Four local authors are featured at a Book Publication Celebration on Sunday, September 27 from 4 to 6 p.m. at The Bunker in San Luis Obispo.
Patsy Truxaw, Carolyn Chilton Casas, Donna Andersen, and Sharon D. Sheltzer will read and sign recently published books including two memoirs, one blend of memoir and poetry, and a novel.
Truxaw’s Gathering (Demitasse Press) is her first completed manuscript, although she has been writing for many years. She says this memoir of family, grief and resilience reveals an enduring bond that transcends life’s harsh realities through moments of loving chaos, heartbreak, and humor. The author, who lives in Los Osos, expects the book to appeal to members of large families, the recovery and mental health communities, grief counselors and others.
Unlocking Ordinary Wonders (Demitasse Press) by Casas is filled with poetry and essays on the healing arts. It chronicles her transformative journey into energy healing and its ripple effects throughout her life.
Andersen’s The Life You Get (Butterfly House Press) is subtitled a memoir of “recovery, reward, and reflection.” Born a preacher’s kid in mid-century Montana, the Morro Bay resident reflects on a life both ordinary and extraordinary, one marked by spiritual awakenings, emotional wounds, addiction and recovery, and hard-won personal growth. Andersen invites readers—especially her friends, family, and fellow baby boomers—to reflect on their own journeys and what it means to live a life of purpose and truth.
Sheltzer’s novel Lady of the Waves (12 Willows Press) explores the story of a chance encounter that binds two people forever: a boy living in San Francisco and the 12-year-old girl he watches on the news who survives an Indian Ocean tsunami but loses her family and the life she knew.
What the four writers have in common is they are or have been students of Sara Roahen in Cuesta College’s Emeritus program class “Composing Your Life Story.”
The class is part of the Cuesta College Emeritus program that offers free semester-long courses geared for adults 50+ that focus on learning new skills, exploring healthy living strategies, and expressing creativity through the arts.