Highlight: Author Melinda Field

Melinda Field is an award winning writer/poet/playwright who lives in the mountains of Northern California. A version of her short story The Ledge, excerpted from True, was an award winner in the Lorian Hemingway International Short Story Competition. She has authored three sets of ​wisdom cards with photographic artist Lani Phillips, that were created to inspire and empower women of all ages on a daily basis. They are Wisdom of the Crone, Wonder of the Mother and The Journey. The cards can be viewed at www.wisewomenink.com. Melinda is currently working on a sequel to True.

When sixteen year old Cat's mother is sent to prison in the fall of 1998, she is forced to leave the streets of Phoenix, Arizona to go live with her grandmother whom she has never met, in a remote mountain valley in Northern California. After a devastating incident, Cat is taken in by nurse/midwife Emma Cassady, and becomes an integral, yet controversial part of her circle of horsewomen friends, Midnight, Lilly, Clare and Briar. Emma's decision to foster the troubled girl, disrupts her serene life, as do her feelings for a man who broke her heart decades ago.

Lilly, blindsided by change, and her fragile sister Clare must deal with their aging mother, Dora, who is leading a secret life at the local nursing home. Midnight, culture keeper for her small tribe is forced to face the truth abouther only son; while Briar, a fearless horsewoman and trainer becomes the circle's greatest teacher. Over the course of a year, these authentic women and their ties to their families, animals, their pristine wild environment and each other, inspire an unforgettable story that will be passed from friend to friend and mother to daughter.

Welcome to Wisdom of the Crone. This exquisite set of 54 cards contain insightful messages and images of women between the ages of 50 and 100. As leaders, counselors, teachers, grandmothers and aunties we now have wisdom and diverse life experiences to offer.
Elder women have been present for centuries with the strength and knowledge that has held this world together. We empower you to honor this amazing time of life, know, that you are both wise and beautiful.