Life Drawing

About the Book

This memoir is composed of letters sent between a mother living on a farm in Nebraska and her daughter, away from home as she pursued degrees in Nursing, English and Art (sculpture). Separated by five hundred miles, they began a weekly exchange of letters - a dialogue they maintained until the mother died.

The education of the artist occurred during tumultuous times (the 1960s), and was in distinct contrast with her mother's life. The letters share an intense interest in history, Jungian psychology, philosophy, Eastern religions, and Zen Buddhism. They describe the development and training of a sculptor as well as the divergence of lives between generations as the mother and artist-daughter interpret the realities of a world in flux and accelerating around them. The parents are magnanimous in support of the daughter despite their own hardships and political differences with her. They remain steadfast in their love for each other, family and the land to which they are rooted.

About the Author

Nancy Myers Leiserowitz was born and raised in Nebraska. Holding both a bachelor's degree in English and a master of fine arts degree in Sculpture, Leiserowitz has enjoyed a career as a registered nurse, artist and teacher. She has taught sculpture, drawing and Renaissance art history at Connecticut College for Women, Michigan State University and Lansing Community College. Leiserowitz is also a founding member of Hospice of Lansing and volunteers with Women's Action for Nuclear Disarmament and the Big Brother/Big Sister program.