We Can

The nonprofit foundation We Can is Women Empowerment through Cape Area Networking. Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending their annual celebration of Words, Wit and Wisdom at the Wychemere Beach Club in Harwichport. It was very supportive of my sabbatical studies.

(My dear friend Suzanne Carter is a sponsor of the event and could not attend because of a foot injury. She graciously arranged for me to attend in her place. Thank you, Suzanne!)

The overall atmosphere was elegant and luxurious, with a lovely continental breakfast in the morning and a formal luncheon in the afternoon. In between we heard from three successful authors and the group's "Woman of the Year" award recipient. About 400 of us attended.

Julia Glass

The first author, Julia Glass, said that wanting to be an author because you like to read is, "like wanting to meet the duck because you like pâté." She said writing is like "putting your spiritual gizzards on toast. " She emphasized that writing can be very hard work.

She expressed surprise and disappointment that some of her friends now say they no longer have time to read, "because they now spend all their time playing some game called Words with Friends." That provoked nervous laughter from all the Words With Friends players in the audience, which appeared to be most of us.

(Her remark made me more determined than other to give up such games and focus on reading and writing.)



Tom Perotta

The second author, Tom Perrotta, told an amusing story about growing up in the 1980s and feeling like the popular television sitcom The Wonder Years was a sanitized version of his childhood. When he finally wrote his own version it became a successful book. Once at a book signing a reader told Perotta he did not like his book.

That's because," said Perotta, "That was real life and not the fucking Wonder Years!"



Laura Lippman

The third author, Laura Lippman, is famous for her mystery novels. She said in any genre, "You have to reach the point quickly where the reader says "I'm in; I'm engaged." Unlike the other two authors, Lippmann said she gets up early and writes every morning as a regular routine. The other two authors had less structured writing routines. Lippman said, "I don't think you can get what you want if you can't say it aloud to at least one person." She said she told friends she wanted to be on the New York Times Best Seller List, and she achieved that.

Lippman mentioned a new trend in publishing, which she called "DIY digital publishing."  She expressed some uncertainty about its future. She said she objected to the traditional type of publishing being called "Legacy Publishing." She said that makes it sound terribly old-fashioned and antiquated, a view  she does not accept.

I could relate to Lippman because, like me, she began her career as a journalist.

Marie Wilson

The woman of the year, Marie Wilson, while not an author, was an inspirational figure. She started "Take your Daughter to Work Day" among many other accomplishments. She urged us to "start where the people are," which may be on the Internet or on TV or the movies. She also declared, "You can't be what you can't see." She emphasized the need for more female leaders, office-holders and elected officials.


Anne LeClaire

The moderator for the day was the successful Cape Cod author Anne LeClaire. She was amusing and witty as she introduced the speakers and kept the day moving along smoothly. I had an opportunity to speak with her briefly. She and I were both on the faculty of the Cape Cod Writers Conference a few years ago. I also had a nice chat with another successful Cape Cod author, Paul Kampricos, who once worked with me at the Cape Cod Times.

At the end of the day, Anne LeClaire closed the day with a quotation from Nell Freudenberger’s second novel, The Newlyweds:


 "I believe it is only by sharing our stories that we truly become one community."