An exciting event approaches. From March 22 to 27, a group of Mormon women writers (both accomplished and budding) will be traveling to universities from California to Utah. On this literary tour, they will showcase their creative work on what it means to be Mormon women in the 21st century.

From the tour blog:

What place do “Mormon” women writers have in the 21st century? Join poets, novelists, memoirists and non-fiction authors from California to Canada to explore the question in Our Visions, Our Voices: The Mormon Women’s Literary Tour to university campuses throughout the Southwest, the week of March 22 – 27, 2010.

Project founders Dr. Joanna Brooks of San Diego State University and Dr. Holly Welker of Salt Lake City have tapped into a range of denominations that share historic roots with the greater Mormon and Latter Day Saint traditions.

?This is about creating common ground,? says Brooks, a professor of English. ?We want to create a space for women to share their writing and reflect on what it might mean to be a Mormon woman in the 21st century.?

The ground-breaking project brings women writers face-to-face with audiences that recognize the need for a vibrant writing culture beyond the bounds of orthodoxy. The Utah Valley University Department of English is sponsoring the tour, with additional support from the Claremont University Mormon Studies program. Audio will be podcast at mormonmatters.org. Women writers who want to contribute to the tour?s archive at the University of Utah Marriot Special Collections Library can bring their own writings to the readings.

Here is an abbreviated tour schedule.

Monday, March 22, 7 p.m.

Claremont Graduate University
Albrecht Auditorium, Stauffer Hall
Featuring: Susan Scott, Lisa Van Orman Hadley, Joanna Brooks, Holly Welker, Elisa Pulido

Tuesday, March 23, 7 p.m.

Arizona State University
Coor Building 170
Featuring: Judith Curtis, Whitney Mower, Whitney Nelson, Danielle Dubrasky, Joanna Brooks, Susan Scott, Lisa Van Orman Hadley, Holly Welker

Thursday, March 25, 5 p.m.

Southern Utah University
Sharwan Smith Student Center Theater
Featuring: Zoe Murdock, Judith Curtis, Whitney Mower, Whitney Nelson, Danielle Dubrasky, Joanna Brooks, Susan Scott, Lisa Van Orman Hadley, Holly Welker

Friday, March 26, 12 noon

Utah Valley University
LI 120 (Library Auditorium)
Featuring: Julie Nichols, Lee Mortenson, Terisa Humiston, Whitney Nelson, Whitney Mower, Judith Curtis, Elizabeth Pinborough, Kathryn Lynard Soper, Cassandra Eddington, Joanna Brooks, Zoe Murdock, Lisa Van Orman Hadley, Susan Scott, Danielle Dubrasky, Laura Nielson Baxter

Saturday, March 27, 7 p.m.

University of Utah
Fort Douglas Honors Center
Featuring: Holly Welker, Elizabeth Pinborough, Lisa Van Hadley, Victoria Burgess, Kathryn Lynard Soper, Joanna Brooks, Zoe Murdock, Cassie Eddington, Susan Scott, Judith Curtis, Whitney Nelson, Whitney Mower, Terisa Humiston, Danielle Dubrasky, Laura Nielson Baxter

For specific directions to the readings and biographies of the tour participants, visit the Mormon Women Writers blog. For an engaging interview with one of the tour organizers Joanna Brooks, conducted by Kathryn Lynard Soper, check out By Common Consent. And come!