Woodbury author to release newest book ‘Seasons of Desire’
Woodbury resident, and author, Evelyn Klein will be releasing her newest book “Seasons of Desire" on Thursday.By: Amber Kispert-Smith, Woodbury Bulletin
- Evelyn Klein
- "Seasons of Desire"
Woodbury resident Evelyn Klein had pictured herself as a writer, but never fully realized her dreams until later in life.
“Since I was a kid I saw myself as an author,” said Klein, who previously worked as a full-time English teacher. “I wrote poetry on the side, but I didn’t take myself very seriously at it – I was a closet poet, you might say.
“But then one day it was just like somebody opened up the floodgates.”
Klein is hoping to inspire others to follow their dreams with her new book “Seasons of Desire,” which is being released Thursday, Sept. 13.
“This book is about following your dreams and finding your dreams,” she said. “I probably never would be doing this now if I hadn’t decided that I just have to do it.”
The path to published author
The majority of Klein’s life had been spent working as an English teacher in both Wisconsin and Minnesota.
Most recently, Klein spent 15 years working as an English teacher at South St. Paul High School.
Even though she greatly enjoyed teaching, there was also something missing.
Klein released her first book “Stage Two: Poetic Lives,” a poetry anthology, in 1994.
“There’s such a wonderful succinctness to (poetry) that you can tell an entire story in one page,” she said. “You don’t have to write pages and pages to get where you want to go.”
Klein released her second book “From Here Across the Bridge,” a memoir, in 2006.
“It is a story written in poetry,” she said.
The illustrations in “Stage Two: Poetic Lives” and “From Here Across the Bridge” were drawn by Klein’s father.
Klein’s third book, “Once Upon a Neighborhood,” was released in 2009 and contains anecdotes and vignettes relating to observations and people-watching throughout the Twin Cities.
“It’s really almost like a documentary,” she said. “It was just fun people-watching.”
Klein illustrated “Once Upon a Neighborhood.”
“Once Upon a Neighborhood’ was added to the Minnesota Historical Society’s permanent collection in 2010.
‘Seasons of Desire’
Klein said she was inspired to write her newest book because she had a hole in her life for so many years by not following her dream to be an author that she wanted to help inspire people to not have the same fate.
“Our dreams don’t just fall out of the sky,” she said. “We keep on developing and growing.
“I hope they will feel encouraged to follow their dreams and to keep on growing – and just get busy and do it.”
“Seasons of Desire” is split up in different sections, but each section is introduced by prose and an illustration by Klein followed by anecdotes, memoirs and observations.
“I didn’t want it to read like a textbook because that would be the worst thing to do,” she said. “I wanted to make it kind of fun to read and make it so people could relate to it.”
The writing process
Klein said it typically takes her years to finish a book because she doesn’t believe in writing unless she is inspired.
“If you’re not inspired, you might as well not bother,” she said. “I don’t believe in writer’s block – it’s a readiness factor. If you’re not ready, you’re not going to write anything decent.”
Klein gets a lot of inspiration from observations, conversations and reading.
She said she does most of her writing in the morning through free writing.
“I write fast and furious,” she said. “The best time is when I’m still half asleep and I don’t think too much about what I’m going to write.
“You have to chase all those critics away and tell them ‘I’ll talk to you later.’”
Klein said her favorite part about writing is seeing where it takes her.
“What I enjoy is where it takes me because I usually come out someplace where I didn’t think I’d be – it’s always a discovery process for me,” she said.
Klein said she already has several new books in the works including one on how to write, one on education and a book of poems about teaching.
“Each book is a stage in my life,” she said. “Every time I finish a book I’m in a different place in my life.
“I can already feel it in my bones that I’m in a new place.”
Visit www.evelynkleinauthor.com for information on Evelyn Klein. Klein’s books are available at Common Good Books, Barnes and Nobles and Amazon.com.
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