Overview

At sixty-five, artist, writer, and psychologist Sharon Strong doesn't fit into the cultural stereotype of ""senior citizen""-and she has no desire to. Instead, she claims the next decade as the most transformational years of her life. At sixty-six, she erects the first of what will become a series of monumental sculptures on the Black Rock Desert at Burning Man. At sixty-seven, she treks in the Himalayas. At seventy, she meets the love of her life and begins a new life with him. To honor her seventy-fifth year, she delves into an inward journey with psilocybin mushrooms. But life has its own seasons and time. The Great Recession necessitates the closing of Sharon's gallery. She comes to the end of Burning Man. A wildfire destroys her home and, most devastating of all, completely incinerates her art studio and twenty years' worth of work. Through it all, Sharon honors her experiences-even the most painful ones-because she knows that each one helps shape who she is. Ultimately, Burning Woman is a passionate love story about the adventure of aging that will inspire readers to feel their strength and commit to living their lives to the fullest and with a sense of pride and purpose.

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9781647423773

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Reviews

Burning Woman is a stimulating artist's memoir about pursuing personal fulfillment. -Foreword Reviews Strong's writing is strong and self-assured, without an ounce of self-pity. She wrestles with issues-questions of identity, relationships, and the exhilarating business of aging-that many people prefer to sweep under the mat, and she sums up, simply and convincingly, complicated emotions that most people can't put into words. I resonated with so many passages in this book. -Vicky Elliott, journalist and editor at Yahoo News, formerly of the International Herald Tribune and San Francisco Chronicle With lucid, accessible prose and often heart-breaking candor, Sharon Strong recounts the seminal passages of her seven decades, tracing the fiery thread of her journey to self- knowledge, inner peace, and love. In these times when so many mature women seek continued growth and the fullest possible expression of their lives, her voice is a model of fearless honesty that concludes: Yes, we can walk through pain, through change, through loss and things we can't control. For without these experiences, there would be no art to living at all. -Laura Paull, journalist, formerly of Jewish News of Northern California and Huffington Post This book is an inspiring roadmap into how to live a fierce life at any age-a life that embraces it all-love/loss, joy/ suffering, life/death. Living fully in the last decades of life takes curiosity, courage, stamina and resilience. The rewards are a life lived without regrets and the hard earned wisdom of the crone. Read this book and be inspired! -Pat Ferrero, documentary filmmaker, professor of cinema at San Francisco State University Sharon's vignettes bring us through the depths and triumphs that have created a compassionate and fulfilling life. She lifts the veil and gives us a valuable glimpse into artistic inspiration as a journey of personal healing. I am inspired by her choice to follow her heart and seize the moment. In her words, 'Let's do it. Choose life!' -Seanne Swann, somatic practitioner

“Burning Woman is a stimulating artist’s memoir about pursuing personal fulfillment.” —Foreword Reviews “Strong’s writing is strong and self-assured, without an ounce of self-pity. She wrestles with issues—questions of identity, relationships, and the exhilarating business of aging—that many people prefer to sweep under the mat, and she sums up, simply and convincingly, complicated emotions that most people can’t put into words. I resonated with so many passages in this book.” —Vicky Elliott, journalist and editor at Yahoo News, formerly of the International Herald Tribune and San Francisco Chronicle “With lucid, accessible prose and often heart-breaking candor, Sharon Strong recounts the seminal passages of her seven decades, tracing the fiery thread of her journey to self- knowledge, inner peace, and love. In these times when so many mature women seek continued growth and the fullest possible expression of their lives, her voice is a model of fearless honesty that concludes: Yes, we can walk through pain, through change, through loss and things we can’t control. For without these experiences, there would be no art to living at all.” —Laura Paull, journalist, formerly of Jewish News of Northern California and Huffington Post “This book is an inspiring roadmap into how to live a fierce life at any age—a life that embraces it all—love/loss, joy/ suffering, life/death. Living fully in the last decades of life takes curiosity, courage, stamina and resilience. The rewards are a life lived without regrets and the hard earned wisdom of the crone. Read this book and be inspired!” —Pat Ferrero, documentary filmmaker, professor of cinema at San Francisco State University “Sharon’s vignettes bring us through the depths and triumphs that have created a compassionate and fulfilling life. She lifts the veil and gives us a valuable glimpse into artistic inspiration as a journey of personal healing. I am inspired by her choice to follow her heart and seize the moment. In her words, ‘Let’s do it. Choose life!’” —Seanne Swann, somatic practitioner

Author Information

Sharon Strong is a practicing psychologist and artist, mask-maker, and creator of towering sculptures for Burning Man as well as gallery exhibits in Northern California. She is the illustrator of two books—Serious Fun: Ingenious Improvisations on Money, Food, Waste, Water & Home, by Carolyn North, and Two Lines 13: Masks, edited by Zack Rogow—and in 2005 she self-published Soul Unmasked: A Personal Journey into the Ancient Ritual of the Mask. She lives in Angels Camp, California, on twenty acres in a straw-bale house with her husband, filmmaker Tom Weidlinger, whom she met at age seventy. Their story inspired her to write Burning Woman.

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