Author Pauli Pedersen lives on Fox Island, WA and has been enjoying an active life of teaching, raising five charming children, and performing as a classical singer. With a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and an indefatigable spirit, she finds wonder in her family history. She began writing her memories of her dad’s struggle with dementia several years after he passed away in 1996. To make a commitment to her book, she took a class on memoir with E.C. Murray at Tacoma Community College. After a few more classes and additional study, she co-founded a writers’ workshop which went from in-person meetings at the Gig Harbor Library to meeting on Zoom when the pandemic closed life down. “River of Dementia: A Memoir” was published in December 2021. Pauli is a member of AlzAuthors.com (authors of dementia and Alzheimer’s books), where she was introduced as a new author in their library in November, of the Greater Gig Harbor Literary Society, and of the Creative Colloquy, a Tacoma group supporting artists, authors, and poets. The latter also published her poem “On Reflection of Dementia” in Creative Colloquy Volume 7. Her latest poem, “Swimming Upstream,” as well as a short story, “The Unicorn,” were published in the anthology “Rise, Revolution: Women’s Voices, Women’s Lives,” by Blue Forge Press. When Pauli isn’t writing, she likes digitizing media from her family history, such as photos, slides, 8mm movies, DVDs, CDs, and handycam videos from the past.
Which genres do you cover?
Pauli Pedersen: Memoir and poetry.
Which is the latest book you had published, and what is about?
Pauli Pedersen: My dad’s life was more than his dementia. As the last keeper of family stories from 1895 to the 1990s, and preserver of a treasure trove of historic family photographs, I decided, in fairness, to tell the entire story of my noble and gentle dad, and save his family history, too. My mom’s curious childhood fit in well.
At which book events can readers find you?
Pauli Pedersen: No book festivals this year, but I can be found on Facebook and Instagram.
Which book event connecting you with readers is your favorite and why?
Pauli Pedersen: I treasure meeting readers anywhere. Festivals like the BlackBerry Festival in
Bremerton, each summer, where happy readers as well as other authors gather, are
especially fun.
Do(es) your book(s) have any specific messages to your readers and, if so, which are they?
Pauli Pedersen: On the back cover of “River of Dementia: A Memoir” it reads: “Our family survived an experience so outlandish that I hope sharing it will comfort those who have rafted the same tempestuous river or are now undergoing a similar voyage.” The pressure and isolation of dealing with someone suffering mental illness is often overwhelming and exhausting. My book and others like it, serve as companions, pathways to understanding through the eyes of others, guides for care and the message, we are here for you. The lesson to learn from “River of Dementia: A Memoir” is that mental illness affects billions of us and needs to be released from the darkness of disgrace into the light of love, compassion, and research.
Which writer(s) keep(s) inspiring you and why?
Pauli Pedersen: One of my favorite authors is Carl Hiaasen, whose characters are colorful and bizarre. That gives me a track to follow.
Do you have any specific writing habits?
Pauli Pedersen: My work schedule varies. Because I am retired, I can work when it suits me. Being unhooked from sitting in front of a computer is freeing for me, so I write on a mini iPad and use Google Docs. I can write wherever I choose; a soft chair, the patio, in bed, waiting at the doctor’s office. The initiative comes from having to meet our workshop schedule.
What are you currently working on?
Pauli Pedersen: I am editing an audiobook that should be ready in January or February.
Which book are you currently reading simply for entertainment?
Pauli Pedersen: For entertainment, I’m reading “Braiding Sweetgrass” by indigenous writer and biologist Robin Wall Kimmerer. It is beautifully written—a love song to the earth. Reading well-written books while I write often stimulates me with new ideas.
What advice would you give any aspiring author?
Pauli Pedersen: Take an in-person writing class or two to commit to your craft. You will also be stimulated by classmates. No one is going to give you the time to write, you have to take it. I took my time from family activities. Others may not be happy about the change, but carve it out anyway. Join a writers’ workshop. My writing time is a happy time. That always helps to give one tenacity.
You can find Pauli Pedersen’s books at book stores, at BBQ2U in Gig Harbor, and on https://www.amazon.com/stores/Pauli-Pedersen/author/B09RGNWPTT .
