The Power of Friendship
Sharing Stories, Sharing Lives in Prose and Poetry from Story Circle Network
There is power and meaning in everybody’s story. —Oprah Winfrey
Real Women Write is an annual anthology showcasing the talent and creativity of Story Circle Network members, and includes fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. SCN values every woman’s story, and in Real Women Write we publish writing about both the individual life in all its uniqueness, and a woman’s life as it’s understood by all women.
The 2024 edition of Real Women Write is volume 23 in the series. Titled The Power of Friendship, it offers reflections on an essential human connection—mutual compassionate support between two people.
“Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and its only by this meeting that a new world is born.” —Anaïs Nin
“Constant use will not wear ragged the fabric of friendship.” —Dorothy Parker
Friendships can develop at all stages of life, and we make friends in all types of settings, including school, work, and in social situations. But are these relationships necessary? One of the lessons taken from the isolation many felt during the pandemic is that friendship does matter. In fact, the Mayo Clinic recently conducted a study that determined that the lack of friends, which leads to loneliness, is as harmful to your health as smoking fifteen cigarettes a day. However, what defines a friendship? The answers are as varied as the number of women responding to the question.
Leading these reflections is the Foreword by former Story Circle Network president, writing teacher, and author Helen (Len) Leatherwood, who warmly and wisely sets the context for this collection:
“The essays, memoir pieces, poems, and fictional stories in this anthology reveal the multilayered aspects of friendship. The joy, pain, ambivalence, and love that friendship brings, whether in the past, the present, or the hoped-for future. Within these pages, you will recognize your own experiences, empathize with those who chronicle painful outcomes, and laugh with those who describe the lighter, more joyful moments of friendship.”
We hope that this set of uplifting creative works will inspire readers to send an email or text, write a note, or pick up the phone to tell someone special—to paraphrase the classic Golden Girls theme song—“Thank you for being my friend.”
This and other volumes in the series are available on Amazon in both print and digital formats. Members have access to the entire archive of our anthologies. Join us or log in.
See the full list of Story Circle Network’s books here.
