Older Women and Community Writing Groups

Abstract

Writing groups for women are not new, having been offered since the last century as a way of educating working women, or giving middle class women a political voice. However, the community writing groups run in Neighbourhood Houses, TAFEs and by U3A cater for older women now retired or alone when spouses and children no longer depend on them. This paper reports on a survey of such groups in city and country Victoria, looking at why these women begin creative writing late in life, how they view the groups and group leaders and what they write, in the context of the concept of lifelong education and the provision of intellectual activities for older women.