The Space 4 Grace brings women back together to share stories inspired by Highwomen
We talk to Juli Schneiderman about her latest event and why now is the time to bring this community together
Q: You’re back in action! We’re so excited to see The Space 4 Grace hosting its first live event since before the pandemic. Why is now the right time?
Juli: My last event was canceled the Sunday the world shut down. I shut down, too. Once the world re-opened, I was really depressed and anxious. These events are a passion project for me and a true gift of love to the women in the community. They take a lot of energy to create and execute. They are a pouring out of my heart and I just did not have enough in my tank to create an event in the past two years post-pandemic. I was even more sad to keep rewriting, “Create the next women’s event” from one to-do list to the next for over two years. Then, I was reminded, these events are also a pouring in. Producing them and connecting with other women gets my endorphins going! They grow organically as the women around me begin to help and they energetically grow. So, I set a date and thought, “Oh shit. Here we go!”
Women need a space to come together to share stories and gather energy and momentum to keep the torch of change alive and growing. It is so easy in this digital world to get distracted, competitive and turn against each other. We need events like this to keep us grounded and united. The world needs love and hope. We need spaces to disconnect in order to connect. I hope my event provides this for women.
Q: The event is called Highwomen. Tell us more about that.
Juli: When I heard the song Highwomen by the Highwomen, I got chills. I played it about 100 times and felt activated. The song is about the stories of four female protagonists who were killed for being a woman at the wrong time in history. An immigrant crossing the border, a healer in Salem during the witch trials, a freedom rider in the civil rights movement and an activist/ educator when that was not allowed for women. The song lyrics say, “We are The Highwomen, singing stories still untold…and we’ll come back again and again and again.” I started thinking about the women who survived and lived on because of their sacrifices. When creating this event, I thought it would be amazing if I could bring these women back to life through women in our community whose lives directly correlate in some way. We are all descendants of brave women and I wanted to honor and create a space to share those stories still untold.
Juli Schneiderman
Q: Why did you choose this theme? How does it connect to you and your communities?
Juli: I chose this theme because it is about resilience and it connects the past, present and future. The world is in chaos right now and we are all in survival mode. People used to live in small communities and they would work together and help one another. Grandparents would help raise the kids and neighbors would work together for the common good. Now, we are stretched thin; doing more while being more isolated than ever. As women, we need to feel a sense of solidarity and sisterhood. This theme is about our common ties and reminds us that we are connected through common experiences and objectives.
“Women need a space to come together to share stories and gather energy and momentum to keep the torch of change alive and growing.”
Q: Can you give us a bit of a preview of your storytellers scheduled for the event?
Juli: Each of the four storytellers has a background that is similar to one of the four protagonists from the song. They will each share a personal story of their modern-day experiences that is representative of the obstacles faced by the women from the song. The storytellers are all heroic women in their own right, who continue to fight for and represent the strength of women in the face of the adversity depicted in the song.
Q: We first connected after we hosted our Chasing Grace Project Episode #3 premiere at the Dynasty Typewriter, where you hosted your Space 4 Grace events. What about our project and storytelling work attracted you and how does it connect to the storytelling work you’re doing?
Juli: I love all things storytelling. I am also passionate about women's mental health and empowerment. The Chasing Grace Project had it all. It showed the impactful change sharing stories can have on us as individuals and together as a group. It showed how story can unify and empower women to grow and accomplish more personally, professionally and spiritually. Jennifer Cloer is a conduit for this change, creating the paradigm for these individual stories to be shared to tell the bigger overarching story of women in tech.
The Space 4 Grace events do the same with our events and themes by weaving individual stories together that would have not otherwise been shared to shine a light on our shared human experience in a more impactful way.
“The storytellers are all heroic women in their own right, who continue to fight for and represent the strength of women in the face of the adversity depicted in the song.”
Q: How do folks get tickets to the Highwomen event on April 30, 2023?
Juli: Tickets are free to give all women access with a suggested donation of $20 at the door.
You can also find us on Instagram at @thespace4grace or contact us via email at Thespace4grace@gmail.com.