Member Spotlight

Meet the Mother of Seattle Writergrrls

To a gal new to the Seattle writing scene, the job market can be a lonely, barren place, where opportunities are only passed on to veterans and people who know people. Jenny Neill found herself faced with this uncertain terrain in 1998. Inspired by a group of women writers in need of a networking and support community, Jenny drew from her years of experience starting volunteer ventures and created the enterprising organization we now know as Seattle Writergrrls. I was lucky enough to chat with Jenny about her background and the birth of this group.

Jenny's fascination with writing began with her childhood love of such authors as Judy Blume, Shel Silverstein, and J.R.R. Tolkien. While pursuing her bachelor's degree in Psychology at the College of Wooster in Ohio, she got a chance to try out her writing chops. Jenny spent three semesters working on a thesis paper on screening methods used in psychiatric clinics. This line of study led to a series of research positions in the public health sector, where the standard rule is publish or perish. After a few years of working under this edict, it became apparent to Jenny that career growth in the research field would require a Ph.D. Hesitant to narrow her writing opportunities to research papers, Jenny left the public health field in 1998, and went in search of a new challenge that would make use of her analytical and project management skills, as well as appeal to her inner writergrrl.

Fortunately, the high tech market was hot and with the help of a career fair and major resume overhaul, Jenny landed a job with Microsoft writing short index descriptions of Web sites for the MSN search engine. This job proved to be a better fit, but she began to wonder where this career path would take her in the new Internet economy. When a post appeared on a professional women's mailing list—seeking advice on ways to break into freelance writing—Jenny knew she wasn't alone. This contact brought about an informal network of women writers that was to be the birth of Seattle Writergrrls. One meeting became monthly meetings. Since Jenny was in the middle of a down time at work, she put a mail list together. The list eventually moved to her ISP, Drizzle Northwest, which offered to host it for free. A mass mailing went out to announce the change over, and list membership jumped from 15 to 100 in a week. Suggestions followed for group workshops and a Web site.

With loftier plans came the need for structure. Jenny met with a small group of founders and struggled over a mission statement. She recalls that pounding out a mission among a group of professional writers and editors was a challenging process, to say the least. It was clear to Jenny that what the Seattle writing community needed was a networking and support group that was open and welcoming to all kinds of grrls. In addition, SW needed a steering committee model that fit this vision. Other professional groups appointed leadership or held elections, but the founders decided that a mentoring program would be in keeping with the spirit of openness. Interested volunteers could attend a Steering Committee meeting, be assigned a project, and, if successful, would be brought on board with a minimum six-month commitment expected. This model has worked for the Steering Committee since its inception, and they've never had to turn away an enthusiastic volunteer.

In the three years since its grass roots beginnings, SW has become a major resource in the areas of networking and career growth for writers in the Seattle area. There are currently 450 subscribers to the list, many of whom take advantage of volunteer opportunities with the Zine and workshops such as last month's "What Recruiters Want" panel discussion, not to mention all the social perks of being a Writergrrl. Jenny herself got a job from an SW contact at CVS.com, the first online drugstore. Aside from the networking opportunities and the addition of "Seattle Writergrrls founder" to her resume, Jenny is now part of a regional community of writers. Before traveling to a conference in Portland last week, she announced her trip over the list and was invited to drinks with some Portland Writergrrls, a group independent of SW.

When I asked Jenny what aspect of SW made her the most proud, she paused and then confessed it was the fact that it was still going strong after three years. SW grew quickly, but far from being a flash in pan, it's relevance to the local writing community and involvement of inspired doers has strengthened its momentum every year since the group's inception in '98. Jenny also spoke to the value of the welcoming atmosphere and diversity of the group. I can personally attest to this. When I attended the Steering Committee Retreat after only having been a member for two weeks, I felt completely accepted and appreciated. SW embraces all flavors of writergrrl, from the newbie trying to break in, to the veteran technical writer, to the successful novelist.

Jenny's vision of SW's future involves growth in recognition and networking opportunities without losing the coziness of a local community. She'd like to see the group host annual conferences and develop a formal mentoring program for members like me who want to move into the writing/editing field. SW is also in the early process of becoming a non-profit organization. This status will legally equip the group to manage the large donations required to upgrade the Web site and improve the workshops and other programs available to members. As for the present, Jenny says SW has become more than she ever could have envisioned.

I should mention that Jenny does have a life outside of the group. She currently works as a technical writer for DataChannel, an enterprise portal solutions company. In her free time Jenny enjoys gardening, traveling, and a peaceful existence with her husband and four cats in their West Seattle home. These days Jenny keeps her plate full, nurturing Seattle Writergrrls toward its full potential.

Sunny Monroe wants to be a freelance writer/editor when she grows up. For the time being, she's happy volunteering, cooking, and walking around Greenlake with her guy.