As the autumn sun streamed through the windows of the Mount Nebo Inn in Rocheport, Sunitha Bosecker and Jessica Vaughn Martin mingled with attendees at Missouri Women Who Write’s fourth and final retreat of the year. It seemed fitting that the setting was a former church, as it was almost a year to the day that these two women, now MWWW’s co-leaders, were asked to take a fairly sizable leap of faith.
Back on November 9, 2024, they were simply two of the roughly twenty writing enthusiasts who had gathered to hear Jennifer Gravley discuss the revision process and Anna Grey talk about character development. They expected they’d spend the morning learning from the presenters, working on their own writing, meeting other creative women, and eating some wood-fired pizza. What they did not expect was that, by the end of the day, MWWW’s future would be in their hands.
The Backstory
Missouri Women Who Write — originally Women Who Write — was the brainchild of Nina Mukerjee Furstenau, a journalist, podcaster, entrepreneur, and author of everything from memoir to cookbooks. After the social disconnection of the COVID years, Furstenau said she “wanted a place where women writers could gather in support of creative work. I hoped the participants would realize in community how amazing their gift of writing is and that Women Who Write could be of help as they put their creativity out in the world.”
While she could see the value of the workshop model many writing groups adopt, Furstenau had another vision in mind. She conceived of Women Who Write as a series of half-day, presenter-led retreats that would allow women to take time out from their busy lives to indulge their creative pursuits and learn from other women writers about the craft of writing.
“Often women don’t … make the space for themselves to do things like this,” Furstenau said, “so it just felt like a good opportunity to offer it.”
Martin, who had been Furstenau’s student when she taught in MU’s Science and Agricultural Journalism program, agreed. When Furstenau told her she wanted to start a group for women writers in the area, Martin was all in.
“I just thought that was really inspiring. I think something special does happen when you gather women in a room, and especially women who are passionate about the same thing. And that’s writing for us,” she said.
The Handoff
At the group’s second gathering, Martin would discover how all in she was. It was at that retreat that she first met Bosecker, who had also known Furstenau for years.
As Bosecker sat at one of Mount Nebo’s small, round tables drinking her coffee, Martin asked to join her, and the two began talking. At the day’s end, Furstenau approached the pair.
“She comes up and says, ‘OK, since you had some time to get to know each other now, I would like to give this to you guys,” Bosecker recalled. “And I was like, ‘Wait, what?’”
Despite the unexpected nature of the request — and the brevity of their acquaintance — the two women soon came around to the idea. “That was our first interaction, but Nina has known that I’ve wanted to do this sort of thing for a while. So I was really grateful that she put it into our hands,” Martin said.
One coffee date with the founder later, and Bosecker and Martin were off to the races. Where Women Who Write had been a casual affair, the two decided that the newly renamed Missouri Women Who Write should be more formally organized. They created an Instagram profile, a Facebook group, and a Substack newsletter to open the group up to more women who were interested in writing and seeking a supportive community in which to do it.
Build It, and They Will Come
Part of growing the group entailed increasing the number of retreats from two to four per year. Four seemed like a number that would allow the group to establish a rhythm but wouldn’t become overwhelming.
“It just felt really great to know that you have this retreat coming up that’s going to be inspiring, is going to give you that sense of community once a season,” Martin noted.
MWWW’s co-leaders have made a conscious effort to engage speakers on a variety of topics to appeal to the group’s diverse membership, which includes poets and novelists, journalists and short story writers, and everything in between. While the two have noticed that each retreat’s topic tends to attract a different mix of attendees, they feel that every speaker has valuable insights to offer any writer.
“I encourage women to attend regardless of the topic or speaker, because there is always something that you will walk away with, even if it just inspires the feeling of permission,” Bosecker said.
If her attendance at three of this year’s retreats is any indication, Candace Robison Hulsizer would agree. She said she’s learned a lot from the mix of speakers and made valuable connections as well. More than that, though, Hulsizer — who is both director of City Preschool and owner of Black Tea Bookshop — treasures the time out to practice her craft among similarly inspired women.
“I love the community and the concentrated, focused time to write. That doesn’t come easily in my daily life,” Hulsizer said. “I enjoy hanging out with other women writers who are juggling careers and family and are also committed to carving out time, filling this precious creative part of themselves, as I am.”
Her friend Anna Cramer, a first-time attendee, echoed Hulsizer’s point, saying the MWWW retreat offered her the opportunity of “putting something on the calendar to relax and write in a room full of incredibly kind and talented people. Plus, it was a great motivator to get back into that creative space I’ve been missing … or neglecting.”
A Welcoming Space for All
Providing that creative space for women writers of all genres, ages, and experience levels was exactly what MWWW’s co-conspirators hoped to achieve, and by all accounts, they have. The group’s retreats have attracted writers from as far away as St. Louis and Kansas City, and interest continues to grow. Although the two cap attendance at each event at around twenty to preserve an intimate, small-group vibe, their list of active participants is twice that number.
For Bosecker and Martin, it all comes back to providing a welcoming environment for women writers wherever they are on their writing journey. Published or unpublished, seasoned professionals or fledgling self-expressers, all are invited to learn from and be inspired by the speakers, put their own words down on paper or screen, and build friendships over a breakfast Danish or a lunchtime slice of pepperoni.
When asked what she would like Columbians to know about Missouri Women Who Write, Rock Bridge art teacher, aspiring novelist, and three-time participant Abbey Gorsage didn’t hesitate.
“MWWW is open to all levels of experience, so there is no fear in joining,” she said. “It is a cozy, inviting group of women who want to find fellowship and support while embracing the writer sides of our lives. What a treasure to have it in our community.”
