I handed my phone to a tall person who was standing nearby and asked him to take a picture of my friends and me. We had ridden the biodiesel bus together from Durham to Raleigh for the Women’s March on Raleigh. As our bus pulled into downtown, we saw cars and people streaming in from […]
Turning Points
Last fall, a group of women whose ages spanned six decades gathered every Monday evening for four weeks to write, explore, and share in a safe and supportive community. Out of these gatherings came a booklet of deeply personal and moving poems and essays. Below is one of the short essays featured in this collection. […]
Tea Gatherings Featured on UNC-TV
RCWMS Executive Director Jeanette Stokes was included in UNC-TV’s Our State feature on Japanese tea gatherings and the Asiatic Arboretum at Duke Gardens. RCWMS hosts a tea gathering each year in the spring. You can watch this lovely 8 minute video here:
Hand Wringing and Reckoning
We are pleased to announce the winners of the 2016 RCWMS Essay Contest. The theme was “Experiencing White Supremacy.” The first place winner is Danyelle O’Hara of St. Paul, MN, for “Hand Wringing and Reckoning,” which first appeared in our March newsletter, and is republished below. Second place goes to Karen Erlichman of Pacifica, CA […]
End of Year Update
This fall was so busy, we barely had time to catch our breath, much less catch anyone up on what we’ve been up to! We hosted five separate writing workshops (several lasting over multiple sessions), the second annual “Herons Walk on Water’s Edge” (an intergenerational eco-spiritual retreat), programs for Elder Women, book readings and discussion […]
Maura Wolf May 2015 East Coast Book Tour: What Matters Most
At the end of May, Maura Wolf will be touring the East Coast for intimate and lively readings from her new book What Matters Most: Everyday Leadership at Home, at Work, and in the World. About the Book What matters most today? In the midst of striving for success and reaching for fulfillment, how do […]
Moments Magnified
“Evocative, sensual, suspenseful.” That’s how Carol Henderson described strong writing to 25 women who gathered on the first day of spring for Carol’s annual Resource Center weekend writing intensive. Many of the women were veterans of Carol’s writing workshops and dove in eagerly. Entitled “Moments Magnified,” the two-day workshop encouraged participants to write powerful vignettes […]
Masks & Mirrors
What happens when you bring together a yearning at RCWMS to showcase someone’s art, a gorgeous venue, and the idea that a day should be designated to celebrating women in the arts? “Masks & Mirrors,” that’s what. “Masks & Mirrors: Works By Mary Jane Rivers & Friends,” which opened on March 15 at Cassilhaus, a […]
2015 RCWMS Essay Contest Winners
We are pleased to announce the winners of the 2015 RCWMS Essay Contest, “Embodying Faith.” First place goes to Rebecca Lanning of Durham, NC, for her essay, “How to Pet a Porcupine.” Second place goes to Sarah Woodford of New Haven, CT, and third place goes to Lauren Kilbourn of Chapel Hill, NC. An honorable […]
Befriending Death
What would it look like to befriend death? That was the question presented to a circle of women on at the first session of a series of workshops sponsored by RCWMS on January 18th. Titled “Befriending Death,” the series seeks to explore how we may spiritually, mentally, and emotionally grapple with the realities of death […]
Epiphany Labyrinth Walk, January 6, 2015
In the Christian tradition, Epiphany is the celebration of the visit of the three wise people to the baby Jesus. Epiphany comes from ancient Greek meaning “manifestation” or “striking appearance.” We use the work in English to denote a striking revelation. We invite you to walk a labyrinth this year on Epiphany and to let […]
Homegrown: NC Women’s Preaching Festival
RCWMS is excited to sponsore the 2014 Homegrown: NC Women’s Preaching Festival. In October of 2012 and again in 2013, over 65 North Carolina clergy women gathered for two days of celebrating, learning, worshiping, and community building. Participants commented that the festival was “refreshing,” “healing,” and “overwhelmingly wonderful.” Attendees represented the African Methodist Episcopal, Baptist, Episcopalian, […]