SUPERWOMAN STORIES: Jennifer Culkin

SUPERWOMAN STORIES: Jennifer Culkin

by Tamara Kaye Sellman, See Jane Write!


At a time when American culture suffers a deficit of heroes, I'm glad to see a "local girl does good" story that mirrors the Obama campaign's optimistic mantra, "Yes we can."

Let me tell you about Jennifer Culkin. She's a working mom: a critical care nurse of 3 decades, with many of those years spent working scary 24-hour MEDEVAC shifts (don't ask her how many colleagues she's lost in copter crashes) or saving the lives of newborns whose life force can barely be measured in ounces. She's also an avid cyclist and published author.


Oh, and did I mention she's also got multiple sclerosis?


Jennifer's life story, A Final Arc of Sky, will be released April 2009 and I highly recommend it if you're looking for a book to inspire you to everyday acts of heroism. She leads us through a weave of family- and work-related dramas, while also offering an honest discussion about living with a chronic illness which has literally left her bedridden for weeks at a time. The landscapes of her life—Boston, San Francisco, Alaska, and Seattle—are rendered with authenticity, and her writing is gorgeous, smart and unflinching. Yes, you'll be reading a bit about the dead, the sick, and the dying, but you'll also capture true-to-life glimpses of what it means to saturate yourself in the universe of a critical care professional and yet emerge from it filled with vitality, wisdom, and a sense of humor. Readers will appreciate the humane lens through which Jennifer captures the moments of what we can all agree should be the definition of an everyday hero's life.


Of course, Jennifer would never cop to that, but isn't humility one of the finest qualities befitting any superwoman?




Links

Beacon Press buy page for A Final Arc of Sky (can be preordered before April)

http://www.beacon.org/contributorinfo.cfm?ContribID=1789



See Jane Write! blog: http://janesstories.wordpress.com/



Tamara Kaye Sellman homepage: www.tamarasellman.com



Contact Tamara Kaye Sellman: tamarasellman@gmail.com