Judy Kiehart
Writer of One-Acts, Short Stories, and Calico Lane
Judy's Jermyn
In this 2022 Best Indie Book Award-Winning memoir, the question, How do we survive when who we are is not the person our family expects? is tenderly woven into the true story of a young girl coming of age in the 1960s.
Calico Lane
Thurston County readers, skip the shipping fees and pick up a copy
at
315 5th Ave. SE Olympia
Lewis County readers, get your
copy at
518 N. Market Blvd, Chehalis
What readers have said about Calico Lane:
* Judy gives easy, accessible insight of her Russian Orthodox upbringing without disdain or liberal sneers. Powerful!
* Judy’s memoir transported me to Calico Lane and made me not want to leave. The Lane is as much a character in her book as the human ones she so deftly renders. This coming-of-age tale will rivet readers, not only because the author combines heartbreak with humor, but because she tells her story with love.
* The excerpts I have read of Judy’s memoir have delved into the emotional tangle of family relationships: the expectations, demands, rules of right or wrong, choices made in the name of duty and love. Introspection is dealt with realistically and the reader comes to know Judy as a unique, funny, loving individual.
* Judy has chronicled a particular segment of a generation of immigrants, the great migrations of the 20th century, and then the great attempts to homogenize and blend – it’s all here in Calico Lane.
* I also got a sneak peek at Calico Lane and could not put it down! Having had a similar childhood, it was a walk down memory lane in some respects. Judy writes with her heart which draws one into the book and shows her warm, loving personality. She is indeed brave to have shared her story. A memorable memoir, to be sure!

Happy to announce that an excerpt from Calico Lane was a semifinalist in the 2021 Tucson Festival of Books Literary Competition's memoir category.
Calico Lane Reviews:
If your copy of Calico Lane does not have the BIBA winner emblem, use the contact me form, and I'll send one to you!
* My best friend in school was gay, a secret I kept for him... Judy Kiehart’s memoir of growing up knowing she was attracted to girls and not boys ...brought me closer to an understanding of my friend’s struggle.
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Book Launch Celebration
January 2022
me and my peeps cork-popping ceremony


15 minutes of fame :)


Memory Triggers were prompted by the 1980 Fedorchak Family Newsletters, lovingly researched and put together by Paula Tapyrik.

Two fun books by Jermyn residents
The Blessed Town of Edgerton and The Anthracite Idiom
provided inspiration for Calico Lane.
