Today is the release date for All In Her Head: A Novel by Sunny Mera from She Writes Press. I look forward to celebrating the book launch in Brooklyn later this week. To be honest, I wasn’t sure this day would ever come. Not because Sunny Mera couldn’t write, but because of the enormous risks she would need to take in sharing her story with the public. Several years ago I had the privilege of reading Sunny’s story when she came to me for advice. She needed a safe and supportive environment to share her work-in-progress because of the subject matter: mental illness. The stigma associated with postpartum mental illness can be nearly as devastating as the illness itself. When I learned 1 in 10 new mothers experiences a mental health crisis, it shocked me. I had read Brooke Shield’s Down Came the Rain: My Journey Through Postpartum Depression and I remembered the backlash against her, starting with Tom Cruise’s condemnation of her seeking treatment. I had recently become friends with Yael Daphna Saar who is a Self-Kindness teacher and founder of “Mama’s Comfort Camp” in Ithaca, NY. Yael’s mother had committed suicide when she was a young girl and when she became a mother Yael experienced severe depression and suicidal ideation. Yael sought help and now helps other mothers online and in monthly support group meetings with zero judgement, no unsolicited advice, lots of respect, and love. Knowing about Yael and her safe haven for moms made me realize…
How far should a daughter go to fix a fraught relationship with her mother? Rica Ramos-Keenum examines this question in her forthcoming memoir, Nobody’s Daughter: A Memoir of Healing the Mother Wound, which releases from She Writes Press on May 9. In her early forties and about to remarry, Rica Ramos realizes that starting over could mean leaving her mother behind. She longs to heal… [Read More]
Filed Under: Nobody's Daughter: A Memoir of Healing the Mother Wound, Petals of Rain, Rica Ramos, She Writes Press
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Bett Dorion Fitzpatrick grew up in Newfoundland when there wasn’t a child alive who didn’t know the story about the tragic shipwrecks of the USS Truxton and USS Pollux. In this small mining town along Canada’s craggy shores, local villagers mounted a rescue operation and carried up the cliffs the 186 U.S. servicemen who survived the shipwrecks in the midst of a blizzard in February… [Read More]
There’s nothing quite like a writing workshop, conference, or retreat to get writing inspiration flowing and help overcome writer’s block. They provide a change of pace, a chance to relax and unwind, and space to focus on your craft. These events can also offer opportunities to connect with other writers and build community and a network of support. If you’re thinking about going to a… [Read More]
In the pre-dawn hours of February 18, 1942, three American warships zigzagged in convoy along the south coast of Newfoundland. Caught in a raging blizzard, the three ships ran aground on one of the most inhospitable stretches of coastline in the world—less than three miles apart, within eight minutes of each other. The Wilkes freed herself. The Truxton and Pollux could not. Fighting frigid temperatures, wild surf, and a heavy… [Read More]
Filed Under: Bett Fitzpatrick, book launch, Boulder Books, Hard Aground, Newfoundland, St. Lawrence, USS Pollux, USS Truxton, World War II
Award-winning author Jeannine Ouellette will be in Duluth at the end of October for two literary events — live and in-person, both free and open to the public. On Wednesday, October 26, Jeannine Ouellette will read from her memoir, The Part That Burns, at 6 pm in the Kathryn A. Martin Library Rotunda on the campus of the University of Minnesota-Duluth. Ouellette will share the… [Read More]
Filed Under: author events, book signing, Duluth, Jeannine Ouellette, Lake Superior, Minnesota, The Part That Burns