In 2002, Grace Jackson wanted to start a community-based literary magazine filled with the voices of her women neighbors on Bainbridge Island, WA. To find her contributors, she distributed a flier at coffee houses, bookstores and libraries near her home. The flier asked women to:

Tell me where you are in the world right now. What is in front of you, where are you sitting? What do you hear? Write about your passions, your concerns, or what is on your grocery list.

No previous writing experience is required – just your honest views and a pen and paper.

Today, Stories with Grace is simply but handsomely produced with charming graphics and continues to provide a home for personal stories, empowering women writers from around the world to reveal who they are behind the images others hold of them. The success of Stories with Grace proves that everywhere, ordinary people have stories to tell and that there is a market for these stories, though Grace sometimes doubts herself. That’s when she goes back to Julia Cameron, she says, to put a stop to worrying about whether people will like what she is doing and to instead look for validation from within.

Here’s an example of a piece from Stories with Grace, written by Grace herself.

Sophia’s New Bed
January 20, 2002

Sophia, my two-year old, got her new, big girl bed last week. I watched my husband Alistair take the crib apart. The wooden slats lay like dinosaur bones in the middle of the room, and that was when I started to cry. It was the first time in five years that there would not be a crib in my house – the magical crib, the symbol of birth and infancy.

 I don’t worry about Sophia adjusting to her new environment. The pink ballerinas on the duvet cover and sheets wrap around her tightly, and are just as warm as mothers’ arms. She has always been so independent and strong.

No, it is me I worry about, as I watch Alistair put the dinosaur bones in the closet. The crib allowed me to stay in the realm of motherhood, where the existence of another human being was completely reliant upon me. Give the baby food, love, warmth and laughter and soon the baby outgrows its pajamas and learns to say, “I love you.” Then the baby starts to waddle and toddle and then run; the tiny fists – those translucent lollipops – that could fit into my mouth entirely have now grown into hands that give me seashells and pinecones and rocks in the shape of a heart.

Now that my children are growing, where do I fit? What do I become? Who can I talk to?

Alistair closes the closet door now, and the dinosaur bones are safely hidden away. I walk toward Sophia’s new bed and shake out the duvet, and place her stuffed horse on the top of her pillow.

I admire this short personal essay for the way it focuses on a small but very significant moment and holds us there as the speaker processes her feelings. Using specific imagery and metaphor from her child’s surroundings, the speaker releases the sudden sadness of the moment with a sense of promise. The story Grace tells is one many women identify with but haven’t take the time to evoke on the page. Reading Grace’s way of handling her emotions during her child’s early life passage allows readers to honor similar moments in their lives as parents.

This March, I accepted Grace’s invitation to participate in a celebration reading for her publication, and following that reading, I corresponded with her to find out more about her and her journal.

Sheila
Grace, your commitment to women’s voices is impressive. You must derive a great sense of validation from publishing Stories with Grace.

Grace
It’s amazing how much Stories with Grace gives back to me. I have successfully achieved an original goal of mine: to keep using my mind and expanding the definition I have of myself especially after giving birth to two children. I didn’t wait for a fancy New York publisher to discover me and my talent; I decided to put the whole thing together on a non-existent budget. In other words, I gave myself my own sense of purpose and destiny. I didn’t wait for anyone else to stamp my passport.

Sheila
Have you heard anything about how publishing in your magazine has validated your contributors and how their lives have benefited from publication?

Grace
Since the beginning, I’ve kept letters and emails sent to me from women all over the world who say that the publication has touched them in some way. Here are some excerpts:

“Stories with Grace furthers our understanding of women’s lives through different times and places. We identify common threads within the diversity. What an exciting concept.”

“I have many stories to tell but have no outlet. What a grand idea.”

“Your undertaking is exciting and inspired. I’ve never seen anything else on the market quite like it. Every time I open the envelope and see your publication, I take a deep breath and look outside myself. I wish you continued success and tremendous luck.”

“I’ve always wanted to write something but have always felt intimidated. Where can a grandmother of seven send her writings? You were the inspiration, and I thank you for listening.”

Sheila
How gratifying that correspondence must be and what an acknowledgement of the importance of writing and reading others’ writing. Grace, I have always enjoyed the way each issue of Stories with Grace has an envelope on the inside cover with a literary letter from you. I enjoy the personal touch and wonder how writing those letters has helped you as a writer. For instance, this letter:

March 21, 2005
Dear Graceful Reader,

Four years ago, right before I published the first issue of Stories with Grace, my kids and I would take the ferry from Bainbridge Island to Seattle. Every Friday afternoon we’d walk along the noisy waterfront, past Ivar’s Acres of Clams, past the homeless people and the aquarium and head over to Pike Place Market. After eating pork humbows and shrimp chips from the Mee Sum Bakery, we’d cross the street and go downstairs to the magic shop. We loved this shop and all of the rubber chickens, magic wands and pens with disappearing ink. Next to the cash register they had these Miracle Fortune Teller fish, a plastic fish you placed in the palm of your hand. Its movements would indicate your fortune. Supposedly, if the fish’s head moved, you were jealous, if the fish turned over, you were false; if it were motionless, you were dead. My fish would always curl up entirely; it would uncurl and recurl itself; it was one active fish. A curling fish meant you were passionate. I was glad to discover I wasn’t dead. But here I am, four years later, still standing and still passionate about Stories with Grace. That damned fish was right. My passion for this magazine has given me a purpose in my life. Other than my kids, it is what defines me and takes me through my days.

Which leads me to the theme of this issue, which is purpose. Oddly enough, I received many essays that spoke of death and dying. What a gloomy topic for today’s depressing world, you are probably thinking, but don’t be fooled. It is something Anita Roddick’s essay spoke of on Page 6. She writes, “If we came to this planet knowing the date we would die, we would be absolutely changed human beings. So many things would not be of importance at all,” I may be wrong, but I think what Anita is speaking of is purpose. If we looked at the inevitability of our death, then that event really shouldn’t be gloomy. On the contrary, it’s what should enable us to move forward with passion and purpose in our lives; not wasting a single minute.

I also love the quote you’ll find on Page 26 from Eliot Porter, who says, “Yet, how much is missed if we have eyes only far the bright colors. Nature should be viewed without distinction… She makes no choice herself everything that happens has equal significance. Withering follows blooming, death follows growth, decay follows death, and life follows decay in a wonderful, complicated, endless web.” I am finally understanding how interconnected we all are.

Thank you for reading the seventh issue of Stories with Grace. I hope you will enjoy reading this compilation of beautiful essays and poems as much as we enjoyed putting it all together. Alistair and I actually worked as a team instead of fighting about every little thing.

With love and thanks, as always,

Grace Jackson, Editor

Grace
I love the little envelope inside, because I believe it helps me to personalize each issue. Writing a letter is certainly less intimidating than sitting down to be smart and “literary,” and I think it is a good trick to get words on a page. I pretend I’m writing to my mom or to an old friend, who will love me no matter how bad my jokes are. And in a funny way, it helps me to relax and I just start writing.

And yes, I have seen the Griffin and Sabine books, and I did get the idea of the envelope from those beautiful books. I met Nick Bantock once (the author of the Griffin and Sabine books) and gave him a copy of Stories with Grace. I told him he was the inspiration for the envelope, and he said he was fine with imitation!

Sheila
How has the magazine and your effort to build a community of writers and readers affected your life?

Grace
I have met an incredible number of women as a result of this magazine. I realize that every one of us–from the cashier at the gas station to the seemingly shy and retiring neighbor–has a deep and complex story to tell.

I am busier than I ever thought I would be. My role as an editor and publisher evolves into many things: a writing coach, an accountant, a marketing diva (although I am not very good at that part of the business). I am not doing as much writing for myself anymore, and I am not sure if that is a good thing or not.

Sheila
What are your future plans for the magazine?

Grace
I’m thinking about evolving one aspect of the magazine and creating “Grace Circles,” a writing class where we learn to write with grace. Graceful writing, to me, is writing with complete honesty about what is around you, what you see and hear and especially, what is in your heart and what you are feeling. “Grace Circles” will focus on creating a written self-portrait, which tells me not just what you look like, but who you are.

My business plan mentions other things, like producing documentaries that record women telling stories in their own words, expanding an Internet-based magazine and creating a line of “Grace Notes” stationary and cards.

This fall I am helping a friend to compile and publish her stories, and I’ll also help her put together a reading at a wine bistro. Her journal will be called The Lady in the Shoe: The Other Side of Grace.

Sheila
What are you looking for in the pieces you select? What makes a piece one you want to publish?

Grace
There is a certain honesty in the writing that always shines through. What I look for is someone who has a story to share, who is willing to provide specific details that bring me to that place. For me, a good story always has a strong sense of place.

Sheila
What has meant the most to you in the stories of those who have published with you?

Grace
I love that an 80-year-old woman gave me her first poem to publish in my first issue of Stories with Grace (Marion Lofgren on Bainbridge Island); I love that I have published a mother and her daughter’s work; I love that women all over the world relate to Stories with Grace, and I especially love that women who have never written before feel that Stories with Grace is a safe place to start.

Sheila
What might Writing It Real subscribers think about if they are interested in submitting their poems, stories or essays to you for consideration?

Grace
Like you mention in your writing, I believe that writing and sending out your writing for consideration is an act of courage itself. So although I can’t publish everything I receive, sending me something and allowing me to read your writing is a bold and powerful step. All I ask is that you write with complete honesty, don’t fancy it up–be true to yourself and your sense of place, and include lots of details.

Sheila
Anything else you want to let others know?

Grace
I would like others to know that forums like Writing it Real are important, because they motivate us to keep improving our writing. Good writing, like everything else, is a process, a never-ending journey.

Although we have moved from Bainbridge to Bellingham and now to Birch Bay, WA, I remain in good touch with my writing contacts in Bellingham and will probably start the first “Grace Circle” there.

****

Perhaps after reading the sample essays Grace Jackson offers online from previous issues of her magazine, in addition to gaining the courage to mail in submissions, you’ll be inspired to create your own grass roots activity that honors writing and the intimacy it creates among people. You might create a reading series or facilitate writing groups or programs or start a publication in your own community. Getting started with an endeavor may be as easy as finding a way to ask for help. The tone and simplicity of Grace’s first flier proved incredibly magnetic. I am reprinting the flier here in its entirety in the hopes that it will help many of you begin to realize your own writing community dreams.

****

A CALL FOR WOMEN TO WRITE

“Stories with Grace” is a new journal featuring women writing about the world we live in. Started by an optimistic writer and mother of two children, “Stories with Grace” will focus on everyday details that make up our lives – earning a living, nurturing our families, keeping our sanity. It will be a celebration of the lives of women.

The journal will create a written history by recording and sharing similar experiences, so that our world will not be lost with the passage of time.

No previous writing experience is required – just your honest views and a pen and paper.

“Our lives are at once both ordinary and mythical. We are important and our lives our important, magnificent really, and their details are worthy to be recorded . . . We were here; we are human beings; this is how we lived. Let it be known, the earth passed before us. Our details are important…”

Natalie Goldberg, from Writing Down the Bones
Tell me where you are in the world right now. What is in front of you, where are you sitting? What do you hear? Write about your passions, your concerns, or what is on your grocery list.

And then mail your story to:

Stories with Grace
Grace Jackson, Editor
HER PHYSICAL ADDRESS WAS HERE
info@storieswithgrace.com

Editors Note: Stories With Grace is no longer accepting entries.

****

Whatever you think you can do or believe you can do, begin it. Action has magic, grace, and power in it.

— Johann Wolfgang von Goethe