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Calico Lane

In this two-time international award-winning memoir, the question "How does one survive when she is not the person everyone expects?"  is woven into a story about secrets, lesbian love, and living authentically.

Now available: a revised CALICO LANE with a new cover and PHOTOGRAPHS 

What readers have said about Calico Lane:

* 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. 

 * Judy gives easy, accessible insight of her Russian Orthodox upbringing without disdain or liberal sneers. Powerful! 

 

* 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, and 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. 

* 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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January 2021, an excerpt from Calico Lane was a semi-finalist in the nonfiction category in the Tucson Festival of Books Literary Awards competition.

Calico Lane
 

Thurston County readers, skip the shipping fees and pick up a copy at 

 

 

Lewis County readers, get  your copy at 

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Washington: Thurston County Libraries

Washington: Longview Public Library

Colorado: Chaffee County Libraries

New York: Earlville Free Library

Pennsylvania: Lackawanna County Library System

Let's work on getting Calico Lane into a library near you! Just go to your librarian and ask if they could add Calico Lane to their inventory. When they see it's a two-time award-winning book (and if you tell them you know the author) they may be inspired to order it for their collection. If your library does order Calico Lane  and is not listed above, let me know via the Contact Form I'll send you a gift.

 

Then, tell your friends it's in the library! More important than sales, is to put it into the hands of readers!

Calico Lane is available through several libraries:

Event Photos

Aberdeen

Gray's Harbor PRIDE   

2022      and     2023  

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Griffon Neighborhood Picnic 2022

Columbia River Author Festival 2023

Reading and Signing

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Orca Book Talk and Signing 2023

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Olympia PRIDE   2023

with South Sound Indie Authors

Court Yard Boutique  Art Walk 2023

with the Olympia Writers

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Carbondale PA Library Book Talk  2023

Events without photos:

Lacey Senior Center Memoir Writers - Private Event 2022

Companion Cove Yard Sale  2023

It's been a fun first two years promoting Calico Lane.

Here's what's happened in 2024!

Columbia River 2nd Annual Author Fest  May 18, 2024

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Senior Alliance of Older LGBTQ+  June 6, 2024

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Griffon Neighborhood Picnic, June 22, 2024

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OLYPRIDE  June 29, 2024

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The Firs Writing Group August 26, 2024

Truth in Memoir Presentation

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November 4, 2024

Truth in Memoir Presentation - Private Event

@ United Churches, Olympia

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2025 Promises an Assortment of Events

June  TBD    Griffin Pond Picnic 

June 21, 2025  ASHHO @ Tumwater Pride

June  28, 2025   Olympia PRIDE

August     TB D     Book Reading  @Orca Bookstore

Readings from  Mixed Shorts  

Book Sales and Signings

 

September 25 - October 30, 2025 

A Six-Week Workshop  "Let's Write a One-Act Play" 

Thursdays   1:00-2:30 pm  at  Olympia Senior Center 

to register:

A collaborative effort by attendees will decide on a theme, storyline, create characters, develop dialogue, write scenes, and perform the play! There will be homework (after all, Rome wasn't built in a day) and probable ZOOM sessions between in-person meet ups.

October  4, 2025   Author's Fair

573 Point Brown Ave NW, Ocean Shores, WA

November TBD

PFLAG Olympia Holiday Bazaar & Fundraiser

Check back in March/April for a more complete list

Book Launch Celebration

    January 2022   

       me and my peeps                                                      cork-popping ceremony              

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15 minutes of fame :)

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Two fun books by Jermyn residents

The Blessed Town of  Edgerton and The Anthracite Idiom

provided inspiration for Calico Lane.

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Memory Triggers were prompted by several family newsletters from the 1980s.

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