Five Letters from New York: Wartime and Mildred McKinley

The wartime letters of Mildred McKinley (Abele), a private duty nurse for Manhattan's privileged, reveal her struggles on the home front--an absent husband, an unanticipated baby, the need for child care--and, of course, wartime taxes.

Lunch will be provided

This talk showcases the holdings of the Maine Women Writers Collection as well as the Bush Legacy Collection, and will be accompanied by a display of original letters related to life on the home front during World War II, brought to you by the Departments of Special Collections and History & Philosophy.

JOANNE DOBSON, whose first career was as a Fordham University English Professor and pioneer in the field of U.S. womens writing, writes the Professor Karen Pelletier mystery series from Doubleday and Poisoned Pen Press. Her novel QUIETER THAN SLEEP won an Agatha nomination, the novels have been widely reviewed, and in 2001 the New York Library Association named her a Noted Author of the Year. www.joannedobson.com

BEVERLE GRAVES MYERS lives in Louisville, Kentucky. She practiced psychiatry at a public mental health clinic before making a mid-life career switch to writing. In addition to THE FACE OF THE ENEMY, her work includes the Tito Amato Mysteries set in 18th-century Venice and numerous short stories and articles. Visit her website at www.beverlegravesmyers.com