A Female Storm in Redmond

by Shanna Hatfield  

Each year, Women Writing the West conference attendees have the opportunity to bring home some unique, lovely items from the annual raffle. This year, we’re thrilled to include Female Storm, a wonderful blanket donated to our raffle by the Pendleton Woolen Mills. The blanket, designed by Gilmore Scott, is described as follows:  

Clouds of cool blues and purples hover in the sky. A calm, steady rain waters the ground and feeds the lands. Plants, four-legged insects and the Dine' beings are nurtured and their thirsts are quenched. Dine' (Navajo) artist Gilmore Scott captures the beauty of a female summer rainstorm in this original design for the Pendleton Legendary Collection. Unlike spring's male storms that bring downpours, flash floods and thunderstorms, this gentle summer storm is soft and nurturing. Scott's use of colors is strong and bold, echoing the quiet power of Nature and the brilliant high desert landscape. The artist's philosophy that "beauty is simple design and the harmony of color" is evident in the unique blanket. 

 In keeping with the theme of the blanket, we’re so hoping to see a storm of Women Writing the West members converge on Redmond for the 21st annual conference. We’d love to see a flood of you at the airport, in the shops in town, and most definitely at the Eagle Crest Resort where the conference sessions will take place. We have members already signed up to attend from all over the United States - and even as far away as Australia! Don’t miss out on this opportunity to experience the Distinctions of the West taking place this October in Redmond. If you haven’t yet decided if you want to attend, consider these words of wisdom from Jane Kirkpatrick: 

 “You should attend because it's a wider version of your writing tribe who inspire, "get" your kind of writing, offer craft development and a warm reception for a weekend respite well earned. Also, it's cheaper than therapy.” 

Register now at http://womenwritingthewest.org/ Also, for those of you interested in donating goods or services to the raffle, please contact Jane Kirkpatrick or Shanna Hatfield. We are accepting donations and grateful for those interested in contributing to the cause! If you haven’t yet, like the Women Writing the West 2015 Conference page on Facebook to get the latest conference news. For questions about the conference, contact Jane Kirkpatrick or Shanna Hatfield or visit the website at http://womenwritingthewest.org/