In the midst of anxiety, I got some wonderful news.
For the past three years, I’ve entered Hippocampus Magazine’s Remember November creative non-fiction contest. During the early evening of November 1, I found out this year’s submission, 1001 Nights, had won.
In my letter to the editor, I described the piece as a love song to women. It is my story, but it is really the story of every woman, of all women. It is the story of remembrance but also of forgetting, of softness and of strength. Of survival and most of all, magic and power.
The very first story I had published back in 1996 was a short story called 99 Bottles of Beer. The bio accompanying the story has a line in it: “She’s been told she writes like a girl. And she wouldn’t have it any other way.”
For a time I stopped writing like a girl–or rather, I still wrote like a girl but I tried to pretend I didn’t. After several decades of writing, finally finishing a novel, and reaching the ripe old age of 46, I realized that writing like a girl is a gift. I would say now I write like a woman, but regardless, it is a gift I wear proudly.
Our stories, women’s stories, they often get buried under the epic stories of men. They’re subsumed. I want to change that. One story at a time.
1001 Nights is the beginning of that. It was a piece of passion for me, one that I am immensely proud of, not because it is my favorite or the best thing I’ve ever written, but because it opens up so much possibility. I want to create a literary space for the stories of women. I want to give them a platform. Pull them out from under the avalanche of history, buff them up, and watch them shine.
I would be thrilled if you’d take the time to read it. Asking readers to read your work is always a bit like walking a tight rope for me. It’s a lot to ask. It takes time and concentration. But when readers take the time to read, it validates what writers spend all our time doing. It makes it worthwhile.
While you are there, please read the stories which were chosen as runner-up and honorable mentions. They are, quite frankly, stunning.
I would love to hear your thoughts about 1001 Nights, there on the magazine page, or here on the blog.
But even more, I would love to hear your stories.
Thanks,
Dina
Wine and Cheese (Doodles) 
Congratulations! I’m going to add it to my reading list!
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Thank you, Elyse! I wrote it a few months ago, but I think in light of the last week, it’s even more relevant.
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Congrats! How exciting!
j
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Thank you so much. I hope it’s just the beginning of something. We’ll see!
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Congratulations-that’s an amazing piece. Parts of it hit a bit close to home, but I think all women can relate.
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Amanda, thank you. I’ve had a few people say reading it made them uncomfortable. I think that’s a good thing–being a woman is uncomfortable at times–and we’ve internalized that and accepted it, and many, many times, it’s absolutely not acceptable. It’s one of the hundred reasons why I wrote it. My story is no different than anyone else’s-we ALL have these stories. It’s time we let them out into the world.
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I made a point to sit down and read it and I found I could match your stories with very similar ones of my own (and I’m sure I’m not the only one) which is why the way you ended it got me choked up. It’s definitely on a special list of things I’ve read that will always stay with me.
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I think all women have stories. I think we all carry around a list of ‘horrible’ness. It’s one of the reasons why it was such an easy piece for me to write in hindsight. And thank you, knowing it will stay with you makes it somehow worthwhile.
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Congratulations! An inspiring read for this fellow mother-of-boys. I need to tell them my stories…
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Yes, please tell your boys your stories. And tell them to us all. Our stories are important!
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Congratulations. The story is heartbreaking and beautiful.
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Thanks Jon. It started as a blog post–but it seemed too much and too important to just be limited to 1000 words–or even 1001. I’m glad that I found a larger audience for it. It’s important to get women’s stories out there. I want to be a part of that.
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Woo hoo!
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Thank you!
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