Founded in 2018 at the height of the #MeToo movement, Women Lit was created to elevate women’s voices. This membership-based program has blossomed into many opportunities for you: an A-list literary event series; a society of book-lovers who meet up in beautiful places to connect with each other and to meet renowned authors; and, as we re-emerge after so many months of pandemic living, an opportunity for renewed community-building around the books and authors we love.
About Women Lit in 2023…
Your membership (new or renewed) will bring you an exciting slate of benefits in 2023:
- Fabulous year-round author events that all members at any level can attend, either exclusive to members or free (ticketed for the public)
- A special members-only Salon at the 2023 Bay Area Book Festival (May 6-7), where you can relax, converse with, and learn from fellow members and the Festival’s roster of outstanding women authors
- An exclusive newsletter full of interviews and literary treasures
- The Women Lit member hub, your online connection to our fascinating and well-read community
- For higher-level members: free books, private salons (in person and virtual), and pre-event receptions with authors (see detailed benefits here)
What else is new? The 2023 festival will be free for all to attend, thanks in large part to the generosity of Women Lit members and other supporters. To thank Festival supporters, we’re rolling out a new Friends of the Festival program, and will extend equivalent Friends of the Festival benefits to Women Lit members at corresponding levels (Esteem level and above). Throughout 2023, we are lining up more memorable in-person author events featuring bestsellers, award-winners, and talented new voices. Stay tuned for updates on our Upcoming Events page and in your inbox.
“Women Lit Rocks! Thanks for all the great events these past MANY months. You’ve been integral to my sanity!”
Emily Sellers, Women Lit member, Fall 2020
Click to Join Women Lit
Women Lit is also the ideal “gift-that-keeps giving” for the book-loving women in your life. Click here to gift a year-long membership for someone special today!
Women Lit
Where women’s words remake the world.
Women Lit featured in Writer’s Digest — click here to read the interview with Executive Director Cherilyn Parsons.
What’s Women Lit? A Place for Literature, Growth, and Community
“Here’s what I love about Women Lit: it’s a special opportunity that people usually don’t get. You get that personal slant from the author about why they wrote what they wrote. Such a fabulous resource for women writers and readers.”
–Cheryl Popp, Women Lit member and owner of Sausalito Books by the Bay
- Literature: Women Lit members get special access to a year-round series of live conversations with top women authors—iconic trailblazers like Gloria Steinem, Eve Ensler, and Patti Smith; wisdom bearers such as Terry Tempest Williams and Sharon Salzberg; and exciting voices in the literary vanguard such as Rachel Cusk, Jenny Offill, and Valeria Luiselli. Members at higher levels join authors for pre-event intimate receptions (when we can meet in person) and salons (in-person or virtual). All members get exclusive access to Literary Lighthouse (check out the inaugural issue here), a monthly Women Lit newsletter with author interviews, glimpses of the lives (and bookshelves) of the fascinating women who make up the Women Lit community, curated literary news and personalized reading recommendations, and more.
- Growth: Women Lit is where we all—authors and Women Lit members—shine a light, up close and personal, on what it means to live a creative life. We embark upon change-making, perspective-shifting conversations about books, life, art, work, and everything in between.
“Women Lit is a huge source of growth and empowerment.”
–Jennifer Risher, author and Women Lit member
“Literary community doesn’t just drop in your lap. I do have a big social network in the Bay Area, but I realized: how many people do I usually talk to about writing and books? [Women Lit] is the feeling of finding your tribe.”
–Megan Vered, writer and Women Lit member
- Community: In “normal” times, Women Lit members and authors meet up in gorgeous, luxe venues like the Pines mansion in Sausalito, the Battery in San Francisco, and lovely private homes. In shelter-in-place times, we’ve had to get more creative about building community, but it’s no less meaningful. In interactive virtual events, you can dialogue with blockbuster authors and chat with each other in real time. We’ve even brought our intimate Women Lit salons—small personal gatherings that have been described as soul-nourishing—online! Now we’re launching new features that make that Women Lit magic happen, including our Women Lit Member Hub, an online portal where members can reserve their spot for author events, view live events in real time, access the entire Women Lit archive, and get to know one another in a secure members-only environment.
How do I join?
It’s easy. Just choose your level of membership below, sign up, and presto, you’re an official Women Lit member! You’ll immediately receive a welcome email with all the details you need. You’re in for a whole year of amazing events (including free or special-rate admission to some of our most high-profile year-round events with major authors) and the support and camaraderie of an extraordinary community of women.
Choose your membership level (and your benefits)!
Follow a manual added link
Voice
$50
- Monthly “Literary Lighthouse” letter, only for Women Lit members
- Access to Women Lit portal to connect with other members
- Access to year-round Women Lit literary events with book discounts
- Access to the exclusive Women Lit author salon at the Bay Area Book Festival in Berkeley
- One headliner ticket at the Festival
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Esteem
$150
- Monthly “Literary Lighthouse” letter, only for Women Lit members
- Access to Women Lit portal to connect with other members
- Access to year-round Women Lit literary events with book discounts
- Access to the exclusive Women Lit author salon at the Bay Area Book Festival in Berkeley
- Priority Access for one to the at the Bay Area Book Festival in Berkeley
- Two headliner tickets for the Festival
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Integrity
$500
- Monthly “Literary Lighthouse” letter, only for Women Lit members
- Access to Women Lit portal to connect with other members
- Access to year-round Women Lit literary events with book discounts
- Access to the exclusive Women Lit author salon at the Bay Area Book Festival in Berkeley
- Priority Access for two at the Bay Area Book Festival in Berkeley for two
- Two headliner tickets for the Festival
- Invitation for two to the exclusive Author Kickoff Party at the Festival
Follow a manual added link
Fearlessness
$1000+
- Monthly “Literary Lighthouse” letter, only for Women Lit members
- Access to Women Lit portal to connect with other members
- Access to year-round Women Lit literary events with book discounts
- Access to the exclusive Women Lit author salon at the Bay Area Book Festival in Berkeley
- Priority Access for two at the Bay Area Book Festival in Berkeley for two
- Two headliner tickets for the Festival
- Invitation for four to the exclusive Author Kickoff Party at the Festival
*Fearlessness members can receive their complimentary book by registering for a “General Admission + Book” ticket to the chosen event.
**Our inspiring members-only publication with author interviews, WL member profiles, fascinating literary news items and curiosities, book reviews and more! Read an example of the newsletter here.
Join Women Lit!
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