SWUUWCon 2024
Since two of the UUWR Core Group were already going to SouthWest UU Women's Conference, and a third lives in Houston, we invited our west coast member to join in! Then we found out that International Convocation of UU Women board president Karen Kortsch also planned to attend. So among the 4 of us we coordinated and shared rides and such.
SWUUW is a SouthWest US-based UU women's group who've been holding an annual retreat for nearly 40 years! The group grew out of a merger between a SW district UUWR and a SW district UUWF chapter back in the day. Julia Harris wrote about SWUUW Herstory.
Reaching Sideways
As she promised at GA2023, Heather Gehron-Rice has sent us a whole packet of Joseph Priestley District newsletters. What I didn't realize when we first spoke about this was that the newsletters are a complete collection of Reaching Sideways:
UU foremother Rosemary Matson wrote in her Memoirs of UUW&R, "Sara Best, a lay woman in the Joseph Priestley District Women and Religion Committee, with the help of her friends, created a journal REACHING SIDEWAYS - A Continental Exchange of Views and Ideas chronicling the successes and failures of those trying to implement the Women and Religion Resolution. It was a voice when there were very few other voices in the denomination speaking for women and it proved to be the writing of our Women and Religion story as it was being lived. Sara Best produced her first issue in October 1981 and sent out her last issue on June 15, 1991. REACHING SIDEWAYS is sorely missed."
Well, it's BACK! We've scanned and restored a few issues so far. More to come when I have time. The originals will end up in Meadville-Lombard Theological School's HEResies Special Collection in Chicago! -- Gretchen
Report from GA 2023
Our first day of the Exhibit Hall was busy and exhausting! Pauline and I drove to Pittsburgh Monday, spent all day Tuesday and part of Wednesday morning setting up the booth, and then chatted with folks all afternoon. We sold out of 3 different items by Thursday, and the interest was already high.
The MOO of Writing (second edition) NEW!
a unique guide to writing that draws on science and meditative wisdom
‘Moo of Writing’ by Nan Lundeen is inspirational and should be on every writer’s bookshelf. The advice contained in it definitely works – exercise, relax, free-write –and creativity flows. I love the meditations and writing exercises. - Sue Johnson – poet, novelist, playwright & UK Writing Magazine Tutor
Cakes for the Queen of Heaven
The classic women's circle study course!
by Rev. Shirley Ann Ranck, PhD
The resources (not the Facilitators Guides) from both volumes are now available to download! Log-in information is included in the package when you buy the curriculum. If you have already purchased the set and would like access to the files, please email store@uuwr.org.
IN ANCIENT TIMES: This five-session Volume I of the popular adult religious education curriculum includes an introductory section featuring author Shirley's Ranck's "Statement of Feminist Thealogy," Elinor Artman's "Brief Herstory of Cakes," and Nancy Vedder-Shults, "Baking Cakes for the Queen of Heaven."