Individual Artist Project

My memoir is both helpful and hopeful: unflinchingly facing the losses, while also revealing what is gained. It's an account of love, transformation, and inner growth as much as it is of dementia. Dementia, a stern tutor, taught my husband and I how to live differently, as individuals and as a couple. I've shared excerpts from my memoir in the communities of Grand Rapids, Alexandria, Ortonville, and Benson, reaching more than 550 rural Minnesotans. Excerpts from my work also have been aired on "Stay Human Radio" episodes. Written and verbal responses to those presentations convey the profound impact my words often have had. I've also learned that the audience for my essays is broader than the assumed older adults (40+) because I've consistently received very positive responses from college students in a mythology class. I've observed a desire to learn more about living with dementia, as well as a hunger to talk about it during Q and A sessions. In fact, my presentations usually have gone beyond the allotted time because attendees are so eager to learn??from me and from one another??and to share personal experiences. Because forthright public discussions of the all-too-common disease of dementia can serve as valuable educational opportunities, I will continue to share excerpts from my work at presentations. But my ultimate goal is to publish a well-designed book, since the pages of a book bestow the entrancing intimacy of a writer speaking directly to a reader. ; My purpose in writing Love in the Time of Dementia: A Memoir in Essays is to provide others with an enhanced understanding of dementia, as well as a measure of hope that love can endure through loss and hardship. The means of doing so have been via my website (www.love-in-the-time-of-dementia.net), in-person public presentations, and readings on "Stay Human Radio." Now it's time to prepare my work for publication, with book design being the first step toward that goal. I have three specific main outcomes for the grant period: 1) To have completed all of the writing processes (revisions, editing, proofreading) in order to have clean files ready to submit to the designer. 2) To work closely with Paul Nylander at Illustrada Book Design during the design process. 3) To have files ready to submit to a printer by the end of the grant period. I'm a retired college English instructor and freelance writer, so I have years of experience meeting deadlines and producing results. I've filed thorough reports on time to the Minnesota State Arts Board and ARAC for past grants. I completed the projects spelled out in the grant applications??such as writing essays, meeting regularly with an editor/mentor, giving presentations/readings, and recording for the radio. Most recently, I was awarded a 2021 MSAB Creative Support for Individuals grant to maintain community connections during the pandemic. I achieved my objective of creating a website (www.love-in-the-time-of-dementia.net). I've learned that the goals, structure, and hard deadlines which the grant framework provides are very helpful to me. ; I'll provide both quantitative and qualitative measures of outcomes. Quantitative: I'll report on the completion dates for the creative brief, the book cover, and the interior book design, as well as the dates of meetings with the designer, Paul Nylander. I'll report on the number of attendees at my two in-person presentations. I'll provide titles of the excerpts recorded for "Stay Human Radio" and the dates aired. Qualitative measures: I will provide samples of the book cover and the finished interior design. At my two in-person presentations, attendees will be asked to complete a brief written survey. A selection of responses will be included in the final report.