When I was a child my family and I lived for a short time in Jackson, Mississippi. For several reasons, that experience had a profound effect on me.

I remember being given an assignment in Social Studies class to color the states on a map of the US that we had either traveled to or through. I’m an East Coast girl – with extended family scattered about – so I‘d already traveled up and down the Eastern Seaboard by the age of seven. My completed map had more colors on it than a movie-sized bag of Skittles.

But most of my classmates only had one state on their maps colored.  Many, I discovered, had never traveled outside the county – let alone the state.

I realize, now, how that experience helped inspire me to follow my passion in life to write, because  it made me understand just how big and exciting the world is. And it also made me appreciate the fact that we each have a unique and compelling story worth sharing.

I like to think of “history” as the powerful and memorable moments in life which ultimately define us. “History” isn’t just something for the encyclopedias, and it isn’t just someone else’s story.  It’s your story, it’s my story, and every day above ground is an opportunity to write a new chapter. So this March, Wiles is celebrating Women’s History Month by bringing “history” to life.

We invite you to travel “across the Pond” with us in our “Fashion & Beauty” section packed with our comprehensive coverage of London Fashion Week. Then travel back in time in the “Arts & Entertainment” section – where we proudly salute some of the greatest chanteuses from the past 100 years in our “Wiles Tunes Exclusive: A Century in Song.”

In “Mr. Right,” we’ll take a look at some of “History’s Greatest Leading Men” through the eyes and words of the women who loved them.  In our review of writer-director Charles Murray’s captivating new film Things Never Said, we’ll explore the generational nature of domestic violence and one woman’s journey to overcome it.

This month’s “Cover story” is a delightful feature on former child star Mayim Bialik who talked to us about her proud heritage as the granddaughter of Jewish immigrants and the firm foundation her family provided which enabled her to develop into a well-rounded Ph.D., mother and star of the current hit series “Big Bang Theory.”

It’s a blessing to have people in your life who try to teach you lessons they, themselves, had to learn the hard way. I’m thankful to have learned, from my elders, that words are powerful (So use them wisely).  Our actions define us (So always behave as though someone is watching). And, most importantly, even if you don’t like the way your story currently reads, you can still have a happy ending.

(But first, you have to turn the page.)