AWARD-WINNING POET RELEASES FIFTH NOVEL CENTERED ON A RECKONING WITH AGING, ILLNESS, AND THE BOND BETWEEN SIBLINGS 

After her older brother Mark is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, Susan takes him to the town of Watkins Glen, their childhood vacation spot in the Finger Lakes, for what she believes is a temporary stay. But living in Watkins Glen, famous for hosting world-famous sportscar races, presents some very difficult challenges for both Susan and Mark alike. In particular, Mark has developed a rare but well-known symptom of dementia called Acquired Artist Syndrome, whereby people who have never even thought about painting suddenly become obsessed with the art. Once Mark gets to Watkins Glen, he becomes possessed by the idea that there is a Loch Ness-like monster living in nearby Seneca Lake and he begins painting the creature, while Susan reckons with ongoing ecological damage in the area.

In her newest release, Watkins Glen [Mayapple Press, June 2021, ISBN: 978-1-952781-01-8], award-winning poet and author Eleanor Lerman tells a deeply human story about how the forces of time and fate steer our lives in unexpected directions, including how the relationship between a brother and sister can change and deepen, even after years of estrangement. Another key focus of the book is how Susan, a woman who came of age in the era of hippies who thought they would never grow old and held fast to a belief in social and cultural revolution, struggles to figure out who she is now as illness, financial worries, and diminishing expectations affect her view of life.

Regardless of your stage of life, Watkins Glen is a moving story that will prompt readers to think about the necessity of finding both hope and meaning in our lives as we progress, together, through the years ahead. In the novel, Susan dutifully takes on the role of caretaker when she learns of her brother’s worsening condition and must make difficult decisions about his health and his future. As Mark continues to wander off along the eroding coastline of Seneca Lake in search of his Loch Ness monster, spurred on by premonitions of the past that lead to dangerous misunderstandings, Susan is faced with a slew of impossible choices that will affect the destiny of both siblings.

About the Author:

Eleanor Lerman, who lives in New York, is the author of numerous award-winning collections of poetry and short stories, as well as four previous novels. She is a National Book Award finalist, winner of the inaugural Juniper Prize for Poetry from the University of Massachusetts Press, the recipient of the Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize from the Academy of American Poets, and was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship as well as fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York Foundation for the Arts. Her poetry, short stories, and essays have appeared in countless literary journals, magazines, and other publications, both in print and online. In 2016 her novel, Radiomen (The Permanent Press), was awarded the John W. Campbell Prize for the Best Book of Science Fiction. In 2019, her novel Satellite Street (The Permanent Press, 2019), was a finalist for both the Montaigne Medal and the Eric Hoffer Award. Watkins Glen, her most recent novel, will be published by Mayapple Press in the spring of 2021.

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