(ed. - Written by I Love Memphis intern Raquel Hinson.)

Walking through Cooper Young on my way to last night’s Memphis Monologues, I was greeted with a swarm of women (and a smattering of extremely brave men). The air was full of estrogen-fueled energy.

And as a bonus, there were brownies.

The Memphis Monologues were a re-imagined, localized version of Eve Ensler’s "Vagina Monologues". Over the course of the night, eight local women shared personal tales of relationships, success, motherhood and of course, lady problems. The second annual show and silent auction was hosted at Theater South (1000 S. Cooper) and benefited Planned Parenthood Greater Memphis Region.

The local women who performed included WMC-TV reporter Kontji Anthony and photojournalist Cynthia Perkins, Commercial Appeal columnist and blogger Stacey Greenberg, singer Marcella Pinella, WKNO host and producer Mamie Shannon, comedienne Jane Haze,  Daily News reporter Aisling Maki and mom blogger Shawn Karol Sandy.

I spent the evening laughing and crying with these women, sharing in their personal triumphs, grieving their relationships gone bad or children that never were.

As a mother expecting a daughter soon, the willingness of these women to open up and share intimate stories about their own mothers, children, partners and trysts iwas inspiring. As a Memphian, a woman and a mother, I deeply enjoyed the support for women’s health.
 Each woman’s story was moving but my favorite moments included a comparison of past loves to ill-fitting shoes and a talking vagina hand puppet.

Last night kicked off the 2012 V-Day Memphis festivities. "The Vagina Monologues" (which are the main V-Day event) runs Februarary 9th-11th at Circuit Playhouse. Proceeds from the performances benefit Planned Parenthood Greater Memphis Region. Get your tickets online.