Barbara Presnell
A daughter's story of unresolved grief and a family's hard-won healing
"Presnell is a gifted and gutsy writer. Her memoir is utterly compelling, full of longing and grace."
—Judy Goldman, author of Child
When her husband Bill died in 1969, Tina Presnell gathered her three children. "We won't talk about this," she said. "It will be easier that way." In 2012, several years after her mother's death, Barbara Presnell recovered her father's World War II belongings: a scrapbook, news clippings, documents, and letters. Recalling how much his war experiences had meant to him, Barbara, along with her estranged brother and sister, planned a journey to travel their father's route through Europe. From Omaha Beach in Normandy, France, to the western bank of the Elbe River in Magdeburg, Germany, the siblings would follow the movements of their father's division and rediscover his stories, share memories, and renew family bonds.
In Otherwise, I'm Fine, Presnell tells the story of her grief and, across her tour of western Europe, the breakthroughs that released her from recurring depression, resolved her conflicted grief for her mother, and returned her beloved father to her and her siblings as a living memory.
Video by Wild Camp Media
"This is a beautiful book."​
—John Lane, author of The Father Box
A lifelong Southerner, Barbara Presnell studied writing and literature at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and the University of Kentucky and, after years of teaching both, she is Senior Lecturer Emerita at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She is drawn to stories of the ordinary becoming the extraordinary, the unknown and unimportant becoming the hero, women, men, and children--all of us--doing our best to make meaning in a complicated, difficult, beautiful world. She lives in Lexington, North Carolina, with her husband, Bill Keesler, and rescue dog, Colby. Her adult son and his family live nearby, and her two hilarious grandsons share her loves of building, making, exploring, and reading.
The book is launched!
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Celebrating the publication of the book with over 300 friends, family, neighbors old and new has meant gatherings, readings, workshops, laughter, tears, ice cream, champagne toasts, and more! Otherwise, I'm Fine has set sail on a calmer sea of lunches, classes, book clubs, and more. Are you planning an event? Do you belong to a club, class, or study group? If you'd be interested in my visit to discuss the book, email me. Let's make it happen!
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Upcoming Events
April 22, 7:00 p.m. Linbrook Heritage Estate near Asheboro
5297 Snyder Country Rd, Trinity, NC 27370
Join Barbara and hometown friends, neighbors, and family, right where the story began, to celebrate the release of Otherwise, I’m Fine. Hosted by RhinoLeap Theatre and Friends of the Library.
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Event Coordinator: Carey Durham 919-971-8073​
July 19, 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
North Carolina Writers Conference
O. Henry Hotel, 624 Green Valley Rd, Greensboro, NC 27408
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During this daylong annual conference, celebrating its 76th year, I will join Pat Riviere-Seel for a discussion entitled, “Blurring the Lines: A Conversation on Genre-Jumping,” how one genre feeds the other, how expectations of readers (and writers) shift, even how a poet's skill with imagery and line breaks can embellish the prose and how a poet's understanding of narrative can create a more compelling poem.
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Interested? Contact Barbara for more detail.
May 8, 9, 10 Johnston County, NC, a JoCo mini-tour
Barbara will be in Selma, Smithfield, Pine Level, and Princeton to read and talk about writing memoir and preserving stories of family members and war veterans. On Thursday, May 8, we will celebrate the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe day, the end of war!
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Event coordinator: Cindy Brookshire 919-202-5990
September 6, 2:00 p.m.
Scuppernong Book Store
304 South Elm Street, Greensboro, NC 27401. (336) 763-1919
At everybody's favorite Scuppernong bookstore, I will partner with fellow South Carolina Press author, Mary Martha Greene, author of The Cheese Biscuit Lady Tells All (2019) and The Cheese Biscuit Lady Kiss My Aspic. Mary Martha and I share a Southern tradition and a love of storytelling that will create a fun and mostly true event. ​​
May 17, 2:00 p.m. Lexington Library Annex
602 S Main St, Lexington, NC (336) 242-2040
The Lexington launch is sponsored by the Friends of the Lexington Library! Antionette Kerr, editor of Davidson Local, will interview Barbara as well as her brother, Edwin and sister Ellen. Barbara will read from the book and will be happy to sign your copy.
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Event coordinator: Rosa Terry, President, Friends of the Lexington Library
September 11, 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
West Point Society of North Carolina Piedmont
Greensboro Country Club, 410 Sunset Dr, Greensboro, NC 27408
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Several decades of West Point graduates and their families and friends will gather for lunch and learning. I'll will discuss the book, particularly the 30th Infantry Division’s 1944-45 battle across Europe, and the 2014 sibling journey. My talk will be illustrated with photographs and maps and followed by a q & a session. Ticketed event, open to the public.
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Contact: William. S. (Bill) Trivette 336-580-2238
