EAST LANSING, Mich. – Jane Congdon, author of “How the Wild Effect Turned Me into a Hiker at 69,” will visit the East Lansing Public Library (ELPL), 950 Abbot Road, for an author talk on Tuesday, Oct. 30 from 6:30-8 p.m. This free program is open to all community members.
Congdon grew up in the mountains of West Virginia and, after graduating from Concord College (now Concord University), made a career of words, working as an English teacher and a newspaper reporter before finding her niche as a textbook editor in Cincinnati, Ohio. She retired from that career in 2009 after 30 years to write and take on selected editing projects.
At age 59, Jane followed Dracula’s footsteps through Transylvania with a guide, resulting in the memoir “It Started with Dracula: The Count, My Mother, and Me.” She then co-authored her brother’s memoir, “Mr. Joe: Tales from a Haunted Life,” which tells the story of a struggling single dad who became a night custodian in a haunted school.
At 69, Jane returned to the mountains as a backpacker on the Appalachian Trail. To date, she has hiked 1,195 miles of the Appalachian Trail alone, with friends and a glass good luck charm named Ms. Rabbit. Her new book, “How the Wild Effect Turned Me into a Hiker at 69,” is the story of Jane’s adventures on the trail. She is planning a hike in three national parks in England in 2019.
Jane’s books are published by Bettie Youngs Book Publishers (www.bettieyoungsbooks.com) and are available from Amazon and other outlets.