Heather Allen

Dearest readers,

I’ve had a fantastic couple of weeks that I would like to share with you! Part 1 is about Women of Letters, Season 2 that was hosted at Joe’s at The Public on October 7, 2015. Part 2 is about my weekend at New York Comic Con a few days later, October 9-11!

Thanks!

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Last week, October 7, I was invited to the first show in season 2 of Women of Letters! If you remember, I was able to go to a show in February of their last season with Molly Ringwald and other fantastic women. I absolutely love the concept of this program and was very excited to attend this show. Look who was there!

– Revered film and stage actor and director KATHLEEN TURNER
– Tony award-winning writer of Fun Home the musical LISA KRON
– Former child actress, writer, playwright, and stage actress MARA WILSON
– Acclaimed film, television, and stage actress MARGARET COLIN
– New York Times bestselling author of Brain on Fire SUSANNAH CAHALAN
– Journalist and award-winning author of Dogtown: Death and Enchantment in a New England Ghost Town ELYSSA EAST

For this show the women read letters to their 80-year-old selves. It was sentimental, hilarious, and inspiring. Host Sofija Stefanovic was so excited that Women of Letters was back in action because she had spent the hiatus between seasons just looking forward to season 2 starting!

Lisa Kron’s letter had me in tears, because like Susannah Cahalan, she read from her old journals, which from Lisa’s 11-year-old perspective is absolutely cringe-worthy. I could not stop laughing.

Elyssa East focused her letter on loss of women in her life, her words were so powerful and she is a brilliant writer!

Mara Wilson was also a highlight for me, I could relate to her lament of already acting like an 80-year-old woman, but that she should still allow herself to enjoy living. Though our anxieties might stem from different places, I was still on the same page with her about how anxiety can frequently hold her back and, as an older person, she hopes that fades.

Margaret Colin, the First Lady in Independence Day (among other works), was old school, with a hand-written letter that celebrated what she’s accomplished and the life she has built.

Kathleen Turner closed the show and focused on her work as a political activist, but as she notes to her 80-year-old self, hopes that she’s lightened up by the time she reaches that age, once her goals for equality and freedom of choice are available for everyone. Powerful message. I didn’t realize how politically active she was. I could have listened to her voice all night!

Left to right: Lisa Kohn, Elyssa East, Susannah Cahalan, Sofija Stefanovic, Mara Wilson, Margaret Colin, and Kathleen Turner

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ABOUT WOMEN OF LETTERS

The show

The shows are funny and sad, and never recorded or filmed – part of the magic is that they exist in the moment, and the events are a safe story-telling space.

Charity

In the last five years, Women of Letters events have raised over $750,000 for charity. The New York shows donate proceeds to the New York Women’s Foundation (a cross-cultural alliance of women promoting economic justice for women and families in New York City).

Background

Women of Letters was founded in 2010 in Melbourne, Australia, by writers Marieke Hardy and Michaela McGuire. Since its inception, Women of Letters has enjoyed sellout success in Australia and toured internationally to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Austin (SXSW), London, Dublin, Edinburgh, Wellington and Indonesian cities Jakarta, Yogyakarta and Ubud.

Penguin Random House has released five bestselling anthologies of letters from the live shows. The most recent volume, Airmail, is the first international edition.