We are a group of women who are excited by place. It happens that we’re all writers, but this isn’t only about writing – we want to have conversations with all women who find inspiration from their environment, whether for acts of creativity, philosophical debate, or as a guide for day-to-day living. This relationship with place may bring with it a feeling of connection, but may also be problematic. It happens in countryside and city, and the places in between. We would like this forum to bring ideas and provocations, preoccupations and challenges, all rooted in the way women talk about place.
Miranda Ward says that ‘(how) we write about place…is ripe with meaning and power, and that power works as a force both for understanding place and for creating it.’ The act of writing pins a moment, a mood, an attitude, onto the page, and has an effect, in consequence, on how the reader will view the place triggering the description. There are questions here to be asked about responsibility, about bringing a balanced perspective. We need as many voices as possible sharing their experience of place.
There will be podcasts and online events in the months ahead, leading to a conference based out of Manchester Metropolitan University’s Centre for Place Writing in September 2022. We want to know what preoccupies you about place, and how you engage with creating a sense of place. What intrigues you, niggles at you, fills you with wonder or with fury? We’d love you to follow us on Twitter – @womentalkplace – to talk and share and hear about our events. Most of all, we want you to join the discussion.
Women Talk Place 