Author and Artist Talk: Olympia Mary Gentry & Mimi Williams

Olympia author Mary Gentry will present her new book, “Too Far from the Tree,” a collection of humorous personal essays on the theme of family. Mary will be accompanied by local artist Mimi Williams, who created the artwork for “Too Far From the Tree” as well as Mary’s previous book, “Quite Contrary”. Mimi will demonstrate and discuss the techniques for creating her signature block prints.

In Mary’s own words: “The tie that binds the chapters of “Too Far from the Tree” together is family – five generations of my gene pool with me in the middle. The ties that bind my family are sometimes touching, often humorous tales, such as my mother’s legendary recycling efforts, including her egg-carton lampshades (still in existence), and my daughter’s insistence on finding out where she was before she was conceived. Others – such as the story of my Depression-era grandmother’s no-nonsense quest to get her brood of children a college education – are peppered with personalities. Writing about them has been a joyful journey back to my roots. I hope by reading them you will also find your way home.”