"A memoir is meant to be a glance at a certain period of time in our life," says author Heather Wilde. Her new memoir Tumbled is an earnest, whimsical and raw reflection on love, relationships, family and the transformation born from the struggles therein.
Tumbled finds a balance between textured, emotional moments and large life-changing events. The author also strikes a similar balance when considering an audience. "How can I write this is a way that others can learn from it?" says Wilde. While considering that question, Wilde also understood that the subject needed to remain personal. "I had to come at it so that it was about me... this book was me taking control and ownership of my life, my choices, and really closing that chapter."
As personal as the writing process was, Wilde had a trusted groups of editors to offer feedback. The extra eyes on the project proved to be helpful in an editorial sense, but the bulk of the telling of the tale still fell squarely on the author. "I found that people were really hesitant to give me too much advice on the structure because they knew it was so personal," says Wilde. "I really did a lot of it myself using the skills that I just kind of developed as a teacher, as an English major, as a voracious reader."
Tumbled can be purchased at Zenith Bookstore in Duluth and online through Amazon.
Minnesota Reads is produced at The North 103.3 with funding provided in part by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
