LitFriends: The Power of Your Words In Action

LitFriends: The Power of Your Words In Action

"A word after a word after a word is power" — Margaret Atwood

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We talk about craft, publication, and practice.
Last week, writing from this community reminded me what literature can do. It shaped meaning. It nudged culture.

I was a guest on the podcast Authors After Action, reading from Ken Williams’ personal essay “Cherry” from the Voices Anthology CORNERS. (Amazon affiliate link).

Since he was nineteen in Vietnam, he carried the weight of suffering and felt haunted by the boys he had killed. He had to live with what he had done to fulfil his duty.

As I read, the atmosphere in my house shifted. I have never been to war, yet the weight of it filled the room. The host, a veteran, told me he knew the piece would matter to his listeners. Ken’s words traveled beyond that recording, into rooms he will never enter.

That is what a personal essay can do. It takes lived experience and gives it form that lasts. It moves beyond the writer. It continues working long after the moment of reading.

Voices Anthology on Aging — Update

The Voices Anthology on Aging is officially a go.

We were close, but not yet cohesive. So we made three deliberate moves:

We brought in classic public-domain works with enduring modern resonance to strengthen the literary spine of the book.

We opened a final push for strong personal essays to complete the collection.

We planned focused Studio Sessions to help writers craft publishable personal essays for this and future anthologies.

Submissions will close toward the end of April. After that, we turn toward building the book.

Submit to the Anthology

Read the Full Call For Submissions

GET STARTED

There is still space for a few essays that add to this collection. Be funny, or sad, or confused, or wise, and give the reader an authentic experience.

From Insight to Practice/ WriterClubhouse Studio Sessions

If you are considering submitting or want to strengthen your essay craft, our February and March Studio Sessions are designed for exactly that.

February 18

March 18

These sessions focus on the publishable personal essay.

In the first session, I teach a clear structure I call the Fractured Essay. It is a method I developed through years of teaching. It offers a straightforward way to build a layered, meaningful essay without agonizing over how to hold it together.

Writers who have used this method have gone on to publish personal essays and books.

You will leave knowing how to:

shape experience into narrative form

build an essay with coherence and depth

connect with editors

Learn more or register here:
https://www.writerclubhouse.com/

Complete Memoir Course — Opening in April

To those who have registered interest in the Complete Memoir Course, welcome. The course will open again in April.

In the meantime, here are ways you can begin now.

Join one of the Studio Sessions and practice shaping publishable personal essays.

Work through the five introductory freewriting in the 5 must-dos.

Start a dedicated notebook. Write about events in your life that carry weight — even if they seemed trivial at the time. Just begin unconscious journaling and write about your past and present. No rules. Well, one rule: be honestly you.

Meaning often reveals itself in hindsight. What feels small can hold the thread of an entire book.

Whether you are new to memoir or returning with experience, this is the right place to begin.

Community

Ken’s essay continues to move people. Shortly after publishing his book, he passed away. I am grateful his words are in the world. This is part of what LitFriends is about. We champion one another. We make sure the work lives.

New Articles on the Website

Am I Too Old to Write a Book?
https://amyloujenkins.com/am-i-too-old-to-write-a-book/

Publishing an Anthology: 7 Ways It Can Boost Your Writing Career
https://amyloujenkins.com/publishing-in-anthologies/

Warmly,
Amy Lou Jenkins

P.S. If you are considering submitting to the Voices Anthology on Aging or joining the Studio Sessions, now is the time to step forward.

Words shape worlds. What are you willing to say out loud?

LitFriends is a reading, writing, and conversation community for people who care about clarity, integrity, and voice. We gather around books, ideas, and shared practice not to perform, but to orient ourselves and keep going together.

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