I know I know — memes are so…2008.  But humor me here as I try a little experiment at She Writes. I’d love it if you, GwP readers and bloggers, would help me create a meme (blogger tag, for those not yet in the know). Here’s how it works:

If you have a blog out there in the universe (and if not, you can always use your blog on your She Writes profile page if you’ve joined), post an answer to this question: “Who are the women in your life who exemplify the traits of a modern heroine, and why?”

Then, tag as many other bloggers as you wish to do the same. Please include a link to the She Writes mainpage (www.shewrites.com) somewhere in your post. And it’d be GREAT if you’d post the url to YOUR post in comments over at MY post about it today at She Writes (http://www.shewrites.com/profiles/blogs/she-writes-on-fridays-the).  That way, we can all find you.  Does this make sense?!

Ok, here we go.  I’ll start.

1. My friend, Purse Pundit, and She Writes Advisory Board Member Jacki Zehner, because she gives so generously of her time, treasure, and talent to make a difference in this world–and because she is secretly Wonder Woman, for reals
2. My comrade in arms, feministing’s Courtney Martin, because she moves beyond the comfort zone and writes with moxie
3. My sister by proxy Rebecca London, because she models the integration of motherhood and professional identity in a way that’s nothing short of heroic
4. My friend, and fellow Girl w/Penner, Virginia Rutter, because she taught me–and continues to teach me–the psychology of abundance
5. My colleague, and fellow Girl w/Penner, Alison Peipmeier, because she went into and is recovering from brain surgery with so much wit and bravery it knocks my socks off, daily (case in point: see her latest, below)

Your turn. And I’d be so very grateful if you’d pass it on!

Michelle Cove is a filmmaker, journalist, and bestselling author. Her book Seeking Happily Ever After: How to Navigate the Ups and Downs of Being Single without Losing Your Mind will be published by Penguin this October. Her film, Seeking Happily Ever After, debuts this weekend at the California Independent Film Festival. Here’s Michelle! -Deborah

Seeking Happily Ever After (www.seeknghappilyeverafter.com) is a feature-length documentary about why there are more single 30-something women than ever and whether women are redefining “happily ever after.” The idea sprang from a discussion I had three years ago with a friend at a coffeehouse (where all great conversations take place). We were talking about the media’s focus on the rising number of single women, and how wrong they seemed to be getting it in their portrayal of who these women are. In movies and TV, we watched single women in their mid-twenties and older portrayed repeatedly as either totally desperate to marry or so career-driven they couldn’t be bothered to find a man. The single women of reality TV seem to get falling-down drunk like college freshman, hang in hot tubs with men they barely know, and/or sob in the fetal position like toddlers.

So it wasn’t exactly surprising when Live Science reported recently that while there are more single women than ever, the “spinster” stigma is not lifting for women. Um…duh.

Look at the models we see week to week. We’ve got Emma on “Glee,” who pined after Mr. Schuester all of season one like a 5th grade girl; we’ve got Liz Lemon on “30” rock who is so pathetic in the love department that she can’t find anyone to drive her home from the root canal she intentionally scheduled on Valentine’s Day. And let’s not forget our small-screen-turned-big-screen poster child for single women everywhere: Carrie Bradshaw on Sex and the City. So many of us hoped she would remain the cool, smart single woman who followed her own path. Instead, the writers married her off to Mr. Big—the man who made a hobby of letting her down and breaking her heart, even skipping out on the wedding after agreeing to wed Carrie (Sure they eventually get hitched, but it felt like a big downer to me).

I’m proud of Seeking Happily Ever After, which premieres this month at the California Independent Film Festival. Producer Kerry David and I made it our mission to reveal the various ups and downs of being a single woman today—while giving women an array of real-life inspiring stories told by singles around the U.S. Kerry is single, I’m happily married and we have no agenda to push women into any particular relationship status. We just want women to make their choices about “happily ever after” with intention and clarity. Now we just need some media support to boost single women’s confidence instead of perpetually adding to the spinster stigma.

To watch the trailer and support the doc, visit: http://kck.st/bV022F

I promise I won’t hawk wares when not appropriate here, but I thought GwPenners might be interested in this innovative online get-the-juices-flowing writing course that’s open 24/7 for a month once its starts and you do it at your own pace, more or less — it’s worth $99 and we’re givin it away for free:

Let Your Mind Stretch and Bend

Today I wrote my She Writes on Fridays post on why I decided to NOT write my next book, and lessons I learned along the way.  Marco, who was integral to the project, made the image for the post, which I’m re-posting here.  Sadder but wiser, I wanted to share the news with the GwP community.  I’d welcome your comments over there–eager to hear if others have been in this boat.

Here tis: 6 Things I Learned from NOT Writing My Next Book.

I never thought I’d find myself saying something this banal here on Girl w/Pen, but a certain double stroller has changed my life. A stylish red and black jogging stroller came into my life three weeks ago as a gift from my parents. It was a mercy gift, intended to replace the clunky Double Snap N Go babytrain I had lugged through snow and ice. Now, I can venture into stores without knocking clothing racks down! Now, I can exercise in the park! I feel giddy, the way one might when one unexpectedly finds herself the owner of a shiny red Ferrari. After all that time spent immobile, Mama’s got wheels.

But I think I’m moving too fast. Like many new mothers my generation who’ve found themselves quickly back at work, both because the work is compelling and because Daddy’s been downsized, I’m always in a rush.

The other day, while pushing the jog stroller with one hand I dropped (and shattered) my iPhone. I’ve been nagging my husband and fighting with my mother. I’ve choked more than a few times on food. Starting a company at the same time that I’ve started motherhood, I’ve been racing, a bit, through my life.

The new stroller liberated me from a prolonged state of physical frozenness. But now I want to liberate me from myself. This perpetual feeling of precarious haste–like I’m sure to get smacked by a bus if I don’t look both ways when rushing across the street–is exhausting. I thought motherhood might be a vacation from my own professional intensity or rather, my intensity as a professional. Instead, it’s only intensified the race.

So here I am, turning to this column, and to my She Writes on Fridays column over at She Writes, as a way to slow it all down. I want to savor motherhood. I want to savor the process of starting a wonderful company with a fellow mother of two little ones who is genuinely sympathetic but who is also my sister in ambition and drive. We want to do our company differently. The question is, given our own intensity, given the needs of the marketplace, will we be able to live that different dream?

Obviously, I’m not alone. As Judith Warner wrote recently in a forum about motherhood at the New York Times, my generation doesn’t revel in the new possibilities of motherhood today, largely because the promises of feminism have time and again come up against a wall of political impossibility.  In an absence of family-friendly social policies, she rightly insists, “[o]ur much-vaunted ‘choices’…have largely proven hollow.” This past month, a hard-charging woman I hold dear, someone who needs to work, quit a job she loved rather than keep her baby in daycare. It broke my heart to hear it. But truly, what choice did she have?

We have a remarkable choice and opportunity, with She Writes, a woman-owned company, to live a more manageable work/life equation. Eventually, we will get there. But in the meantime, I will bet you my new stroller that my partner and I will continue to rev it up even as we work toward slowing it all down.

Mammograms have been on my mind.  What do ya’ll think of this honkin’ YouTube video going around?!

Attention all GwPenners with a book idea: I strongly encourage you to take the She Writes webinar with Christina Baker Kline this Wednesday!

Christina is an experienced book proposal consultant to both nonfiction and fiction writers, and every one of the 22 book proposals she has written or edited has sold to a major publisher. I’ve become a huge fan of her blog, A Writing Life: Notes on Craft and the Creative Process. You can learn more about her consulting services here.  Details about her webinar:

Write a Nonfiction Book Proposal that SELLS Wed, Mar 31, 1-2 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time
Do you have a great idea for a book, but no idea how to pitch it to agents and publishers? Or have you written a book proposal that isn’t selling? In this marketplace, it’s not enough to have a great idea for a book. You must create a flawless book proposal to sell it. But the skills and knowledge it takes to write a great book proposal aren’t always the same ones it takes to write a great book. You must be able to sell you idea, and yourself, assertively and persuasively. You must convince a publisher that not only is your idea a brilliant one, but that you—and only you!—can write this book.

In Christina’s webinar, you’ll gain the tools you need to write a book proposal that sells, including:

• the essential elements of every successful book proposal
• how to craft an attention-getting query letter
• the most effective ways to differentiate yourself from similar projects
• the bells and whistles to avoid
• how to write a persuasive three-to-five page pitch
• the 10 things you can do to make your proposal stand out

Register for the live event or order the download here.

(You can also check out Kamy’s interview with Christina on She Writes Radio right here).

Wishing everyone a year of true freedom, however you define it!

My own little “Exodus” story of going through divorce and infertility and coming out the other side inspired my dear friend the talented filmmaker Ilana Trachtman (of Praying with Lior fame) to make a little movie as part of the Projecting Freedom Project, sponsored by the Skirball Foundation. For this project, different filmmakers were commissioned to do a cinematic interpretation of a specific aspect of the Hagaddah. Here are Ilana’s, below (starring Marco, Anya, and Teo!)

Rachatza:

Nirtza:

Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards’ ManifestA turns 10, and an anniversary edition has just been released from Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.  For a great retrospective, see Courtney Martin’s piece this week at The American Prospect, “A Manifesta Revisited.” And Happy 10th, Amy and Jen!

A dear friend and colleague is currently seeking an intern for a project that is very up Girl w/Pen’s alley.   The position would be great for a young woman (a student or recent grad) with amazing research, writing and tech skills who is looking for some cool work experience.  The person should be NY based and the job starts asap.  Here are the deets, with a contact email at the end.  Thanks for passing it on!

The Silverleaf Foundation

The Silverleaf Foundation (the “Foundation”) is a private grantmaker focused on women’s issues, education, local communities in New York and Connecticut, and health issues.

Research Associate Position

Location: New York, NY

This position with the Silverleaf Foundation is a full-time paid Research Associate role. Work will involve developing a “map” of the women’s movement by tracking the issues, organizations, and money targeted to women and girls. In addition, the Research Associate will research information associated with building a “business case for women”. The Research Associate will regularly accompany the President and other associated members of the Foundation to various meetings and participate in conference calls with researchers and leaders of the women’s movement to discuss the work and articulate findings. After each meeting, the Research Associate will be responsible for incorporating changes into the main document and addressing any necessary follow-up items and research. Compensation will be negotiated based on the Research Associate’s experience and the length of the engagement.

Required Skills

Strong fluency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint essential)

Strong Internet research and organizational skills and willingness to independently follow leads an

explore issues in greater depth

Excellent attention to detail

Interpersonal skills

Superior writing skills

General knowledge of and interest in the women’s movement

Reliable and organized

Strong work ethic and ability to initiate/self-starter

Application

Research Associates are selected on a rolling basis.

Applicants should email a resume to WomensFundingMovement@gmail.com, and thereafter an interview will be scheduled.