Hi Everyone!
It’s been a busy few weeks here at AW80W but I can’t wait to share what I’ve been up to. During October, I interviewed some extraordinary women to learn more about their lives, countries, careers, and many other fascinating topics that I had not even considered beforehand. As we progress through November, I’ve been focused on writing some amazing new stories. Not only that, but since the previous AW80W update I’ve published six new stories!
Shiny New Stories
At the time of my previous update, I was working on Josie’s story in which she discusses life in Denver, Colorado, USA as a trans woman. Josie grew up in a small town in Michigan but didn’t want to ‘rock the boat’, as she puts it, by transitioning there.
Since moving to Colorado, Josie has set up an inspiring initiative called EXPOSED Storytelling which supports individuals from the community to share their personal stories to a receptive audience.
Other stories also published since the previous update include:
- Kateryna’s story about growing up in Ukraine and following her father’s footsteps by entering politics.
- Iola’s story of being adopted from Vietnam at age one and growing up in France.
- Lara’s story in which she recounts living for two decades in the Kyzylkum desert in Uzbekistan when the country was still part of the Soviet Union.
- Shari’s story of surviving childhood sexual abuse and using her experience to become a trauma specialist in New Jersey, USA.
- Arifia’s story about the gender expectations and stereotypes she is continually resisting while living in Indonesia.
In the Pipeline
As you can see from the list of amazing new stories in the AW80W series, I’ve been on a writing sprint – and I’m not ready to slow down just yet!
Here’s a taster of the stories I’m currently working on:
- Em’s story from England, UK, considers life working as a female artist and being inspired by light. She also describes her experience of art as a therapeutic tool.
- Hannah’s story from Wisconsin, USA, is about growing up in a conservative religious community and achieving success in the medical field despite early limitations.
- Sudha’s story discusses growing up in India and striving to build a career in a country where many women are expected to marry in their twenties.
- Kira’s story is from Ohio, USA, and discusses her experience of neurodivergence, her connection to the LGBTQ+ community, and life as a mixed-race Indigenous woman.
- Nicole’s story considers what life is like in Canada for women, including those working in STEM.
Make sure you subscribe to my Medium account to be notified when new stories are published.
All Women Welcome
As always, I’m open to women contacting me to share their stories, and the term ’women’ is used in its most inclusive sense.
I’d love to hear your story so don’t hesitate to email me at AW80W.project@gmail.com or use the contact form on this website.
I particularly encourage those from underrepresented or marginalised groups to take part. As many diverse voices as possible need to be heard.
Thank you for reading and I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Take care,
Rachel : )
