Printing Press

Guiding Kids through Grief

But James F. Weinsier, B.B.A. ’68, managed to transform personal tragedy into a joyful exploration of unending possibility when he wrote Where Do We Go? (Wondrous Books, 2008). Jacksonville artist, cartoonist, and educator Cliff Beaman provides plenty of playful imagery to engage young readers’ eyes and imaginations as they embark on an adventure that necessarily offers more enigmas than answers. Weinsier’s book bloomed from the very questions he fielded from his own grandchildren when, during the course of one year, he lost his father, his son, and a grandson. “One of my intentions for writing the book is to aid parents in explaining the loss to bewildered children while they’re muddling through their own grief,” states Weinsier, a retired businessman who lives in Fernandina Beach, Florida, with his wife.

Oh, Sister

Michelle Richmond, M.F.A. ’98, quickly followed her 2007 New York Times bestseller The Year of Fog with another haunting narrative propelled by loss and mystery. In No One You Know (Random House, 2008) Ellie Enderlin views her life in two distinct parts: “the years with Lila and those without her.” But when the notebook belonging to her murdered sister resurfaces after 20 years, past and present intersect, leading Ellie on a search for what’s been missing all along: the truth. As with Fog, this novel is set in San Francisco, where Richmond lives with her husband and son.