PIPs Speak Essays by Previously Important People

PIPs Speak: Essays by Previously Important People is a collection of stand-on-their-own creative nonfiction essays that range from 500 to 750 words from a group of thirteen writers over age sixty. The essays cover the gamut from reactions to current events to thoughts on family, aging, children, and dying, very much in the spirit of Montaigne. Readers see into the world of the writer – and recognize similarities to their own worlds. The prose varies from lyrical to poignant, quizzical to comic, incensed to at peace, reflecting the gamut of emotions being human evokes.

The essayists contributing to this collection have lived full professional lives. Rejecting the common societal view of "seniors" as background rather than players in a vibrant community, our writers represent the accumulation of thoughts and reflections obtained through the need to take on creative challenges throughout life. The book will appeal to those over sixty or anyone who wants to find their own voice or seek community in isolating times. Rather than one-way communication, essayists invite the reader into conversations on different aspects of life – love, children, challenges, spirituality, rites of passage – from birth to death. Finally, the short format makes writing a challenge and an opportunity, rather than an overwhelming onus, accessible to anybody who dreams of writing.

Sarah Massey-Warren has worked as a landscape architect and writer for businesses and nonprofits, and is currently teaching writing (professional, Creative Nonfiction, and environmental). She loves the land, lyric, literature, and the intersection. Equally, she loves her daughters, now grown, her granddaughter, her succession of cats and dogs, and her garden. She has previously published her work in Creative Nonfiction, Cream City Review, Architecture, Historic Preservation, and other journals and venues. Luellen Ramey is Professor Emeritus, Department of Counseling, Oakland University (OU), Rochester, Michigan, where she was on the faculty for over thirty years. Luellen taught clinical courses in mental health counseling and served as chair of the department for thirteen years. Internationally, she was the founder of the collaboration between the Departments of Counseling at OU and the University of Botswana. Luellen has published in an array of journals in her field. More recently, she has appeared twice as a guest columnist in the Boulder Daily Camera. Luellen retired to Boulder, Colorado, where she facilitates bereavement groups for Tru Hospice.