Massachusetts Woman Turns Loss of Husband to Dementia into a Moving Poetry Collection

BELMONT, Mass. - June 14, 2024 - PRLog -- With Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness month taking place in June, Belmont poet Frederica Steinberg knows better than most people what it's like to lose a family member to dementia. In 2022, she lost her husband of 60 years, MIT professor emeritus Arthur Steinberg, to this cruel fate.

But Steinberg transformed her grief to art. She crafted and published this year a book of poems that chronicles her long marriage to her husband, providing glimpses of their early, youthful days in Italy and Greece and their many joyful years at their second home in rural Brownsville, Vermont, and focusing on his painful descent into dementia in his eighties. Her book, A Good Life, describes the journey that so many families have made, from denial and disbelief to anger, sadness and depression, and ultimately acceptance.

And Steinberg is also sharing her poems and experiences in person, presenting readings from the book to audiences of diverse ages and backgrounds, in a variety of settings. Her hope is that her book can provide some comfort to other families going through the same difficult journey, by validating their feelings and experiences, and realizing that their struggle is shared by many others. It also provides an emotional window into the world of a family with someone with dementia for professionals who provide care and services to people with this affliction.

Steinberg is also available for media interviews.

Contact her at fredericas38@gmail.com.

Additional information about the book:

A Good Life (https://silverstreetmedia.com/products/a-good-life)

Frederica Steinberg, Author

Sally Brady, Editor

Bruce Kennett and Frederica Steinberg, Designers

A Good Life by Frederica Steinberg is a moving poetic elegy to her husband of sixty years, Arthur Steinberg. Whether it's recalling with fond memory and insight their early years together, or the pain of watching him fade away as his illness worsens, Steinberg portrays a deep love and devotion that transcends life and death. Rich with details that illuminate who Arthur was, from his precise renditions of classical music on the piano to his deft repairs to his beloved motorcycles, Steinberg provides a portrait of a multifaceted man who was not easily defined. A Good Life is a vivid study of a shared life that was well-lived and the ache of loss as it slowly slipped away. The book also lovingly reveals the many ways that dementia and Alzheimer's impact family life, making this a valuable resource for all whose loved ones are just beginning to suffer from memory loss.

Hardcover, 6 x 9 x 0.25″, 82 pages, 33 illustrations, $22.95, ISBN 99781941573563, published 2024. Available from Silver Street Media. (https://silverstreetmedia.com/products/a-good-life)

Paperback, 6 x 9 x 0.1875″, 82 pages, 33 illustrations, $15.95, ISBN 9781941573570, published 2024. Available from Amazon and Silver Street Media. (https://silverstreetmedia.com/products/a-good-life)