Real Women Write: The Power of Friendship is an anthology of prose and poetry from members of Story Circle Network, an organization supporting women writers and asserting the importance of women’s stories. Building on the theme of the 2023 edition of the Real Women Write anthology, which examined the roles of Mothers and Mentors, this volume explores the importance of friendship in women’s lives.

One of the lessons learned from our common pandemic experiences is that personal relationships and interactions do matter. In fact, the Mayo Clinic recently conducted a study that determined that the lack of friends, leading to loneliness, is as harmful to our health as smoking fifteen cigarettes a day. But what defines a friendship? The answer is as varied as the number of women responding to that question.

In this anthology, 64 authors, all Story Circle Network members, contributed 80 creative works—65 prose, 16 poems—on what friendship means to them. Leading these reflections is the Foreword by former Story Circle Network president, writing teacher, and author Helen (Len) Leatherwood, who warmly and wisely sets the context for this collection: “The essays, memoir pieces, poems, and fictional stories in this anthology reveal the multilayered aspects of friendship. The joy, pain, ambivalence, and love that friendship brings, whether in the past, the present, or the hoped-for future.

In this book, you will recognize your own experiences, empathize with those who chronicle painful outcomes, and laugh with those who describe the lighter, more joyful moments of friendship.” We hope that this set of uplifting creative works will inspire listeners to send an email or text, write a note, or pick up the phone to tell someone special—to paraphrase the classic Golden Girls theme song— “Thank you for being my friend.”