Whidbey Island retreat provides solitude for women writers

Katherine Banwell — Sun, 15 May 2011 16:00:00 +0000

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kplu/local-kplu-968791.mp3

On Whidbey Island, among the evergreens, sits Hedgebrook, a writers retreat solely for women. Nestled on 48 acres, women writers, like feminist and journalist Gloria Steinem, have been seeking solitude at the property since 1988. It's a piece of land that many say is a source of creative power.

Recently, young women playwrights have been honing their works with only the sounds of the surrounding forest to interrupt their writing. They've been invited to Whidbey Island to join in the Hedgebrook Women Playwrights Festival.

For KPLU's weekly Artscape series, I travelled to Hedgebrook to talk to two of the writers about their work.

Career fair seeks women for jobs in the trades

Charla Bear — Thu, 05 May 2011 15:26:25 +0000

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kplu/local-kplu-967186.mp3

The recession has been tough on workers in the trades. The latest state unemployment report showed construction had a particularly bad month between February and March. That’s not stopping a job fair aimed at attracting more women to building and repair industries.