You know, over the past couple of days I've been seeing a lot of threads pop up with different people's stories and poetry....brnidokiegurl suggested in another topic that maybe we should get together and publish our stories.

I know not all our stories have happy endings but we are a community and almost like family sometimes (even dysfunctional! ) and we all share (or shared) a common goal.

A book that comes to mind is Couldn't Keep It to Myself: Wally Lamb and the Women of York Correctional Institution (Testimonies from our Imprisoned Sisters) --for those of you who don't know who Wally Lamb is, he wrote a couple novels that ended up in Oprah's Book Club (She's Come Undone and I know this much is true).

Mr. Lamb ended up teaching a creative writing course at the above prison, and compiled many of the women's stories into this book.

So...even if you don't think you have a story, I bet you do.

And some people here on VJ who want to gain media attention for the immigration hardships some of us face, well...writing a book ourselves might grab some attention! Granted, writing a book takes forever but so does this process .

Some of us could write our own books, maybe some of us are already planning on it (I am!) but some of us who don't have the patience to write 300 pages could write 3 pages and still be heard.

Just an idea......something to do to pass the time......

I would contribute

So would I

ditto

Will the book be edited for foul language????????

Just for the simple fact that when I start telling our story and how this whole process has been one headache after another, I tend to devolve into four-letter words!!!!!!

so true so true

Ok. I will do this. I feel like we're pioneers and this book would help those to follow if they seek it.

Could make for an interesting chapter......


Ok, I'm trying to think of ways we can compile our work in progress without complete strangers having access to it. Kind of like a private online writing workshop. Ideas?

There used to be a private yahoo group for the women here to share personal matters but I'm not sure if they still have it up and running.

Set up a blog on like wordpress/blogger and make it for invited readers only. Then collect emails in PMs and invite the interested parties.

(and this would allow you to all post and thus take care of your own post-- each reader could have ONE post and use it to put their stories and edit them. It would also allow for comments and criticisms of writing.)

you can set up a free forum at proboards and set it to private so that you have to have a password to view it. I have a forum there and we have a private board for sisters only that you can't even see if you're not a member and you can't get into it without a password. http://www.proboards.com/index.html

I think the book idea is great! I would contribute as well...and this is something that I would have totally bought a book like this when I was starting this process..

This is such an awesome idea! I would glady contribute my experiences.

Just wanted to say I absolutely ADORE Wall Lam!! I'm in Connecticut, and he used to teach at UCONN when my brother was there, and all I wanted was a signed copy of "She's Come Undone" for Christmas, and my poor little brother ended up practically STALKING the guy to get it for me... which he never was able to do

Ok, I created a blogger account for our project. I'm still writing the intro post and as Julianna suggested, it will be by invite only (please PM me with your email address, I promise I won't share the emails with anyone). Keep discussing! I'm way ahead of myself and already thinking layout...but that's because I used to layout newspaper pages sooooo






You are totally NOT going to like this...my mom had Wally Lamb as her teacher when she was in high school (around 1976-1977) at NFA. We found a whole bunch of papers of hers that he graded when we were cleaning the house this summer!

Whereabouts in CT are you? Are you familiar with Norwich at all? Reading "I know this much is true" is such a TRIP when you're reading the book and know exactly what he's talking about even though he does switch up the names of the roads & towns a bit. It's so easy to figure it out. He's got eastern CT nailed.

I think the book is a great idea although I don't feel like i have much to contribute to it. my life just isn't that interesting. I'm sure it will be a great success!!!

I have met quite a few women here in miami who have brought spouses over, who's spouse brought them over, or married an imigrant and had to go through this process. Somehow they all ended up at the same Masjid

Would it be possible if one or two of them would like to contribute? I haven't said anything, but was wondering. Most people I have met there are married to an imigrant from MENA and several have done either K-1 or CR-1 visas in the past 2-3 years.

I considered a PM to Sparrow, but I figure that since it's a VJ thing, all involved should have a say

I'll consider it if I can get a retainer.

Wow I see all the PMs and this is really great! I will get those invites out to you ASAP but I still don't have that intro post written I was out last night till 5AM so when I got home I crawled in bed and crashed.

I was wondering legally how this would work. I was thinking we could discuss here or on blogger or ????? How do the other compilations do it and what would everyone be comfortable with, or should we just get it written first?

You could self publish and all the proceeds go to Heathers baby ( there wont be that much in the way of proceeds even if everyone on the board buys one. I can show you how. I suggest you self publish..