Supporters of BWS:
  • Miracle Ear
  •  
     

    Invitation to Write | Writing Guidelines | Frequently Asked Questions

    Before submitting a story for Our Voices, please read our Writing Guidelines.

    Our Voices is a growing collection of fascinating stories that shares what is on the hearts and minds of women born between 1946 and 1964. The stories of triumph and self-discovery give hope and inspiration to those who feel like they are alone. Be ready to laugh, cry, and empathize with your fellow boomers. I hope you will see your best friend, sister, even yourself revealed as you click through the stories.

    My prayer is that Our Voices will help women across the world connect. Many women feel trapped and lonely because they are holding everything inside. Laura Pappano, author of The Connection Gap: Why Americans Feel So Alone, believes our frenzied lives keep us from engaging and connecting in our relationships. Paring down our interactions is causing us to lose opportunities to listen and share, leaving American women feeling alone, and lonely.

    For their book Meeting at the Crossroads, distinguished writers and psychologists Lyn Mikel Brown and Carol Gilligan found that as many girls grew up they felt “that the passage out of girlhood is a journey into silence and disconnection, a troubled crossing in which a girl loses a firm sense of self and becomes tentative and unsure.” The authors repeatedly learned that as girls grew into women, they lost their voices based on societal expectations. In losing themselves, women lose their true connections to others.

    The women who write for Our Voices have found those voices that were lost, and they are anxious to share them. My hope is that all of Boomer Women Speak will allow women across the world to realize we are not alone in our thoughts, emotions, and actions. We are never alone on this roller coaster ride called LIFE. Women need the opportunity to share personal stories that will touch the hearts and souls of our generation and help us feel connected.

    The writers answer many questions we do not ask ourselves. Are we content, confused, in love, depressed, or sexually satisfied? What about the babies we chose to place for adoption, or the abortions we chose instead? What is wrong with our minds? What are our relationships really like with our spouses, parents, and children? Why didn’t we speak out about our abuse earlier? Are we addicted to prescription drugs? Is God really our link to being fulfilled? Why do we think we must have great marriages, cookie-cutter children, perfect bodies, and top-notch careers? Our Voices is an opportunity for a unique generation of women to share our answers to these and other questions in a genuine and heartfelt way without being judged. These stories break all barriers of self-consciousness and allow women to learn the truth behind our facades and grow from other’s experiences. Stories about us, written by us, are what we need. The intricacies of our lives can help others live, survive, and thrive.

    Prior to some stories is a brief biography that gives you a peek into the writer’s life. Many writers have included their Web sites or e-mail addresses to give you the opportunity to connect with them.

    I pray you are blessed by reading Our Voices. I also pray you become more compassionate towards others as you consider their life experiences. Reach out, listen, and try not to pass judgment. I pray our stories will touch the hearts and souls of our generation and help us feel connected. May God bless all of us with our stories.

    To submit your story, please read our guidelines FIRST by clicking here.


    Contest Winners
    "Born in the U.S.A."...Childhood Memories
    "Mrs. Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter"...Stories About Mom
    "Get a Job"...Career Choices
    "That's What Friends Are For"...Girlfriends
    "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face"...Marriage
    "You're So Vain"...Celebrating Physical Changes
    "If I Could Save Time In A Bottle"...Embracing Our Authentic Selves
    "I Will Survive"...Menopause
    "Hair"
    "You Keep on Playing Those Mind Games"...Prescription Drugs and Alcohol
    "Alone Again (Naturally)"...Empty Nest
    "Go Your Own Way": Discovering Midlife Passions
    "Take A Walk On The Wild Side"...Dating
    "I Want You Back"...Caring For Our Aging Parents
    "My World is Empty Without You Babe"...Losing Loved Ones
    "Reflections of the Way Life Used to Be"...Times Have Changed
    "Those Were the Days My Friends"...Women's Liberation
    "You Keep On Playing Those Mind Games"...From Depression to Hope
    NABBW and GRAND Magazine Contests Winners

    * Recently Added Stories


    Contest Winners
    The Christmas I Learned to Love, by Georgia Richardson
    The Gypsy in Me, by Robin Ehrlichman Woods
    Respite Regurgitations, by Vicky DeCoster
    A New Respect, by Jacque Stonehocker
    My True Authentic Self, by Andria Donnelly
    The Dimpled Fin - Summer of 1970, by Angelika Schwarz
    PREPARATION....H
    - August Winner!
    , by Andria Donnelly
    Some Truths Are Never Pure And Rarely Simple
    - September Winner!
    , by Donna J. Hall
    Mama, Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Sprinters - October Winner!, by Toni Giarnese
    Never Too Late, by Cheryl Caruolo, MFA
    Dream Girl - Feb-March Honorable Mention!, by Katrina Norfleet
    The Book That Cradles Hearts - Feb/March Winner!, by Meredith Karen Laskow
    You Would Cry Too, If It Happened to You* - April/May Winner!, by Laurie Klein
    Lessons of Blessings and Joy - June/July Honorable Mention!, by Linda Oatman High
    Death by Faulkner - June/July Winner!, by Amy Mullis
    My Butterfly Year - Aug-Sept Winner!, by Mary Anne Hahn
    New Traditions - Oct-Nov Winner!, by Becky Blanton
    Purple Electric - Favorite Concert Memory, by Meredith Karen Laskow
    Before There Were Pink Ribbons
    Sharing Memories from the '70s with the Kids Winner!
    , by Sandy Kelps
    The Age of Elegance - 1ST PLACE WINNER of the Age of Elegance Writing Contest, by Lois R. White
    Elegance in Action - RUNNER UP, by Barbara Hollace
    The Age of Elegance - RUNNER UP, by Cynthia A. Lovely
    No More -1st Place WINNER of Sue Silverman Writing Contest!, by Lynn Obermoeller
    Rude Awakening - 1st Runner Up of the Sue Silverman Writing Contest, by Carole Creekmore
    Diagnosis - 2nd Runner Up of the Sue Silverman Writing Contest, by Meredith Karen Laskow
    May 2010 Writing Contest - First Place Winner!, by Barbara Hollace
    May 2010 Writing Contest - Second Place Winner!, by Ruth Rainwater
    May 2010 Writing Contest - Honorable Mention Winner!, by Angelika Schwarz
    May 2010 Writing Contest - Honorable Mention Winner!, by Donna Collins Tinsley

    Back to Top

     

    "Born in the U.S.A."...Childhood Memories
    Treasured Truths, by Joyce Faulkner
    Growing Pains, by Kathy O'Fallon
    Trading Aprons for Mink Wraps, by Laurel Sparks
    Learning the Definition of a New Word, by Robin Svedi
    Silver-Screen Escapes, by Vicki M. Taylor
    Clotheslines That Bind, by Janet Dengel
    Jim, by Carolyn Steele Agosta
    A Fifties Saturday Night, by Janet Caplan
    SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME, by S. Nadja Zajdman
    The Way We Were, by Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy

    Back to Top

     

    "Mrs. Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter"...Stories About Mom
    The Could Have Bin, by garrie keyman
    Mama's Fishbowl, by Pamela King Cable
    What I Learned from My Mother?s Stay At Home Experience, by Vicky DeCoster
    Breaking Mom's Mold, by Joanne Venturella
    Spies Everywhere, by Lina Rehal
    My Hair-Story, by Joy E. Cressler
    My Mother, the Feminist, by Teresa Herlinger
    Off My Noodle - The Day I Became My Mother, by Judy Gruen
    A Lesson for My Mother, by Heather Haldeman
    “Nana”, by S. Nadja Zajdman

    Back to Top

     

    "Get a Job"...Career Choices
    Climbing the Corporate Ladder, by Barbara Davey
    Going Home and Building Sanctuary, by Sandra Bennett
    My Own Kind of Swan, by Connie Gotsch
    Roadmaps and Routes, by Pari Noskin Taichert
    We Make the Road by Walking: The Path to International Service, by Ann McLaughlin
    Suddenly Single or
    How I Went From Domestic Diva to Entrepreneurial Neophyte
    , by Alanna Parke Kvale

    Back to Top

     

    "That's What Friends Are For"...Girlfriends
    In The Restaurant, by Feather Schwartz Foster
    Friends 4 Life?, by Rita Milios
    Finding the Healing Gifts of Grace in Our Pain, by Cindy La Ferle

    Back to Top

     

    "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face"...Marriage
    * Resurrection, by Jeanne Fry
    The Best Game, by Joyce Faulkner
    Silent Longing, by D.J. Hal
    No one picks up after me, by Sue Anderson
    The Surprise, by Dee
    Where Did Prince Charming Go?, by Linda Rondeau
    The Piece of Paper That Blinded Me, by Julie Clark Robinson
    Crunchin? Acorns, by Angie D Ledbetter
    Living Life Unfulfilled, by Anonymous
    Strange Hearts, by Meredith Laskow
    Frost, by Meredith Laskow
    Bed, by Meredith Laskow
    Surviving the Fairy Tale, by Carol Davis
    My Knight in Rusted Armor, by Linda Osborne Daniels
    Catholic and Family Prohibitions?Mustering the Strength and Courage to Leave A Dysfunctional Marriage, by Dorothy M. Neddermeyer, PhD

    Back to Top

     

    "You're So Vain"...Celebrating Physical Changes
    Tai Chi and BagQua, by Dottie Rudder
    Duck and Cover, by Maria Bruno
    Getting Old, Getting Fat: What's Up With That?, by Rhonda Hughes
    Keep Your Chin Up!, by Jeanne Getz Pallos
    Diet Is a 4 Letter Word, by Georgia Richardson
    Mammary Monologue, by Kimberly Ripley
    Big Miss Behaved Women, by Catherine Bramkamp
    Imperfect Anatomy, by Deb Voss Quail
    My Knees Are Changing, by Marianne Lavalle-Vincent
    Taking Care of Ourselves
    By Patti Perry-Armes
    , by Patti Perry-Armes
    VAGINISMUS - What's Luck Got To Do With It?, by Laurel Sparks
    The Wrong Country, by Anna Steegmann
    Mirror Reflections of a Baby Boomer, by Mary Eileen Williams
    Yes, Virginia, There ARE Disadvantages to Losing Weight!, by Marsha Jordan
    Do Zucchini Bread and Carrot Cake Qualify as Vegetables?, by Marsha Jordan

    Back to Top

     

    "If I Could Save Time In A Bottle"...Embracing Our Authentic Selves
    My Reality Show, by Patti Iverson
    The Constant Grind, by Margo Abdo O'Dell
    Coming Into "My" Time, by Kathy Wilhelms
    Celebrate Life, by Patti Perry-Armes
    Vegetables Are Fattening, by Mary V. Kolar
    Forty and Fine, Thank You, by Betti Bernardi
    Ageless, by Robin Svedi
    The Spa Thing, by Nancy Viau
    DCIS Hindsight, by Debbie Holland
    Molly - Summer Solstice 2006, by Dr. Betsie Poinsett
    Unconventional First Aid, by Charlene Wilson
    Pay it Forward, With SmartPartners, by Kare Anderson
    Delusions of Grandma, by Robin Ehrlichman Woods
    Signature Service, by Sandra Gilmore
    Poetry Contest Celebrating International Women's Day, by Angelika Schwarz
    Autumn Tea, by Sandra Gilmore
    Gee Golly Gee, Where Did The Time Go?, by Janie Emaus
    NEVER GIVE UP HOPE, by Linda O'Connell
    OK/Not OK at 60, The Checklist, by Jean P. Moore
    Learning Later, Living Greater: The Story of a Late Bloomer Boomer, by Nancy Merz Nordstrom, M. Ed.
    My First Therapist, by Monica Magnetti
    A Father's Day Dedication to My Dad (Mr. Nguyen Van Tho), by Ha Tran

    Back to Top

     

    "I Will Survive"...Menopause
    For Everything There is a Season, by Mary V. Kolar
    Possessed by Peri, by Deb Karpek
    A Permanent State of ?Boo?, by C.J. Papoutsis
    Secrets, by Linda O'Connell

    Back to Top

     

    "Hair"
    Lady C and Me, by Kristine Ziemnik

    Back to Top

     

    "You Keep on Playing Those Mind Games"...Prescription Drugs and Alcohol
    Stitches in the Nailbed, by Cynthia Alden Smith
    Price for Normal, by Kathryn Magendie

    Back to Top

     

    "Alone Again (Naturally)"...Empty Nest
    Ode to Motherhood, by Linda Franks
    Empty Nest Refilled, by Janie Dempsey Watts
    A Mom Prepares for the Empty Nest, by Brenda Mayfield
    Purple Laptop; Good for the Soul, by Kerry Peresta

    Back to Top

     

    "Go Your Own Way": Discovering Midlife Passions
    101 Ways to Play, by Jenny Ward
    This Woman's Liberation, by Jacky Crawford
    How a Taxi Accident Saved My Life, by Deb Eiseman
    My Passion, by Bonnie Lewis
    Wanting, by Cinthia Ritchie

    Back to Top

     

    "Take A Walk On The Wild Side"...Dating
    Online Dating, by Nancy Edwards
    A Second Chance at Love, by Patricia Coldiron
    Innocence Lost, by Roseanne
    Becoming a Killer, by Dianne Schwartz
    Lucky Charm, by Kate Midden
    Blind Dates, by Georgia Richardson
    Runaway Dates, by Melodee K. Currier

    Back to Top

     

    "I Want You Back"...Caring For Our Aging Parents
    Minding Our Elders and Living Through It: A Caregiver's Journey, by Carol Bradley Bursack
    Life/Death/Irony, by Nonnie Augustine
    Elder Care and Elder Rage, by Jacqueline Marcell
    The Mother I Want, by Sandra McGarrity
    Through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, by Shirley Roe

    Back to Top

     

    "My World is Empty Without You Babe"...Losing Loved Ones
    Paying Homage, by Andrea Langworthy
    In My Own Words, by Carol A. Miller
    Taking It on Faith, by T.J. Banks
    Life Goes On, by Carolyn Horton
    George, by Holly Richardson
    Death Be Not Proud, by Brenda Weber
    The Fellowship of the Devastated, by Mary Wallace
    Gains and Losses, Hits and Misses, by L.B. Greer

    Back to Top

     

    "Reflections of the Way Life Used to Be"...Times Have Changed
    Aging Pages, by wendy gill
    Summer of Love Revisited, by Carolyn Young
    Pink Corset Purse, by Mary V. Kolar
    TO KIM (Wherever He May Be) and to the Ripples He Created ?, by Jean C. Fisher
    Pushing Through Three Decades,
    by Patti Dean
    , by Patti Dean
    My Life in Debtors? Prison, by E. D. Santos
    Please Quiz Me, by Keri Wyatt Kent
    Swan Song Ruffles Feathers, by Kerry Peresta

    Back to Top

     

    "Those Were the Days My Friends"...Women's Liberation
    What About the Children?, by Marilyn

    Back to Top

     

    "You Keep On Playing Those Mind Games"...From Depression to Hope
    Chrysalis, by Deb Karpek
    The Wake-Up Call, by Dawne J. Harris
    One Tiny Strand of Hope
    By Dee Dyess
    , by Dee Dyess
    Second Chances, by Dianne Sagan
    Blue Sky, by Heather Haldeman
    Overcoming Adversity: We?re All Heroes, by Amy Sherman, LMHC
    Telling My Son About the Divorce, by Rosalind Sedacca, CCT
    Through the Darkness and into the Light, by Karen B

    Back to Top

     

    NABBW and GRAND Magazine Contests Winners
    GRANDPA'S VIOLIN AND THE TENNESSEE WALTZ - WINNER!, by Linda Osmundson
    Music of the Heart - Runner Up!, by Leslie Apfelbeck
    Christmas at Mamaw's - Runner Up!, by Dee Dyess
    Riding with Grandma - Runner Up!, by Karen Ferrick-Roman
    My Favorite Grandparent Memory - Runner Up!, by Ronald Harris
    The Night Grandma Tried to Ruin My Life - Runner Up!, by Karen Hughes
    WHERE'S THE HUDSON? - Runner Up!, by James Vescovi
    THE PASCACK THEATER - Runner Up!, by Priscilla Whitley
    Knitting With Nanny - Runner Up!, by Linda Hershman

    Back to Top

     


    Boomer Women's World Newsletter


    BWS Forums | Forum Testimonials | Newsletter Sign Up | View Our Newsletter | Advertise With Us
    About the Founder | Media Room | Contact BWS
    Blog | Resources for Women | Boomer Books | Recent Reads | Boomer Links | Our Voices | Home | NABBW.com

    Boomer Women Speak
    9672 W US Highway 20 • Galena, IL 61036 • info@boomerwomenspeak.com • 1-877-BOOMERZ

    Boomer Women Speak cannot be held accountable for any personal relationships or meetings face-to-face that develop because of interaction with the forums.
    In addition, we cannot be held accountable for any information posted in Boomer Women Speak forums.

    Boomer Women Speak does not represent or endorse the reliability of any information or offers in connection with advertisements,
    articles or other information displayed on our site. Please do your own due diligence when viewing our information.

    Privacy PolicyTerms of UseDisclaimer

    Copyright 2002-2019 • Boomer Women SpeakBoomerCo Inc. • All rights reserved