Doylestown author publishes new book

In her new volume of essays, “Old Women and Other Strangers,” Linda C. Wisniewski examines a life full of encounters and connections.

“Writing was my salvation,” she said. “I truly believe that stories heal us.”

The Doylestown author said one of her mentors suggested she publish a collection of essays a year ago. She chose her favorites from a long list of previously published and new works. “Old Women and Other Strangers” is divided into seven sections, from “A Mid-Century Childhood through Heartstrings” to “Discoveries to Spirit Draw Near,” an exploration of her spiritual path.

A kind Italian couple in a pastry shop on a rainy day, Gullah families on a remote American island, and tribal members in a New Mexico pueblo are just some of the people who made her look at life differently than she did when she was a child in the 1950s. The author grew up in a time of peace and prosperity and grew old in a divided world where global crises are the norm and the pace is frenetic. In this new book, she takes readers to a more thoughtful place, reflecting on the best in the people she meets.

Wisniewski has been writing for most of her life. She is the author of the memoir Off Kilter: A Woman’s Journey to Peace with Scoliosis, Her Mother and Her Polish Heritage and Where the Stork Flies, a time-travel novel based on the lives of her ancestors. She taught memoir writing for many years throughout the Philadelphia area, at conferences, senior centers, and in adult education settings, including at Bucks County Community College’s Newtown campus and the Pearl Buck Writing Center. Her work has been published in numerous literary magazines and anthologies in both print and online, and for 10 years she was a freelance reporter for the Bucks County Herald. She is a member of the Arts & Cultural Council of Bucks County and has been a featured reader at their First Thursday events.

Old Women and Other Strangers is available in paperback and e-book from Amazon and can be ordered from your favorite independent bookseller. If you would like to read more of Linda’s work, you can sign up for her newsletter on her website www.lindawis.com.

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