Following the example of Saturday Evening Girls with Jane Healey

HALLIE EPHRON: I had the pleasure of meeting Jane Healey at a Christmas fair. She was talking to fans and showing off her brand new book, The Saturday Evening Girls Club. 

And she had a piece of Saturday Evening Girls pottery on the table in front of her. It often has the sweetest, most whimsical design and was handmade by mid-century immigrant women at a time when there were few other ways for them to make a living. 

(PS: TSEGC was named  one of Redbook Magazine’s “20 Books You Need to Take to the Beach this Summer”)

JANE HEALEY: A huge thank you to the Jungle Red Writers for letting me be a guest blogger for the day!

My debut novel is called The Saturday Evening Girls Club. It’s based on an actual group of young Italian and Jewish immigrant women in Boston’s North End at the turn of the 20th century. 

I first learned about the club when I wrote an article about their namesake pottery for Boston Magazine years ago. The club was founded by North End Librarian Edith Guerrier and Boston philanthropist Helen Storrow. It changed the course of many of these young women’s lives in the best possible ways.

There is so much going on in the world today to feel anxious about, but for my own sanity, I try to focus on the more positive news. And one thing to celebrate? Every day, I am reminded of the spirit of The Saturday Evening Girls Club when I witness the many ways women in this country are uniting to help each other and improve the lives of those around them. 

To cite a couple of examples in my own life, my dear friend Susanna’s kids go to a school where more than half of the children are below the poverty line. The school’s principal asked her if she could help raise some money so that the school could discreetly purchase coats for some of the neediest children. A team of moms from the school banded together and not only raised money, but started a non-profit to anonymously give many of these children desperately needed new coats, boots and winter clothing. Their efforts have been so successful that they’ve started to expand to several other schools in the area. 

In an example that I think is representative of what’s happening around the country politically, Jen, a mother at my daughter’s school, decided to run for school committee this year. The number of her female friends in our town that held signs, knocked on doors and hosted coffees, was nothing short of extraordinary. The best news is that she won. Jen is part of a tidal wave of women across the country that are seeking office in unprecedented numbers, many for the first time ever. This, in my opinion, can only be a sign of good things to come. 

In my own journey as a writer, I continue to be blown away by the generosity of other women writers, including the ones on this blog. From my writing group, to my “sisters” at my publishing company, to the established authors who have encouraged me since the early days, I am so grateful for the continued support.

In my novel, I include an Italian or Jewish proverb at the beginning of each chapter.  One reader favorite is the Italian proverb, "A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle." 

In these volatile times, I think one of the best things we can do is support and lift up the women in our lives. To keep lighting candles. I’d love to hear stories about how a mentor or friend or group of women have helped you along the way, or how you have helped others. 

HALLIE: Keep lighting candles! I'm going to put that at the top of my New Year's to-do list for 2018... and on into the future.

My favorite sisterhood is of course the Jungle Reds. And  by extension, the fabulous women in the mystery writing community. You couldn't find a more generous bunch. And in the spirit of giving, this final week of December is when I write checks to all my favorite charities... another way of lighting other candles.

Please, share your stories about women helping others through good works, political activism, and sisterhood of all kinds, and...

ABOUT The Saturday Evening Girls Club: For four young immigrant women living in Boston’s North End in the early 1900s, escaping tradition doesn’t come easy. But at least they have one another and the Saturday Evening Girls Club, a social pottery-making group offering respite from their hectic home lives—and hope for a better future.

Ambitious Caprice dreams of opening her own hat shop, which clashes with the expectations of her Sicilian-born parents. Brilliant Ada secretly takes college classes despite the disapproval of her Russian Jewish father. Stunning Maria could marry anyone yet guards her heart to avoid the fate of her Italian Catholic mother, broken down by an alcoholic husband. And shy Thea is torn between asserting herself and embracing an antiquated Jewish tradition.

The friends face family clashes and romantic entanglements, career struggles and cultural prejudice. But through their unfailing bond, forged through their weekly gathering, they’ll draw strength—and the courage to transform their immigrant stories into the American lives of their dreams.

THE SATURDAY EVENING GIRLS CLUB is available via Amazon and Barnes & Noble.