WELLESLEY Magazine Reviews PATAGONIAN ROAD

Posted: August 3, 2017/Under: News/By: K M

WELLESLEY Magazine Reviews PATAGONIAN ROAD

I couldn’t be more thrilled to read about my own book in the pages of my beloved alma mater’s quarterly magazine. I love you, Wellesley! Special thanks to Kate Erickson (@katefromky) for the thoughtful and sensitive review. 

“Patagonian Road is a sprawling tale built of present-tense vignettes and vivid flashbacks, rooting the year of discovery in deeply personal ground. Her memoir stands alone.

McCahill’s Finnish grandmother immigrated to the United States when she was 26, the same age McCahill was during her travels. With the older woman’s experiences haunting her granddaughter’s, the stories become an examination of what drives us to leave, what we are looking for when we land, and what makes a place home. The writing captures the lust and loss of our second coming-of-age, the time when we first recognize that we know enough to know that we can’t ever know everything.”

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About Kate

Hi! I'm a writer, a reader, an editor, and a teacher. When I was young, I travelled alone from Guatemala to Patagonia, making the trip mostly overland, by bus. I learned Spanish, taught English, and wrote my book, PATAGONIAN ROAD, which was published in 2017. After that, I started teaching at the college-level and took up the role of Editor-in-Chief for the SANTA FE LITERARY REVIEW, an annual journal of arts and letters published by the Santa Fe Community College. I'm at work on another book, due for release in 2027 - and I'm raising a family here in the sunny Southwest.

I stumbled and fell a whole bunch of times, but in the end, I'm here, surrounded by books and words, my days filled with writerly discussions, editorial decisions, and lots of scribbling. Here's what I've learned along the way: Don't listen to those who try to talk you out of your dreams. You're the master of your ship, so let those doubters doubt. Focus on figuring out how to get to where you want to go in life, and then just do one thing at a time to make that dream happen. The creative risks you take might scare other people, and living according to your values and goals takes real courage. But you have what it takes. You do! All is possible, as they tell you in India. Drop me a line if you want to chat more. Happy reading!