By Connie Lee
On the 30th October 2019, members and guests met at the American Club to discuss a way forward for the Society. During the evening it was announced that Suzanne Andrews had agreed to step up as our new president and that WiPS would continue!
Poor attendance at events in recent years was one factor that had put the future of WiPS in doubt. Suzanne has proposed holding just five main events over the next 12 months and requests that members try to attend at least four of the five. The first of these is “Truth and Memoir” (13 November 2019 from 6.30-9 pm) in the Hughes Room, Foreign Correspondents’ Club, Central. It is a subsidized event for current members. Between these events, Jo Farrell will coordinate a no-charge get-together for members on the first Tuesday of every month. The first will be on 3 December 2019 starting at 7 pm at Club 71, 67 Hollywood Road, Central. Just come along, buy your own drinks and bring anyone with you who might be interested in networking. Plans are also in the pipeline to form a writing critique group, and to hold workshops on publishing-related topics.
Three sub-committees have been formed and Suzanne is appealing to members to assist in these. Carol Dyer will coordinate Imprint. Jo Farrell will handle Social Media. And Suzanne herself will take care of Events. Several members have signed up to support these sub-committees, but we need more. If you can offer help, please email us on wipshk@gmail.com.
It was a fabulous evening of catching up with friends and getting to know new faces. Best of all was a renewed commitment to continue the WiPS legacy. We express our sincere gratitude to those many members who attended. Paying tribute to Sarah Merrill Mowat for the wonderful work she has done for WiPS during her presidency, Suzanne presented Sarah with a bouquet of flowers as a token of the Society’s appreciation.