Judith Gwinn Adrian & Jaylin M. Stueber

media release:

Room of One's Own is happy to host Judith Gwinn Adrian and Jaylin Stueber with April Kigeya as they read and discuss From Hardship to Hope. Follow with them as they expound on their fictionalized biography with increasingly insightful life experiences.

This is an in person event at A Room of One's Own

About the Book

From Hardship to Hope invites the reader to walk into the complexities of two women’s parallel universes. It is a fictionalized, shared autobiography. Some of the moments and experiences come from the co-authors’ lives. Some do not. This book challenges us to consider where our—often strongly held—different beliefs and assumptions about reality come from. The idea for From Hardship to Hope—Zoe and Ruby Blue’s story—emerged during the weighty years of the Covid-19 pandemic when many people’s daily patterns changed and our world shuddered on its axis.

Judith Gwinn Adrian was born in Seattle and lived there to age seven when the family moved to Wilmette, Illinois. She completed BA and MA degrees in English at Luther College and Winona State University. Her Ph.D. is in Adult Education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After retiring from twenty-five years of teaching at Edgewood College, Judith became an author, working with Kira Henschel, HenschelHAUS. She lives in Madison, Wisconsin, with her husband and sturdy cat, Rufus. Her son and family reside in Minneapolis. Judith is a long-time volunteer with the JustDane Circles of Support, a reentry program for individuals as they are leaving prison.

Jaylin Stueber is a Madison native who grew up on the eastside and is a Madison East High School alumna. Jaylin is also a PEOPLE and ITA (Information Technology Academy) Alumna; and has earned her Bachelor and Master of Social Work from UW-Madison. Currently she is the Behavioral Support and Engagement Counselor at Wingra School (students ages 5-14). Jaylin has always been passionate about working with youth and helping them stay on the right path to success, while also helping them achieve their short and long-term goals. Additionally, she works to make an impact and stay connected with the Madison community by sitting on the Police Civilian Oversight Board (PCOB) as the vice-chair, and as a PCOB executive subcommittee member.