New at AWP 2011 – Women’s Caucus

AWP Conference: The Women’s Caucus, led by Lois Roma-Deeley, Patricia Smith, Cheryl Dumesnil, Anna George Meek, Amy King, and Katherine Arnoldi, is scheduled to meet for the first time on Saturday, February 5 from 10:30 AM to 11:45 AM in the hotel Mezzanine Le.

Lois Roma-Deeley sent the following description: “Where is the place for the women writer within AWP and within the greater literary community? The women’s caucus discusses this as well as continuing inequities in creative writing publication and literature. In addition, issues centering on cultural obstacles in the form of active oppression, stereotypes, lack of access to literary power structures, historical marginalization of women’s writing, issues and perspectives and the diverse voices of women will explored. Networking opportunities.”

The mission of the AWP Women’s Caucus is the following:
–to expand networking opportunities for women writers
–to recognize the contributions of women writers nationally and internationally
–to enhance understanding of the relationship between gender and creative writing
–to expand literary and cultural dialogue to encompass all genres of creative writing specific to women writers
–to encourage an open forum for dialogues about feminist literary perspectives
–to support education about the contributions of women writers
–to support women writers on local, national, and global levels
–to advocate for equity in creative writing for all