Katie Thompson

What’s happening with the Women of Woodworking project?

Well, a lot of things. Good things. Growth rings.

First, I had to take some time away from creating content to focus on my health. For those unaware, I’m disabled with multiple neurological issues. Unfortunately my health has gotten to a point where some days even writing and typing aren’t possible. I had to dedicate what small amount of volunteer time I had available to other commitments in the meantime.

I’m back to writing and creating consistently again, and would like to use this as a time to transition the project a bit. This comes at a critical moment as we examine of our use of social media in new ways. I’ve never wanted to commit this project to one platform – it has always felt bigger than that. I have always kept a landing page with link to interviews here on my website. I am also grateful for the partnership The Furniture Society has provided in expanding our programing.

Instagram has also been a vital part of our community’s growth. Our live interviews helped the project grow tremendously during the COVID shutdown into an internationally connected community. However, centralizing our content on a platform that is permitting any negativity towards any members of our community contradicts our mission here. Everyone deserves to feel safe, including our gender non-conforming members. 

Going forward I plan to pull back from an Instagram-centered presence for the project. The plan is to get back to publishing interviews on my blog at ktthompson.com, and we will continue to build programming opportunities with The Furniture Society. We already have some exciting developments in the works to be shared soon!

I will still occasionally post and share your news on Instagram, it just won’t serve as the main platform for the project. Going forward be sure to bookmark the Women of Woodworking landing page, and subscribe to my website emails updates at the bottom of my homepage to get posts sent right to your inbox.

Finally, I am also changing my process a bit and am opening up submissions for interviews via this handy form. If you’d like to be featured it’s super easy – just tell me a little bit about yourself and your work, and I’ll be in touch. Or, nominate someone you think might be a good fit! I’ll do my best to respond to everyone as promptly as possible, but please allow some time for me to review submissions and follow up.

Thank you for your continued support of this incredible community and this important project. It is hard to believe Women of Woodworking is 10 years old now, yet it continues to adapt and evolve as that what our community does and believes in working towards – a better craft for all. I look forward to continuing to build that with you.

Gratefully yours,

Katie Thompson
Creator of the Women of Woodworking Project