An Authors Kiss with Sara Troy and her guest Ann Martin Ridings. On air from October 13th
Ann Martin Ridings, author of A WOVEN WOMAN (Tree of Life Books), the new memoir about finding purpose after raising five children – a creative work of self-rediscovery and reawakening in midlife. Ridings inspires women of all ages and stages to make the time and space to remember and tell their stories and to listen to the stories of others.
For many years, Ann Martin Ridings gave over her life to motherhood. When the youngest of her five sons headed out to college, she felt the pain and joy of letting go. She also experienced something unexpected: a sense of overwhelm wrapped up in a daunting question: “Where and what do I do now?”
In her debut book, A Woven Woman (Tree of Life Books), Ann Martin Ridings shares what happened to her after she faced the reality of no longer being consumed and defined by raising children. Her empty nest became the catalyst for deep reflections on what she had done for the last quarter of her life and what she wanted in life moving forward. When she gave herself permission to spend time alone in silence, memories and stories showed up. Gradually, Ridings’ recollections became her guide to finding her way back to herself and purpose after motherhood.
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In an interview, she can talk about:
- Why structured solitude was scary and alien and how she resisted the idea of being quiet with herself
- Why she chose a non-linear account to tell her story – her memoir resembles a diary composed of slice-of-life entries, observations, essays, poems, and stories, held together by emotional through-lines.
- How the paintings created during her child-rearing years reappear as “silent witnesses,” guiding her back to earlier versions of herself and illuminating the inner life that persisted beneath the daily routines.
- A memory, from age seven, of meeting the great Leonard Bernstein – the thrill of magnetic connections between human beings.
As conversations around identity, caregiving, and midlife continue to shift, A Woven Woman offers something deeper, quieter, and more enduring. Through sharing her story, Ridings inspires women of all ages and stages, from busy mothers to empty nesters, to make the time and space to remember and tell their stories and to listen to the stories of others. “To tell is to heal,” Riding attests, “and to listen is to know that we are not alone.”
ANN MARTIN RIDINGS is a writer and visual artist whose work explores memory, identity, and the inner lives of women. For more than a decade, she led storytelling workshops that encouraged women to engage their own narratives as a path toward understanding and transformation. A Woven Woman is her debut book.
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