Join us for a hybrid evening celebrating the release of Joanne Nelson’s collection of essays My Neglected Gods. Since January, Joanne has been leading the virtual program One Book’s Journey as her collection went through the publication process at Vine Leaves Press. We are pleased to have Joanne join us in person to read from and discuss her book as the 6th installment in the One Book’s Journey series. The event will be hybrid so that those out of the area can take part in the celebration. This session is offered free but registration for the virtual option is required. A link to join us via Zoom will be sent to you 24 hours prior to the event.

We all have our rituals and talismans to protect us from the unknown, but will we admit what they are?

Tarot cards, speeding cars, several saints, and old dogs make appearances in Joanne Nelson’s new collection of prose and poetry. She unravels the secular deities giving shape to her days, not only on planes, but in summer crowds, at conferences, and in long post office queues. Whether it’s a bandaid in a pocket, the backup pen in a purse, or a hidden $20 in a wallet for just-in-case, Nelson explores what we carry for comfort. She delves into the Mercury retrograde conundrum and examines the significance of kitchens as holy places. Beer runs through it. There will be coffee.

Join Nelson, author of the memoir, This Is How We Leave, in this humorous and heartfelt journey through life’s often-ignored quiet moments. Ignored until, plate of cookies in hand, they come begging for a chat. All the while, the kids move out, the house gets put up for sale, and loved ones age.

About the Author:

Joanne Nelson is the author of This Is How We Leave (Vine Leaves Press). Her ongoing writing practice focuses on creative nonfiction, essays, commentaries on craft, reviews, and the occasional poem. In addition, Joanne is certified by the McLean 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.

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