversity. It’s about offering space to women who have come back to their craft after raising families. Women who find themselves submitting to literary magazines still dominated by men. Women who are career writers earning less than their counterparts. Women who simply need a room of their own— a room full of friendly faces eager to hear their work.
As our dear friend and advocate Alice McDermott wrote, “all we can do is live our lives fully, be authentically ourselves, and trust that the right things about us, the best and most fitting things, will echo in the memories of us that endure.” This is why we choose to champion local women writers— we hope you’ll join us to celebrate a few of them at our Women's History Month reading at DCPL.