The Blue Jean Pocket Writers Handbook,
created by Sue Doro for Pride and a
Paycheck, is a practical guide empowering
tradeswomen and blue-collar workers to
write their own stories. Rooted in workshops
since 2005, it champions the idea that a
worker’s pen is a powerful tool.
The handbook offers 35 writing prompts
tailored to tradeswomen’s experiences—
from first entering the trade to confronting
harassment and discrimination. It includes a
simple guide to writing Haiku, alongside
powerful examples from past workshop
participants. A significant section provides
an extensive bibliography of worker-writer
literature for further inspiration.
Paying homage to Meridel Le Sueur, a
pioneer of worker writing from the 1930s,
the handbook calls on tradeswomen to
document their realities, celebrate their
resilience, and build a collective “herstory”
for future generations.
