Woman must not accept; she must challenge. She must not be awed by that which has been built up around her; she must reverence that woman in her which struggles for expression.
Margaret Sanger
The first time I heard about the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge was at a games night. One of my friends said that she’d once (or twice?) completed NaNoWriMo, and I was forced to confess that my National November Writing Month 2013 had lasted for precisely one day. Why not have a go at A to Z April, she asked? All it requires is that you post on your blog every day in the month of April, excepting Sundays, with each day of the month representing a letter of the alphabet. Easy!
Inspired by her enthusiasm I went home and planned my theme and thought about all the copious notes that I’d write. My advance planning would mean that not even the anticipated arrival of a gorgeous friend that I haven’t seen in four years, nor the hiking holiday in Interlaken, nor the semi-intensive French classes would prevent me from completing the challenge.
Then I went to that same friend’s leaving party. And another friend mentioned that casting was soon to take place for a Geneva production of Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues. And then I auditioned. And then I got a part. And then I started rehearsing. And then my preparations for A to Z went out the window. And now it’s April 1st and I haven’t pre-planned a single word.
So instead of focusing on the theme that I’d planned before, I’m going to dedicate these 26 consecutive days of blogging to the extraordinary experience of being involved in the play. And to the wonderful women with whom I was privileged to share a stage. And to the beautiful people who came to see us perform. And to the women for whom we raised money. And to the hope that their tomorrows might be at least a little better than their todays. And to some of my other favourite women in the world.
The first thing that I can say about the experience of being part of The Vagina Monologues is that it was truly enriching. It was extraordinary.
It was, in a word, amazing.
(And by the way… The friend who told me about April A to Z? I’m sure you could guess… Yep, you got it. Amanda.)
