March and International Women's Day : All about stories

March sings with hope. It marks the nearing of spring.

Birds feel it, children sense it and we can smell it in the air.

Could it be that Reading Week for elementary school children sets it off?

It might be so. But for whatever reason I feel the coming of warmth, dryness and clear streets without snow and ice and that makes me smile.

March also signals the recognition of women's contribution around the world. March 8^th is International Womens' Day . Though every country determines what their theme will be there are often times similarity of intention. This year the theme is Women and men united to end violence against women and girls. Governments around the world recognize the cost to and the impact on our social, economic and cultural lives violence imposes. Women and children have a right to a life safe from harm. When will it become a reality?

Only we as a world of societies may bring about this most needed change.

Throughout the world stories are shared between women, men and children about what is important, what is just and how we can achieve it for ourselves, for our families and for the world.

Visit the sites of countries around the world and join in this moment of hope and possibility.

Australia (142 events)

Bangledesh (3 events)

Canada (108 events)

China (4 events)

Ireland (14 events)

United Kingdom (215 events

Be the teller,

Women Authors: Storyteller or Visionary

March continues to mark women's contribution around the world and in all facets and disciplines. International Women's Day March 8th is simply a launching pad to women's contribution.

As a librarian, I am surrounded by the efforts, triumphs and successes of women authors everyday. Who tells the best stories? That depends on your preferences. Who writes the best stories? That depends on your perspective.

Women authors are tellers of their stories.

Two women stand out in the past twelve months for their storytelling abilities. I finished reading "The Other Boleyn Girl" by Philippa Gregory. The journey led me to an enjoyable tryst into the lives of a handful of people who became entrenched in the history of England and the monarchy. It was well told, reasonably researched with a touch of spicy and titillating scenes. Gregory takes you where she wants you to go.

J.K. Rowling astounded us with the culmination of her adventures. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" will remain,for some time to come, a right of passage for young readers interested in venturing out on a quest. Making new friends and being there for each other. Becoming in the end what you were meant to be.

Bring your stories to bear on your experiences. Tell them and share them,

Become the voice of your life,

International Women's Day : Women and the oral tradition

Listen to your grandmother talk about when she came to this country and you will hear stories that are unique. Entertain your mother with questions about how she met and fell in love and you will hear tellings of love, passion and youthfulness. Take the time to spend an evening with your sister. Share with her an initimate moment in your life and soon you will be taking your place in the sea that is womanlore.

The stories that keep families together remain the most powerful and the least known of all the stories. As women we are expected even requested to keep these stories that are uniquely our families' alive for the next generation and the next after that and so on. Why are these life affirming experiences important?

Every family has a voice of its own, the way in which it interprets the world around it. The very ebb and flow of a family and its stories require a recorder, a person to keep these stories vibrant and remembered. The women in your family know this, just ask.

International Women's Day March 8th reminds us of the tradition and the power given to women in keeping our histories, our stories and sharing these with our families. Consider your family stories and celebrate