We all run from something, but do we have to leave?
Against a background of family runaways, award-winning memoirist Joanne Nelson explores what it takes to stay when the going begins to dazzle and the staying seems way too ordinary. With a great grandfather who disappears, a grandfather who strays, and a father who walks away, she’s lived a life liable to give way at any time. In unflinching prose that is by turns intimate and humorous, she dives deep into her own role (and even culpability) in a childhood marked by disruption, emotional abuse, and parental alcoholism.
Nelson’s working-class roots and catholic school girl upbringing, experimentation with all things negative, and hopeful creation of a new family life all serve a passionate story that examines the many ways we leave our communities, our families, and even ourselves. It will surprise no one that she became a psychotherapist-working with families, children, and in schools to help others on a similar journey. Her innovative observations and careful attention to detail create an engaging narrative of just how quickly our pasts become the now-and just what we’re going to do about it!
About the author
Joanne Nelson’s ongoing writing practice focuses on creative nonfiction, essays, commentaries on craft, reviews, and the occasional poem. In addition, Joanne is certified by the Mc Lean Meditation Institute as a meditation and mindfulness teacher. The classes, workshops, and retreats that she leads have a solid foundation in the skills and experiences she brings from these eclectic pursuits.
Over thirty years of experience as a psychotherapist allows Joanne to combine clinical expertise with her love of teaching to create programs that are research based, practical, and enjoyable.
Joanne is a contributor to Lake Effect on 89.7 WUWM, her local NPR affiliate. Her writing appears in anthologies and literary journals such as Brevity, Consequence, and Redivider. She lives in Hartland, Wisconsin where she develops and leads community programs, maintains a psychotherapy practice, and adjuncts. She holds an MFA from the Bennington Writing Seminars and an MSSW from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
More information is available at wakeupthewriterwithin.com
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