Healing Through the Words

“A book club on steroids” — that’s how author and new OLLI instructor June Converse describes her novel dissection class. This course is for readers, writers and aspiring writers. Students will read a bestselling novel and analyze it for all elements of good writing.

June fell in love with literature when she was 15 and has been a professional writer for nearly five years. A former high school teacher, she was able to read both classics and modern fiction.

When June retired from teaching, her first novel (title unreleased) unfolded during a hike. She went home that day and wrote 300 pages in one sitting. The novel is set to be released on April 15.

From writing to getting published, she finds that the actual writing of a book is the easiest part.

“I love words and how authors express universal emotions in a way we can all understand,” she said.

In her work, June writes about living with a mental illness, both the challenges and the victories. Choosing hope after trauma is her focus and she incorporates strategies for survival after tragedy. This angle has been cathartic as she has navigated through her personal hurdles.

“Being vulnerable, authentic and honest helped me and other who feel alone in their suffering,” she said. “That understanding led me to develop a blog devoted to living and thriving with mental illness.”

Many of the posts at juneconverse.com have helped people to explain their own thoughts or emotions to loved ones. She has been able to help people handle the difficult emotions they are experiencing.

June believes that writing should be done for yourself and because you love it. She said, “The goal has to be to put your story on paper because you have to tell that story.”