Our Story
Joyce Chen & Donna Wolf
The goal of Uncertain Girls in Uncertain Times is to inspire and encourage young thinkers, problem solvers, peacemakers, and creators launching into adulthood to trust their inner authority and find the confidence to build a meaningful life in this uncertain and chaotic world. We believe in the intergenerational sharing of wisdom, and the unique power of poetry to spark connection, open our eyes, and invite us into a bigger world, one filled with possibilities we may never have imagined otherwise.
How It All Began
Uncertain Girls in Uncertain Times began with a request from Evie, Donna’s daughter, in the months leading up to her college graduation. Donna had suggested gifting her a collection of recipes to launch her into adulthood, something her mother had done for her, and Evie countered, “How about a collection of poems to guide me through the uncertainties of life instead?”
To begin the project, Donna first asked friends for the poems that resonated most deeply with their lives. Invariably, the poems came with conversation — snippets of advice, hard-won wisdom, and a genuine interest in having things go well for the next generation of women.
A few months into the project, Joyce joined forces with Donna, and the project expanded. We began asking women from around the country, in different jobs, of varying ages, with different life experiences, to lend their voice and their wisdom to Uncertain Girls. The perspectives and advice were wise and varied and we started to see a mosaic of the many different ways one can craft a meaningful life. We were often touched to tears by the authenticity of our contributors’ essays and poems and their honest hope for the next generation.
The project resulted in an anthology titled Uncertain Girls in Uncertain Times: Poetry & Essential Advice for Women Aiming to Set the World on Fire. We produced a self-published, limited-run first iteration back in 2022, and the response we got was overwhelming. So many women in our own lives requested more copies to gift to their daughters and mentees, so we thought we’d give a second, expanded iteration a shot.
Fast-forward to 2024, when we partnered up with Red Hen Press to produce a second, expanded version of the first edition, now with 40 contributors, spanning age, ethnicity, geographic location, professional backgrounds, and life experience. We spent months working with our contributors to finesse their reflections and continued to chat with inspiring women along the way, all of whom shared similar hopes for the next generation: to find purpose, meaning, and joy in their lives.
At its core, Uncertain Girls has always been a project about intentionality and reciprocity, and we’re so thrilled to be able to provide a platform for folks to share their experiences and wisdom, and for young women to find encouragement and inspiration through the shared language of poetry.
About Us
Donna Wolf
Donna Wolf is a community activist, organizational consultant, executive coach, mother, and lover of poetry. She is passionate about poetry and connecting people through words and across experiences. She has sat on and chaired numerous nonprofit boards. She is past board chair of Copper Canyon Press and currently sits on the Town Hall Seattle and Copper Canyon boards. She lives in Seattle.
Joyce Chen
Joyce Chen is a writer, editor, and community builder who draws inspiration from many coastal cities. She was the 2022-2024 Hugo House writer-in-residence, and was a 2019-2020 Hugo House Fellow. Her work has been published in Rolling Stone, Poets & Writers, Lit Hub, Narratively, and Slant’d, among others. She is the executive director of the Seventh Wave, an arts and literary nonprofit that champions art in the space of social issues. She resides in Seattle with her partner, their tiny dachshund, and many leafy plants.