ELLIE VOLCKMANN SEARL writes of human nature - the ordinary and the eccentric - getting to the heart of life's yearnings, idiosyncrasies, and ambiguities. The splendor of the Adirondack Mountains and Lake Champlain seeped into her being, as did the rhythms of small-town life. Her slice-of-life storytelling draws inspiration from rich experiences with diverse cultures, quirky personalities, and unusual encounters while living, working, and raising a family in New York, Delaware, Vermont, Ontario, Quebec, Ohio, and Illinois. Ellie's stories reflect her passion for justice, equality, and freedom of the spirit. She taught the art of writing to Chicagoland middle-schoolers, whose curiosity, energy, and enthusiasm for life gave her insight into the dreams of the sometimes disregarded.
CAROLYN B HEALY is a therapist-turned-writer who has invested hundreds of hours listening to people as they rewrite their life stories. While her interests include serious things like grief, resilience, and transformative change, her vantage point allows her to address them with insight and a certain dark humor. A lifelong Chicagoan, she grew up the only child of a single mom, which fueled her curiosity about how other people live, and strengthened her backbone. She has been a columnist for her local newspaper and is writing a book on finding the hidden gifts in grieving.
MARY LOU SCALISE EDWARDS is a Chicagoan born into an Italian-American Catholic culture with all the richness and liabilities that encompasses. Growing up in Bridgeport, a Chicago neighborhood steeped in the traditions of politics and prejudice, she lived alongside mayors, mobsters, and moguls. At the University of Illinois, she discovered the whole world was not Catholic and the Earth was round. Her writing blends ingredients of domestic impairment, parental missteps, and family complexities with divine irreverence. She then serves up stories stirred by her skepticism and simmered for a lifetime. The reader indulges in a time that was . . . yet is.
