Why Writing?
Empowerment in the 21st century requires more than the opportunity to access information, it also necessitates having the ability and opportunity to create and publish content. Story has always been a powerful component of empowerment as it offers both a means of connection within an existing community and a way to bring inform the wider world of issues facing a particular community. For example, the works of Frederick Douglass, when published, helped raise awareness of the horrors of slavery among Northern whites. Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique helped many women verbalize their dissatisfaction and anger during the 1960's & 1970's and provided the impetus for many feminist organizations. Libraries have traditionally played the role of repository for these stories, placing more emphasis on acting as a repository than as a publishing platform. Recent technological advances, however, have put publishing (at least digitally) in reach of the average person and have radically changed how most information and creative efforts are shared. Public libraries are following suit by expanding their mission to offer means of creating and publishing in addition to the opportunity to check out books and magazines.