Wife | Daughter | Self

Beth Kephart is a writing teacher and the award-winning author of more than thirty books. Her many fans and students will embrace this intimate and beautiful memoir in essays.

The author's books on how to write memoir, as well as previous memoirs, have built a strong platform for Wife | Daughter | Self. Eleven of the chapters have been published in major literary journals, increasing the visibility and organic shares of the material.

This memoir in essays will appeal to fans of Ross Gay's The Book of Delights, Margaret Renkl's Late Migrations, and Maggie O'Farrell's I Am, I Am, I Am. Writers will find inspiration, craft notes, and information about the writer's life, similar to Alexander Chee's How to Write an Autobiographical Novel and Anne Lamott's classic Bird by Bird.

At a time when reading tastes are skewing to joy and escapism, this tale of a writer in her marriage to her Salvadoran artist-husband, her role as a daughter to her widowed father, and her ultimate recognition of her responsibility to herself, is wise, kind, and beautiful—a later-in-life coming of age.

Those in search of books about real-life successful marriages, such as Ann Patchett's This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage, will enjoy Wife | Daughter | Self. The section on Beth Kephart's father will resonate with all who are caring for elderly parents, wanting to do their best, and worrying that it isn't enough.

Fans of the Wyeths will appreciate the essay on Henriette Wyeth for its insights, historical accuracy, and the author's deep personal connection to her life. Memoirs in essays are often marketed as memoir; this one is being called out as a memoir in essays to increase its possibilities in the classroom and coursework.