
HUNTINGTON WOODS, Mich. — Journeys of the spirt and the heart. Trips to far-flung locales and into the tranquility of the natural world.
Lynne Golodner travels literally and metaphorically in her new collection of essays FOREST WALK ON A FRIDAY, a gathering heart-and-soul stories in which the award-winning writer reflects on the many possibilities for happiness, home and wisdom available to us all.
The Detroit-area author tackles marriage and motherhood, divorce and single parenthood, the loss of a father, and finding love again at midlife. She writes about the compelling ways nature calms her racing mind and invites readers to experience and explore the living world as a grounding connection. And as in much of her work, she celebrates her Jewish identity, including her 10-year foray into Orthodox Judaism — and her subsequent decision to migrate to a less rigid way of observance.
“I have been writing since I was six years old to make sense of the world, figure out my feelings and process experiences,” says Golodner. “With this new book, I want to inspire readers to explore their own connections with self and the natural world. I hope these essays will bring understanding to a time that often seems angry and confusing.”
FOREST WALK ON A FRIDAY contains 28 essays, 20 of which have been previously
published in literary journals and magazines. Other subjects explored include lost love, the meaning of work, the difficulty of grown children leaving home, and the search for solace in a solo excursion to a mountaintop. It is an exquisite wander through one woman’s life, offering universal lessons about how to be happy with what you have, how to cherish the identity you inherit and how to be open to possibility as one walks through life.
The book will be celebrated with a virtual launch party at 11 a.m. EST Jan. 30. Register here.
Golodner is the prolific author of 10 previous books who has been described as a “wonderful writer who tackles tough subjects with sensitivity and wit.” The nonfiction aspect of FOREST WALK ON A FRIDAY represents a homecoming of sorts for the author. After many years of focusing on nonfiction and poetry, she published her first novel, Woman of Valor, in 2023, followed by a second work of fiction, Cave of Secrets, in 2024. She has a third novel set to launch in May of this year.
All the while, Golodner, a former journalist and current marketing expert, was writing creative nonfiction essays and submitting them for publication. This volume represents that consistent attempt to find meaning in the mundane. Golodner also works as a publisher and writing coach — melding an unwavering commitment to her art while making time to support the work of others.
The collection is being published by Scotia Road Books, a hybrid press focused on fiction and nonfiction by midlife women authors. It is available in stores and libraries.