She Writes, She Reads, She Changes the World

Thrilling fact: When Gloria Steinem was queried about a potential name for a new-start hybrid publishing company, she suggested “She Writes, She Read, She Changes the World”. For brevity’s sake, the name was shortened to She Writes Press. I was one of 130 women who attended a writers’ retreat in Palm Springs, California, hosted last weekend by my publisher, She Writes Press.

SWP Sisters

When I signed with SWP in 2022 for the publication of my book, Be Brave. Lose the Beige: Finding Your Sass After Sixty, I was unaware the name was inspired by one of my long-time feminist heroes. I am one of many women mourning the loss of this iconic figure.

I left the retreat, however, with new heroes. One in particular. Brooke Warner.

Brooke Warner, founder of She Writes Press

Brooke founded She Writes Press in 2012 when the landscape of alternative book production was still largely undefined and in its infancy. She pioneered a woman-run hybrid publishing company that provided a middle ground between traditional publishing houses and self-publishing.The hybrid model is more of a partnership between the publisher and the author. The author pays an upfront fee but retains creative control, and, in quite a departure from traditional publishing models, the author receives 60% of the royalties. Simon & Schuster distributes SWP books, placing titles into major retailers, independent bookstores, and libraries. Brooke’s exacting literary standards and integrity has won the company multiple awards and accolades, including indie publisher of the year in 2019.

Those are a few obvious reasons for my hero worship. Behind the awards and accomplishments, however, is a woman who truly seeks to empower other women in her field. She created a model of collaboration rather than competition. Our retreat felt like a culmination of her work, as one hundred and thirty SWP authors gathered to support and encourage each other. Writing is hard and isolating but it’s fundamental to who I am and how I choose to live my days. Sharing this strangely compelling life choice with other like-minded women felt liberating. I luxuriated in the safety of the retreat space.

“Whatever captures your attention shapes you. Pay attention to what you pay attention to.”

Brooke’s opening remarks focused on attention. To give your attention is to stretch toward something. That description reminded me of a sunflower stretching to reach for the sun. I’ve thought about this admonition several times since the retreat. All too often our attention is diverted away from things that could nurture us, focusing instead on to-do and should-do lists. As Brooke noted, inward attention is self-validating. And gosh do we humans need validation.

Brooke’s vision created a climate of empathy and generosity among the retreat’s participants. “Give a shoutout to your sister authors on your social media and blog posts. Share their work with your followers”, we were urged. Literary legends Gina Frangello (Blow Your House Down), Piper Kerman (Orange is the New Black), and Christina Baker Kline (The Orphan Train, The Foursome) keynoted the retreat. They too generously shared tips and wisdom from their experiences.

Piper Kerman

Brooke Warner Interviewing Christina Baker Kline

There is something about being in the company of a group of women for several days that gives me hope and a restored faith in our fractured world. Rhetorical question alert: Why aren’t women running the world?

I met many other literary heroes at the retreat. Perhaps they haven’t graduated to the “legendary” phase yet, but they are published authors. Studies report that while 80% of people living in the U.S. want to write a book, only one percent (1%) have published a book. I read Della Leavitt’s Vivian’s Decision, on the plane traveling from Palm Springs to Chicago. I couldn’t put it down. I also plan to read Love is a Rebellious Bird by Elayne Klasson, Twice a Daughter, by Julie McGue, and A Little Piece of Cuba, by Barbara Caver. Just a few of my SWP heroes. If you would like a complete list, let me know in the comments section.

A spontaneous adoption at the conclusion of the conference cemented my regard for Brooke and her wife, Karen. Apparently Palm Springs has a strong network of animal shelters and community adoption programs, one of which operates out of the lobby of our retreat hotel. At check-in, a small, scruffy dog in a custom doghouse caught my eye and tugged at my heart strings. “Adopt me,” said the sign above her playpen. Given that my home is two thousand miles away, adoption was not an option for me but it was for Brooke (a Berkley, California resident). “Meet Dinah, the new mascot for She Writes Press” the caption on a powerpoint slide read on the final day of the conference. An enthusiastic clamor erupted when we heard the news and her new name. Since the hotel sits on Palm Springs’ famous Dinah Shore Drive, the moniker was perfect—and it felt like she instantly belonged to all of us.

Dinah with one of her new adoptive moms, Karen Haycox

And that is how Brooke Warner rolls: She created a company built on inclusion, generosity, and collaboration–a culture that echos Louis Armstrong’s song, “What a Wonderful World.'"