'Diary of An Alcoholic Housewife' Author to Speak at Civic Center

Residents can hear and meet Libertyville author Brenda Wilhelmson, whose memoir has attracted national attention.

**** UPDATED JAN. 6 The venue has been changed to Libertyville Civic Center, 135 W. Church St., Libertyville. **** On Monday, Jan. 9, local writer Brenda Wilhelmson will speak and sign copies of her book, Diary of an Alcoholic Housewife at Cook Park Library. The memoir, released in early 2011, narrates Wilhelmson's life as an alcoholic mother of two in suburban Libertyville, her journey toward recovery, and why she decided to share her story. “I was very high-functioning,” Wilhelmson said. “Nobody knew that I was an alcoholic. My life looked really good from the outside. I was holding it all together, doing all the things that a suburban Libertyville mom is expected to do: volunteering in the school, keeping a nice house, lots of friends, …

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Libertyville Author Raises Funds for Colon Cancer Research

Barbara Sellers honors her mother, a watercolor artist, while helping raise awareness for the disease that took her life.

Barbara Sellers' mother was always an artist at heart. The Libertyville resident, remembers growing up in Illinois with her mother painting in oils and taking art classes, until her parents moved to southern California in 1975, where Sellers’ mother began her work in watercolors. “Her paintings really focus on the West Coast, the Newport Beach area, Orange County, Arizona — Sedona especially,” Sellers explained. “They’re so colorful, they’re so mesmerizing.” Sellers describes her mother as an outgoing, giving, and positive person who believed in mind over matter and rarely went to the doctor. Because of this, Sellers' mother didn’t realize she had colon cancer until it was too late. “When she was diagnosed, she was stage four,” Sellers …

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Libertyville Provides Backdrop for Writer’s Memoir

Peter Smith’s A Cavalcade of Lesser Horrors tells tales of a 1960s Libertyville.

Writer and Minnesota Public Radio essayist Peter Smith, who moved to Libertyville when he was four from Chicago’s south side, recently released his new book A Cavalcade of Lesser Horrors, where he depicts his life’s “hiccups” including glimpses of Libertyville’s mid-twentieth century mainstreet. “Libertyville back then was such a wonderful place because it was still a small farm town in a lot of ways, and it hadn’t disappeared into the megalopolis if you will,” Smith said. “It was a commuter community and it was a farm town, so it was this wonderful hybrid of all of these things.” Memories of Wilson's Drug Store Smith’s stories of Libertyville often center around the soda fountain at Wilson’s Drug Store, where he worked in high school. “…

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Libertyville Artist Publishes Book on Shapes, Colors

The book teaches more than just shapes and colors, it also educates children that not all families are the same.

Ever since Ryan LaLonde was 3 years old, he knew he wanted to be a teacher or an artist. Now the 36-year-old artist and illustrator is fulfilling both dreams — he self-published Families Come in Many Different Shapes, Sizes and Colors, a book that both entertains and educates children about the diversities within families. “When kids start school, they realize, ‘Oh, my family is not like other families,’ and that’s when all the friction starts happening and people start being mean. So I wrote this story to help kids deal with that,” said the Libertyville resident.    Teaching Love and Understanding Published in the spring of 2011, the book uses shapes and colors to teach children that it is love and understanding that make a family, and …

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Local Author Visits Butterfield School

Susan Slade shared her experience writing and publishing books with students.

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Local Author Shares Interview Secrets

Bill Burnett talks about his book "The Peak Interview."

In The Peak Interview, Libertyville resident and author Bill Burnett offers tips on setting yourself apart from other job candidates. He recently spoke with Patch and offered some tips. For more information on The Peak Interview, visit: www.peakinterview.com

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Libertyville Author Pens 'The Animal Warrior'

Sandy Kamen Wisniewski shares her animal stories in hopes of educating and inspiring readers about animal care.

Braille was deaf and blind in one eye. Tied up at an animal control facility at 7 months, she was moved to foster homes. She almost lost her life getting lost in a snowstorm. But Sandy Kamen Wisniewski said the dog never lets her handicap stop her. Braille has the courage and strength of a lion and has beaten the odds. “People look at her and they smile and say if she can act this way and be this way, then why can’t I?” Wisniewski said. Surrounded by animals much of her life, the Libertyville resident said so many stories stay with her.  She wrote her third book, The Animal Warrior hoping that these stories will educate readers on how to care for animals, and inspire them to believe in miracles. “The ongoing situations I was blessed to be …

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Local Author Gives Back

Granddaughter of the inventor of retractable landing gear enjoys helping others after writing book.

As a child, Barbara Sellers would look up at the sky in fascination of flight and astronomy. As she grew older, she learned more about her grandfather, the inventor of retractable landing gear, who took the first powered flight in the commonwealth of Kentucky. "Every time I was at an airport I would look at the planes noses, and it looked like they were smiling," Sellers said. "I wish that Matthew was alive to see what has come of aviation." Matthew B. Sellers was her grandfather and the subject of her book, A Moment in Time. Matthew was born in Baltimore and spent most of his life in Kentucky pursuing his studies and inventions in aviation. Sellers said not only did she learn more about her grandfather's work through writing the book but …

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Local Librarians Pen Pictorial History of Libertyville

Three local historians and librarians bring the history of Libertyville to life in a new book.

Laura Hickey, Arlene Lane, and Sonia Schoenfield have collected photographs of the Village of Libertyville from the 1950's to the present day in their new book, Then & Now. Drawing from photographs donated from the Libertyville and Mundelein Historical Society, and current photographs from Co-Author and Photographer, Hickey, Then & Now chronicles the changes in the village, as well as the historical preservation of the town.

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Scott Metzger

2:16 pm on Tuesday, November 30, 2010

"Then & Now" is available at Barnes and Noble, Petranek's Pharmacy, Ace Hardware on 137, and the Cuneo Gift Shop! There will also be a book signing Friday December 3 from 6-9 at Curtis Frame in Libertyville, where you can purchase the book and meet the authors!   more ›