Widowhood and Other Altered States takes us on a tour of life in the 70-plus lane. Though there’s grief, loss of loved ones and physical abilities, and isolation, the good news is life remains as absurd as ever. What do you do with hundreds of leftover napkins from a bereavement gathering? Or well-meaning advice you didn’t want? Or cemetery decisions? Of course there’s sadness and confusion as to how to cope alone, but widowhood is another way of being, and as with anything else, we learn. How do you buy a car that accommodates arthritic knees, but – like you - still has some pizzazz? And the dating scene is as head-shakingly comical as it is at any age (spoiler: men don’t seem to get much better). When Guttman finds herself assailed by it all, her wry wit will show you that you can stay yourself, even in an altered state.
A coming of age book for those who have already aged (and their younger friends).
Format
Brief interactive discussion of how the book came to be
Writing humorously about grief and loss, sometimes all you can do is laugh!
Reading - 1-2 excerpts
Q & A
Sale of books, inscribed if desired, 25% discount off regular price
About the Author
Jacqueline Guttman was a flutist and arts educator whose playing and teaching were curtailed by rheumatoid arthritis. Armed with a masters degree in arts administration, she became a concert presenter, arts consultant, choir director and adjunct professor in the NYU arts administration program. Believing in the arts as a vehicle for remaining vital and engaged, upon retirement she founded Arts for Life NJ, which offered participatory programs for older adults in dance, acting, visual arts, and music, until COVID had other ideas. Although she had written curriculum materials, press releases, grant proposals and even a couple of educational resource books, she never thought of herself as a writer. Guttman began writing regularly to relieve her stress as her husband’s health deteriorated. After he died in 2017, casting about for something to hold her interest, she attended a conference on arts and health, selecting a writing workshop, which was the beginning of a brand new direction. Not having studied writing since Freshman English, she enrolled in a writing critique class at Sarah Lawrence College, moving on to the Hudson Valley Writers’ Center, where she found a wonderfully supportive group of colleagues. And so she started writing essays, which has been part of her life for the past eight years. Her remaining musical connection is the coaching she provides for an amateur trio. Jackie is also involved in a broad spectrum of volunteer activities, but notes that it’s the writing that is now part of her identity, “with a bit of imposter syndrome in the mix,” she says.