I am excited to announce the launch of The Mormon Women Project at www.mormonwomen.com. The MWP is a continuously expanding digital library of interviews with Latter-day Saint women from around the world. My goal is to have MormonWomen.com to be the source for accurate, inspirational information about Latter-day Saint women.
I have been working tirelessly on this project for about six months and it has been a complete joy. I have grown to love each one of the women profiled on the site. They probably don't feel the same way about me -- after all, I have been pestering and prodding them for photos, biographical details, edits, etc.! -- but there have been numerous nights when I have fallen asleep in total awe of my latest interview subject. The hurdles women overcome to join the Church, the way women put the Atonement into practice, the unheralded but fulfilling ways in which women use their time, the commitment of our mothers.... It has all been immensely humbling and made me so proud of "my people".
Yet, there is a ton of work to be done: The other results for LDS-related search terms on Google are mostly disheartening. Our youth continue to look for role models as they decide if the Church will have a place in their adult lives. The amount of negative content barraging us daily far outweighs this meager counterbalance. What you can do now is support this site. Link to our Twitter and Facebook pages. Sign up for the monthly email newsletter. Check back regularly to read the newest interviews. Nominate women to be interviewed. Let me know if you'd like to do any interviews yourself. Send me feedback about what you like, what you don't, and what you'd like to see in the future.
Down the line, I will be applying for 501(c)3 non-profit status so I can accept tax free donations with which to pay for more advanced web development costs. Photo essays, video shorts, panel discussions are all coming.
My deepest love and gratitude to everyone who has helped with this launch: my 18 interview subjects, Scott Lunt for his web development, Mary Jane Callister for the gorgeous logo and palette, and my family and friends for putting up with my get-it-in-when-I-can work habits.
The other day, Esme was pretend playing with one of my bags and a pair of my shoes. "I'm mommy!" she said as she clomped around in my heels. "I'm going to interview women!"
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