Writing a Memoir of Love, Loss and Survival

Nancy Rankie Shelton, professor, researcher, and writer, showed us how the process she used in writing her memoir, 5-13: A Memoir of Love, Loss and Survival, can be used by anyone writing a personal story of surviving a lost love. Her book details her husband’s battle with lung cancer, which was diagnosed after he suffered a seizure. The numbers 5-13 are symbolic, and not just because she and her husband were married on May 13. For the full story, read the book.

Sheldon said she kept a daily record of her husband’s illness, but when writing the book, she used scenes and dialog to pull the reader in. She discussed the importance of obtaining feedback from readers, while reminding the audience that the author has the final say in what goes in and what is left out.

Shelton teaches courses at the University of Maryland at Baltimore in Reading and Language Arts, Literacy/Culture, and Composition Theory/Practice. Her research interests, after teaching ten years in Florida schools, focus on children’s writing development, the effects of mandated instruction on elementary literacy development, connections between literacy and art, and children’s literature.

She has 23 publications that appear in premier academic journals or with leading publishing companies that specialize in literacy research and/or education policy. She earned her Ph.D., Ed.S, and M.A. from the University of Florida. Her B.A. is from SUNY at Albany.

Click here for a review of her memoir and more biographical information. Also see the Kirkus review.