Writing Wild Issue 19
Connect to Resist
Hello, wonderful wild ones - and welcome to those who have joined the Wild Women Writers’ Salons recently.
In times of increasing division, the act of empathy is a radical resistance. My heartfelt gratitude to my guests, Deborah Frances-White, Ellen Jones, and Rosie Wilby, for sharing such a thought-provoking and inspiring conversation with our community, encouraging us to reach beyond and connect.
If you want to buy any of the other books featured in Salon 17, do check out the following links and visit our Bookshop.
Six Conversations We’re Scared to Have by Deborah Frances-White
Outrage by Ellen Jones
The Break-Up Monologues by Rosie Wilby
Thanks also to Maya Jordan, who, unfortunately, was unable to join us for this salon. Maya will return in October to share her extraordinary debut memoir, Chopsy: Resistance Tales of a Working-Class Woman, as well as talk about her work leading the Wild Woman Meditation Circles. (And if you are a paid subscriber, you can read Maya’s answers alongside our other salon guests from this salon in our exclusive interview, as well as receive book recommendations and writing prompts.)
A huge thanks to Yvonne Waddell and Jackie Greenshields for providing such fantastic BSL support for this event. We are delighted to welcome them to the Wild Woman community, and look forward to future BSL-supported events, thanks to funding from Creative Scotland.
And finally, thank you as always to all who attended, purchased tickets, and provided support. You are part of the beating heart of this community, and I am grateful for the gentleness with which you hold our words.
Missed the salon?
If you missed it, don’t forget that if you upgrade to a paid subscription, you can access the recording below in this newsletter (and all recordings for the season as we go forward) — as well as extra author interviews, book recommendations and writing prompts! Plus, you will be helping to support the work behind the scenes that makes the salons happen.
Signposts
If you would like to read more from Deborah, Ellen, Maya or Rosie, here are some signposts:
Ellen
Pansy Studios - a queer freelance agency & largest LGBTQ+ directory pansystudios.co.uk
Susbtack
Ellen on Instagram: ellen__jones
Rosie
The Breakup Monologues podcast: www.podfollow.com/breakupmonologues
Rosie on Radio 4 Four Thought: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04dn664
Rosie on Instagram: @breakupmonologues
Maya
Bordering Grey – Writings on Life, Going Grey at the Borders
Maya on Instagram: @maya_jordan_writes
Deborah
Deborah on Substack:
Deborah on Instagram: @dfdubz
Taking a break …
Due to an alignment of stars, deadlines and other elements, the salons are taking a short break for September. A perfect time to take out a paid subscription and catch up on the previous three salons!
But we will return …
We will be back Thursday 30th October for Salon 18 – Crone Witch, Wild Woman: Reclaiming the fierce, wise, and unapologetically wild.
I will be joined by the fantastic Cathryn Kemp (A Poisoner’s Tale), Helen Ivory (Constructing A Witch), and Maya Jordan (Chopsy: Resistance Tales of a Working Class Woman) when we will be exploring the representations — and demonisations — of the crone, witch, and wild woman across history, culture, and story, reflecting on what it means to inhabit later womanhood on our own terms.
Introducing our Salon Host — Victoria Bennett
Victoria Bennett is an award-winning disabled writer, carer, and mother. A firm believer in everyone’s right to write their own story, she has dedicated much of her working life to nurturing spaces where people can do just that, founding Wild Women Press in 1999. She has curated and hosted the Wild Women Writers' Salons since 2023, bringing together writers and readers from around the world to explore the things that matter.
Her debut memoir, All My Wild Mothers: Motherhood, Loss, and an Apothecary Garden offers a quietly positive manifesto for a changing world. Nautilus Book Award Winner 2024.
Her forthcoming book, The Apothecary By The Sea: A Year in an Orkney Garden, is due out in May 2026.
WHAT ARE THE WILD WOMEN WRITERS’ SALONS?
I am a disabled author and carer, as well as the founder of Wild Women Press and the Wild Women Writers’ Salons. I am passionate about creating positive change, and I believe words can help us do this.
That is why I share mine, and why I have dedicated over half my life to creating spaces where others can share theirs. When we tell our stories and listen to the stories of others, we connect. In this increasingly divisive world, it becomes more essential to do so.
Each salon is carefully and individually curated, with considerable thought given to pairing authors and their writing. This pairing allows us to bring something new to the conversation — a space where all the books intersect and begin to tell an additional story. All participants, including myself, read and responded to the selected books, engaging with them as readers, writers, and creative peers.
This is more than a literary panel — it's a community. We're creating a welcoming and inspiring space to gather, engage and inspire positive change. In this collaborative, creative space, the audience and authors come together to delve deeper into the words and what it means to write them.
ACCESSIBLILTY
I prioritise comfort and self-care during the salons — and all the rest of the time too!
The salons are held 100% online via Zoom, usually on the last Thursday of each month. These sessions are typically held from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. UK time, with some sessions scheduled from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. UK time to accommodate authors with other commitments or specific needs.
The salons support live captions and are recorded and subtitled for delayed viewing. Funding through Creative Scotland will also enable me to increase access to the salons by providing British Sign Language (BSL) interpretation for some of the salons during the 2025-26 programme. This will be noted on the individual events.
How do they work? What is Pay What You Can?
No personal profit is made from the salons — this is not an organisation or a business, but it does need an income to survive, as do all those involved in making it happen — including me. All revenue generated from ticket sales and subscriptions is reinvested in the project to support the authors, those working behind the scenes, and to ensure the project's long-term viability.
The more you can pay for your ticket, and the more people who support us through paid subscriptions, the longer we can continue.
This year, I have been fortunate to receive a small grant towards research and development from Creative Scotland, which will help me build in further access and support my work and contribute towards the authors’ time and commitment, but it doesn’t cover the full cost of the programme, or the hours it takes to make it happen.
That is where your support comes in.
The salons are offered as Pay-What-You-Can. This is not because I have a secret income. It is because I want to create an equitable space where everyone can participate, and where we foster a community that values worth but does not exclude people based on their ability to afford it.
However, it might be helpful when deciding what to donate to have the following price points as guides.
A minimum ticket donation of £5 is suggested. This is what you’d pay for a coffee and a cake, and less than you’d be likely to pay at the cinema these days. It won’t cover the salon or the work, but it goes some way.
£8, £16, and £24 are offered as realistic price points, as estimates of the cost to support the project, acknowledging the time, creativity, and energy generously given by our guest authors and all those involved in making the salons happen.
As a disabled, low-income parent-carer, I am very aware that there are times in life when we can’t find those funds, no matter how much we want to. If this is you right now, please do not feel that you cannot attend if you cannot meet these price points. You are still very much welcome.
All and any donations and paid subscriptions are vital to this space's ecosystem, and as always, we are grateful for your support.
So let’s get the conversation started…
Want to read the books?
The salons are carefully curated to bring authors together to discuss their work, exploring connections and creative practice. All the books can be read as stand-alone, but something magical happens when you read them together and carry on that conversation between the works.
Did you know that you can find all the authors’ books and recommended reads on our Bookshop page, or you can buy the author's books directly (deliverable worldwide) from Sam Read Booksellers?
Why Upgrade to Paid?
Be part of the growing Wild Women Writers’ community
The salons are entirely unfunded. All paid subscriptions support the work behind the scenes to make the Wild Women Writers’ Salons and the newsletter happen. In exchange for your support, you get:
access to all previous newsletters
access to recordings of the full programme of salons;
additional interviews with our guest authors on their writing and inspirations;
additional reading recommendations from our guest authors;
bespoke writing prompts from our guest authors;
occasional additional writing opportunities and courses;
The chance to be part of a nurturing community of creative practice!
Please consider upgrading to a paid subscription today.
Writing Wild (Wild Women Writers' Salons) is a reader-supported publication. By subscribing, you support the work behind the scenes that makes this project possible. Thank you.
Self-Care Snippet
“Empathy is a creative act. It is the act of imagining ourselves not only in another's shoes, but perhaps inhabiting their very heart and soul.”
―Michele Jennae
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