Beginning in August 2018, an initial call was made to potential writers/authors to write a short story focusing on life-altering and/or life-defining experience(s), event(s), awakening(s), etc. that either contributed to and/or are contributing to the crone (elder) she is today.
Again, female elders and self-proclaimed “crones,” particularly, struggle against labels such as spinsters, hags, and old maids.
Female elders are sometimes not seen as useful or productive to society. This detrimental attitude toward crones is a tremendous loss for everyone who could benefit from our ongoing presence, involvement and sage advice derived from life experiences.
Crone Chronicles 20-20 seeks to change and reshape this tired, negative image of female elders by reclaiming the crone archetype as a “wise woman.”
Writers were asked to consider that most people have regrets at the end of their lives, not so much for the things they’ve done, or for the mistakes they’ve made. No, they regret more “not even trying” to follow their dreams or passions. They are often left feeling sad and sorry at the end of their lives for all the things they never bothered to try.
Gish wholeheartedly believes that story writing is one of the “things” female elders can do to heal our wounds and be empowered. After all, we elders have real-life experiences. We all have amazing stories burning inside our bellies, just waiting to be shared with the world.
One of Gish’s favorite sheros, Eleanor Roosevelt, was an influential UN women’s rights ambassador and tireless advocate for elders and minorities into her crone years. Roosevelt inspires us to write our stories so we’ll be heard, understood and remembered by our published works, just as she is today through her lifelong writings.
This collection of short stories, poems and songs by female elders will also produce “generativity” meaning “what I’ve gleaned in my own sagacity, I now want to share and pass on to future generations, so that everyone can benefit from my wisdom and experience, rather than it being lost forever.”
Although Crone Chronicles 20-20 will not eliminate discrimination against our female elders, we hope to provide a platform for individual and collective understanding for our readers, as well as a healing balm for crones who’ve written their stories for the first or last time.
Crone Chronicles 20-20© 