EDITOR'S LETTER

Dear Sister and Mister Listers,

ICWP listers and members were recently asked for brief pieces (100 words or less) on the topic “Why I Write.” We were thrilled with the response and will be continuing to print your submissions in future issues. Please keep ‘em coming!

We are pleased that this issue has a particularly international feel. Karen Jeynes, our Guest Editor, collected “Why I Write” pieces from her fellow South African writers, and some of those entries are included here.

Robin Rice Lichtig recalls her experience teaching playwriting in Mongolia (interviewed by Sandy Hosking, in a reprint from Insight For Playwrights).

Other articles concern self-publishing (Carolyn Gage), organizing a year-long festival of war-themed plays (EM Lewis), and finding inspiration in the small details (Maureen Johnson).

We hope you enjoy reading this issue as much as we enjoyed putting it together. As always, you can send article ideas, “Why I Write” submissions, and comments to me at icwpmem@rachelwrites.com.

Congratulations to all who have organized, participated, and been read in the many International Women’s Day Events.

We would love to hear accounts from more of you in future issues! It’s so exciting to see this event growing and catching on. Happy reading and writing…and best of luck with your submissions!

Rachel Rubin Ladutke
Editor, SEASONS

NOTE FROM THE GUEST EDITOR

This project came at an interesting time for me. I have been questioning my career choice and how it impacts my lifestyle and my family. I have been questioning whether or not I should keep on struggling, for being a young female playwright is an everyday struggle. Every few weeks my husband and I find ourselves wondering if we should move.

Then a few days ago a friend challenged me to choose ten words to describe myself. The rather inadequate answer I came up with was:

Mother, friend, lover and writer who likes laughing, in Africa.

So it seems as if both my career and my home are an intrinsic part of who I am. The question then comes, particularly in Southern Africa at this critical time, what is my role and purpose? The answer is that I must continue to be a writer, for I am not anything else. Unlike my doctor sister-in-law or my teacher mother who can see direct results from their work, the results of mine are a little more intangible and hard to trace.

EM Lewis’s piece resonated completely with me, as it was another example of how we can best be ourselves, where we are, right now. It was also what prompted me to ask people why they write. You’ll find the answers of a lot of South African writers here, but I think you’ll find they are answers that could have been given by any writer anywhere.
I think writers by nature are observers, empathizers, watchers and listeners.

i think we are moved to try and move others, to pass on thoughts, ideas and feelings to them.

I hope you enjoy reading this, and that it inspires you, and gives you strength to carry on!

Karen Jeynes

PS I cannot thank enough Margaret and Rachel in particular for their ongoing and amazing support!