The idea for Red Tent Living started more than a decade ago with a book by the same name. The Red Tent, the best-selling historical fiction novel by Anita Diamont, retold the story of Dinah from the book of Genesis. Dinah’s story was ultimately a narrative about women across all generations—our struggles, vulnerabilities, victories, and the ways we find respite and courage when we share our lives with each other.
The book birthed the idea to host Red Tent Dinners, in which small groups of women could gather around a table once a month and share a meal together. Each month focused on a new prompt, an intentional guide for rich conversation and story-telling. The dinners became a place where we could let down our guard, be real, and connect in the ways we longed for yet seldom found available within the structures and routines of daily life.
Eventually, we began to wonder how the dinner table could be expanded. What if the table was a more central place where women from all over the country, all over the world, even, could come to share their stories? What if the ways we longed to learn from each other could grow beyond one physical place? The idea of an online magazine was born.
Red Tent Living is an invitation. Here, women come to simply be and be together. Amidst the impossible, confusing, and shaming ideas of femininity in our culture today, we find respite in gathering and telling our stories. Your femininity is not an essence to be quickly taken in, nor is it contained in the labels of your age, location, or vocation. That is why in this venue, we choose to reframe what it is to be a woman. By sharing our stories, we can support each other. We can learn from each other. We can change the world.
Red Tent Living believes every story belongs. All women are welcome at our table.
Today Red Tent Living is read in 187 countries. Our purpose to serve as a metaphorical table has come to include women from all faith backgrounds, ethnicities, nationalities, and orientations. Our platform is based on our foundational love for Jesus Christ, who calls us to the margins of life to advocate for women whose stories have been ignored or silenced.
As you look around, notice that the site’s theme changes each month. These themes are written in accordance with the seasons of the year, the seasons of womanhood, and current events. Regular contributors offer their personal stories in light of each month’s theme. Submissions from guest contributors are also welcomed and encouraged!
Some Red Tent Women invest and connect through the Wholehearted section of this site, which offers opportunities to live mindfully through prayer and volunteering. See what simple steps you could take to start making more of a difference in your world.
Red Tent Living also sponsors the Brave On Conference, a time in which women in our global community gather together for fellowship, worship, teaching, and inspiration.
Thank you for visiting our table. We hope you will stay and join the conversation.
Yours Sincerely,
The Red Tent Editors