Synkroniciti is delighted to welcome back Houston writer and poet Kathi Crawford with “Welcome to the League of Liberated Ladies Lair,” a wry and imaginative prose poem celebrating the individuation of women and the radical realization our value and personhood extend far beyond what society has permitted us to believe. The older we get, the less patience we have for a culture that tries to dim us and the more determined we become to tend our own flame. The world responds by attempting to make us invisible. Kathi counters this with a spark of defiance, inviting us into a community where women determine their own worth and build each other up.
“Come into our livable space. There are no drawn borders or identity columns here. No need to fill out a form, check a box, or sign your name. We are a confluent collective of creatures.”
In this imagined lair, women are free from the daily indignities of mansplaining, ogling, and assorted jackassery. But Kathi doesn’t pretend we’ve transcended every internalized script. We are still unlearning the habits of repression and the reflexes of smallness, still relearning confidence and feminine power. This knowledge isn’t free—it requires dedication, the surrender of naïveté, and the willingness to burn away old patterns of codependence. With humor braided through wisdom, Kathi builds a space that is both hearth and forge, a place where women gather to temper themselves and each other, shaping a future warmed by collective fire.
Read “Welcome to the League of Liberated Ladies Lair” in Synkroniciti’s Audacity issue, Vol. 8, No. 1, available here: https://synkroniciti.com/the-magazine/purchase-individual-issues/.
After a successful career in organizational and leadership development, Kathi Crawford founded People Possibilities, LLC in 2008. Writing poetry has been an ongoing journey of learning and exploration for her. She has always been curious about human nature and the reasons behind our choices. Through her work, she hopes to spark dialogue about the challenges we face both collectively and individually.
Her writing has been featured in a variety of literary journals, both online and in print. Her chapbook, consider the light, is available from Finishing Line Press; running with the beasts is forthcoming. You can connect with her on Instagram or Linked In @kathicrawford and subscribe to her blog at https://kathicrawford.com/.
Thank you for including my poem in the Audacity issue! I am thrilled to be amongst so many great writers and artists and appreciate your support of the creative community.
Thanks for being part of this wonderful issue! There is so much fire in it and the pieces really form a meditative conversation. I love your “livable space” and the way you inspire and encourage.
This piece reminds me of WiVLA! Such a great space to meet and learn and teach. I try to do the same with Synkroniciti.
Kat