May 2026
Presentation:            	“Midlife Solo: Writing Through Chaos to Find My Place in the World”
Presenter:                    	Beth Kaplan
Date of:                       	Thursday, May 21, 2026
 
In Midlife Solo, a single mother starting afresh in her forties struggles to come to terms with the messy complications of middle age. Writing keeps her sane, bringing up memories and reflections as she deals with teenaged children, elderly parents, and her own aging. She confronts disasters like a house fire and the loss of friends, and celebrates pleasures: gardening, community,
a younger boyfriend, travel to France.
 
With warmth, humour, and honesty, she explores what matters most: the necessity of change, the pain that comes with it, and especially, as she writes, “the hard work that is love.”