Anne Keller
A Room of One's Own 2717 Atwood Ave., Madison, Wisconsin 53704
press release: A Room of One's Own is delighted to welcome local author Anne Keller for a reading in celebration of the release of her book Empty Chairs!
About Anne Keller: Anne was born and raised in North Carolina, spending time each summer in the Blue Ridge Mountains with her maternal grandmother. Climbing Mt. Mitchell in the fog meant they were touching the clouds. Cold mountain streams and rhododendrons alongside the Blue Ridge Parkway were nature's signatures in those high hills. Inside her grandmother's house they played games, ate her homemade blackberry jam, and slid down the wooden banister on wax paper. By the time Anne received a BA in Psychology from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and an MSSW from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, her grandmother and mother were gone, but Anne has always loved those memories. She enjoyed a career in mental health care, and recently retired. She studied writing at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Writers' Institute. Anne Keller lives in Madison, Wisconsin with her husband.
Writing fiction developed from a love of reading, and a need to tell about the characters who grow to reality in her imagination. North Carolina became the natural setting for a story about people and their relationships during challenging times.
About EMPTY CHAIRS: In this story of family, love, and interwoven connections, the McDowells struggle to survive on their family farm in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Joe, the youngest sibling, steals coins from his mother's purse, knowing he can never have things he really wants. After his beloved brother is drafted to World War II, Joe and his family must confront an avalanche of crises, learning what means most in each of their lives. Joe will have to choose whether to become the man on the farm, or to follow his dreams. In a surprise turn of events, the women in his family show strength they didn't know was theirs. Love and tolerance become the keys to overcome the challenges facing Joe and his family.