Question 1

What is “USAFA Women Writers”?

Accepted Answer

USAFA Women Writers is an all-women, all-volunteer group that knows the inspiring and empowering importance of women telling their stories. We are dedicated to capturing and sharing the compelling and unknown stories of military and veteran women who reshaped the world.

We are empowering voices and forging connections through the capturing of legacies and the art of storytelling, honoring the resilience and transformation of women past and present. We strive to leave a heritage that recognizes the significance of each woman's story and inspires the next generation to give voice to their own.

Question 2

What is your driving force – your vision – for capturing and sharing women’s stories?

Accepted Answer

We are building a community of US Air Force Academy (USAFA) women alumni rooted in collective experience. Our mission is to illuminate the untold narratives of both historical and contemporary Air Force Academy women, all of whom who defied conventional wisdom and societal norms, showcasing their pivotal roles in creating history and shaping society, culture, and thought.  
 
By amplifying these stories of empowerment, achievement, persistence, self-discovery, trauma, and healing, we seek to inspire our readers to embark on their own journeys of transformation, challenging conventional perspectives and biases, and embracing a deeper understanding of resilience and personal agency.

Question 3

What does USAFA Women Writers create?

Accepted Answer

We are currently executing two projects.

Beyond the Blue: The Never-before-told 50-Year Journey of the Women of the Air Force Academy is a historical narrative being written and told with and through the voices and personal stories of Academy women themselves.  It will be released in 2026 commemorating women’s 50 years attending the US Air Force Academy.  Beyond the Blue is not a book about the Air Force Academy or a book about being a cadet, nor is it a book solely for Air Force Academy alumni. It is a universal tale of inspiration, achievement, empowerment, and resilience.  It is a book for the world, analogous to the blending of the soaring achievements of The Women With Silver Wings, the transformative revelations of Hidden Figures, and the personal growth journey of Eat, Pray, Love.

Our book fuels the continuation of the mission and our second major project: 
 • The creation of the first-ever, permanent USAFA Women’s Collection and searchable archives
 • The preservation of the individual and collective legacies of Air Force Academy women in partnership with the Library of Congress
 • The establishment of mirror repositories around the country

Question 4

Why are you writing this book?

Accepted Answer

History demands listening to unheard voices and recognizing unheralded figures. The women alumni of the Air Force Academy have a voice that has gone unheard for 50 years and a story that has gone untold.

Through this collaborative effort, we aim to foster a community of shared experiences, collective healing, and a legacy mindset, recognizing the import, impact, and beauty each story has on history, and inspiring the next generation of transformative leaders to give voice to their stories and navigate their life’s journeys with newfound courage and conviction.

Question 5

What style of book are you writing?

Accepted Answer

The book is a historical, narrative non-fiction story.  By that we mean the book is being written as a single narrative that tells the collective 50-year story of the women of the Air Force Academy.  The beauty of the book, and what makes it so profound, is that this story is being told through and with the voices of Academy women alum. We are creating this singular, collective, narrative by incorporating and drawing upon stories submitted by Academy women alum themselves – the book’s Contributors.

Question 6

How does USAFA Women Writers publish?

Accepted Answer

Our publisher is MilSpeak Books, an imprint of our phenomenal partner, the MilSpeak Foundation. MilSpeak Foundation is a woman owned and operated 501(c)3 charitable nonprofit that provides a safe, traditional publishing pathway for books written by military veterans and military family members with a special focus on our marginalized communities – women and women of color.  Their award-winning books preserve the treasured legacies and historical contributions women have made to the military and our country for nearly 250 years.  Partnered with USAFA Women Writers, MilSpeak is excited to be bringing to life their book that tells the unsung heroines’ 50-year story of the women of the US Air Force Academy.

Question 7

Is USAFA Women Writers and/or the book funded by the US Air Force or the US Air Force Academy or its Association of Graduates?

Accepted Answer

No.  USAFA Women Writers, and every aspect of its projects, are private and independent.

The entire Writing Team is an all-women, all-volunteer group who have come together as USAFA Women Writers to write and publish the 50-year book, and to launch the first-ever, permanent USAFA Women’s Collection and archives at the Library of Congress.

Writing and publishing a book, especially one of this import, is expensive. We need your help to bring these historic projects to life. Your generous gift ensures these phenomenal women and their stories are memorialized in history.  Our gratitude overflows with your click of the DONATE button!

Question 8

Can only women graduates of the Air Force Academy contribute their collections and stories?

Accepted Answer

No.  We seek submissions from all women who are alumnae of the Air Force Academy, both grads and non-grads.  Anyone who walked up the Ramp and experienced the Air Force Academy as a woman is eligible to submit.

Question 9

What is considered a “submission” and what are the requirements?

Accepted Answer

Please see the Things to Know (https://www.womenofusafastory.com/things-to-know)page for info and guidance on what and how to submit to this historic project. Visit the How to Submit (https://www.womenofusafastory.com/submission-guidelines)page for more details as well.

Question 10

I’m a terrible writer/not a writer at all, but I’d like to submit my collection and tell my story. What should I do?

Accepted Answer

If you are an Academy woman alum who would like help creating your collection and getting your story told, we encourage you to contact us at any time (sooner is better).  The HERitage Committee (https://www.womenofusafastory.com/heritage)will assist you in getting your personal collection documented and your story told, including the option of an oral interview.  See the Submission page (https://www.womenofusafastory.com/submission-guidelines)for more info.

Question 11

Is every story accepted for preservation and archiving?

Accepted Answer

Yes.  So long as you walked up the Ramp on that first day of Basic Cadet Training and you experienced the Academy as a woman, your submission is greatly desired.  Every submission is a precious piece of history. Each is a historical artifact. The HERitage Committee (https://www.womenofusafastory.com/heritage)works directly with every submitter who wishes to have her legacy preserved as part of the USAFA Women’s Collection permanent archives.

Question 12

Do you verify the stories/submissions you receive?

Accepted Answer

Each contributor’s submission is her own. Women alum stories are told from their personal perspective and may not exactly mirror the memories of others who may have similar lived experiences. We encourage all women alum to submit their contributions based on their unique experiences and truths. It is important that we have multiple voices that capture the spectrum of women alum and their lives, both during the years we walked on the same terrazzo stones and elsewhere in our careers.

Question 13

If a woman alum has passed/died, can her family (or someone else) submit a story or artistic work for her?

Accepted Answer

Yes.  We welcome stories from and about all Academy women alum.  In the circumstance that you would like to submit for a woman alum who has passed, the HERitage Committee will partner with you on the unique submission requirements.

Question 14

What information will be made public?

Accepted Answer

Your submission is yours. No submission, in whole or in part, will be made public – ever – without your written consent and release.  We will work with you throughout the process to ensure that your information, your voice, and your story reflect you, while ensuring compliance with the submission requirements of the USAFA Women’s Collection.

Question 15

What is “USAFA”?

Accepted Answer

The U.S. Air Force Academy, or USAFA, is a public university and military service academy located in Colorado Springs, Colorado that provides four years of rigorous academic, physical, and military education to train and prepare cadets to be commissioned officers in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force.

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