Suzanne Strempek Shea

One of my favorite authors going way back is Suzanne Strempek Shea. My friend Elaine and I read all of the novels she wrote in the 1990s and loved every one – and were always looking forward to her next book. Elaine grew up in the Roseland neighborhood of Chicago – an area with many residents of Polish ancestry -- in the 1950s and 60s. She and her sisters were stunned – and tickled -- when one of the characters in Hoopi Shoopi Donna shared their surname, and two other characters carried names of their neighbors. It’s been at least five years since I’ve read one of Suzanne’s books, but I can still recall the feeling I got when cracking open a new one. I always knew the book would be wonderfully written, with great characters I’d swear I know, and would show off the author’s uncanny ability to capture the essence of relationships between mothers and daughters. Plus these books have a wonderful humorous touch … the kind of funny that will make you laugh and/or cry out loud, often at the same time. With all the books out there to read, it’s way too easy to lose touch with a favorite author. I have not read either of Suzanne Strempek Shea’s memoirs or her most recent novel … but that’s something I plan to remedy very soon.

Books

Fiction

Memoir

Author Profile

Suzanne Strempek Shea is the author of five novels, Selling the Lite of Heaven, Hoopi Shoopi Donna, Lily of the Valley, Around Again and Becoming Finola, all published by Washington Square Press. Winner of the 2000 New England Book Award, which recognizes a literary body of work's contribution to the region, she's also written two memoirs: Songs From a Lead-lined Room: Notes - High and Low - From My Journey Through Breast Cancer and Radiation, and Shelf Life: Romance, Mystery, Drama and Other Page-Turning Adventures From a Year in a Bookstore.

She also has freelanced for publications including Yankee magazine, The Boston Globe Magazine, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Organic Style and the former New England Monthly.

Suzanne is a member of the faculty at the University of Southern Maine's Stonecoast MFA program in creative writing. A native of Western Massachusetts, she still lives there, in the village of Bondsville.

Author’s website: http://www.suzannestrempekshea.com/

Note: Suzanne has a very rich website – one visitors will want to spend some time exploring. One of the most interesting items is an article, “The Invention of Ethnicity and Gender in Suzanne Strempek Shea's Fiction” from the Polish Review. The article was written by Grazyna J. Kozaczka. That article is in the site's “News” section. Readers will also find an incredible array of reviews -- some in Polish -- that give a good picture of the author's writing.