Thursday, August 28, 2014

I'll miss you Wendi



Wendi Kaufman passed away yesterday after a long battle with cancer. The Washingtonian posted a brief piece about Wendi. For those of you who read my Cackling Jackal blog, you may remember her as The Happy Booker.

Wendi was funny, warm and incredibly generous. Not just with other writers, but with everyone who crossed her path. She often volunteered her time to worthy causes. Truly someone who gave to her community. She was a huge support to me early on by giving me a monthly poetry column and the space to write about whatever I wanted, however I wanted. She went out of her way to connect me with other writers and literary folks. Simply because she was a wonderful, selfless person. This was something she did for countless writers.

Also, Wendi was a talented fiction writer herself. Her first collection of stories, Helen on 86th Street and Other Stories, from Stillhouse Press is coming out this Fall. You should pre-order it.

The last time I saw Wendi was two summers ago, she was in remission and positively beaming. She talked about her new appreciation for her health, the changes she made in her life and how good it felt not to be sick anymore. Then a few weeks later I heard from a neighbor that her cancer returned. I didn't want to believe it. No, no, Wendi overcame cancer, I insisted.

Wendi is survived by her husband and their two teenage sons.

1 comment:

  1. An unbelievable loss, both to her family and for the area's literary culture. Thanks for speaking about your time with her, Reb.

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