The Women's Initiative

Challenge into Change 2016 Writing Contest The Women's Initiative

Challenge into Change is a forum for real-life stories about women overcoming personal struggles. In the fall of 2016, The Women's Initiative invited Central Virginians to submit a poem or essay of 500 words or less about a woman (themselves or someone they knew) who had surmounted a difficult situation in her life. Eighty-six writers responded to our call. This is their book. Challenge into Change began in 2008 as a celebration of The Women's Initiative's first year of providing vital mental health services to women regardless of ability to pay. Since then, it has become a venue for veteran and emerging writers alike to show-case their talents and engage in creative exploration. As The Women's Initiative marks its tenth year in Charlottesville, we present this volume-a chorus of voices from the community-as a testament to what lies at the heart of our agency's vision: women's capacity for healing.