A new book from the Louisville Story Program highlights a group it says isn’t heard enough: young women in South Louisville.
Nine girls from Iroquois High School — a school with students from more than 54 countries who speak more than 41 languages, according to its website — started working on the project in 2017. Through coaching, workshops and interviews, the young women wrote the book, “No Single Sparrow Makes a Summer” while being paid by the program.
Atalya Lawler is one of the book’s authors. Lawler said the program was fun and challenging. She said she spent some nights writing and editing for hours.
“For me, it was my very first time being a writer, so I was a little bit nervous," Lawler said. "But I noticed that being a writer is actually what I like to do."
The Louisville Story Program’s mission is to amplify unheard voices and stories from various communities, which Program Director Darcy Thompson said can strengthen community bonds.
Autumn Wilson, another co-author of the book, said the process bonded her with other writers and gave her a new perspective on the people she interviewed.
“The [book] has nine different stories from nine different walks of life, and they’re so amazing,” Wilson said. “They’re definitely worth the time sitting down and reading them.”
“No Single Sparrow Makes a Summer” will be released Oct. 11.
