“Everybody has a story about food,” said Sarabande Books Programming and Development Director Kristen Miller. In its most recent iteration, the Sarabande Writing Labs program gave over 40 women the opportunity to explore their own stories in a way that they never had before.
This Friday, June 26, from 7 to 8 p.m., the participants in Sarabande’s most recent Writing Labs group will share some of their work on the theme of “With or Without Bread” at a public reading at the Hotel Louisville.
As part of Sarabande’s outreach programs, which bring educational and writing arts opportunities into underserved parts of the Louisville community, 41 women at the Hotel Louisville, a shelter and substance abuse treatment center, recently participated in a six-week writing lab exploring creativity and thoughts and memories around food.
“This was our third lab, and the first with a food theme,” Miller said. “We experimented with working from prompts such as 'my most memorable breakfast,' 'a recipe that was handed down and where it came from' or 'my favorite pie and what that says about me.’”
These short works were polished and developed throughout the course with the help of volunteers working one-on-one with the participants, and the finished products are now collected in a special edition, handmade Sarabande anthology.
“We started the anthologies for the writing labs as a gift, to honor the work they’ve done." Miller said. "They’re really beautiful, hand bound, with a cover printed by Hound Dog Press.” Copies can be found on Sarabande Books’ website.
The lab welcomes the public to Friday night’s reading, where the anthology will be available, and everyone who feels like getting up in front of a microphone will share a piece of writing.
“I think it’s very important to show these women that they are important to the community and that their voices matter,” Miller said.
The reading will be held at Hotel Louisville, 120 West Broadway.
Photo: Sarabande Books
