What are those life experiences that catch us by surprise, that haven't ever been part of our discussions or readings because they lie beyond the limit of words or the courage and will to articulate?

When the two editors asked this question of other women--friends, colleagues, family members--what experiences had amazed them, disappointed them, caught them unprepared, the responses were immediate. Many women reacted as though this question was something they had been waiting to be asked, for years. Silences had been observed--and needed to be broken.