Key West The Newspaper

The Key West Friends of the Library is delighted to welcome writer Rachel Starnes to the podium Monday, Jan 30 at the Key West Theater, 512 Eaton St. Admission is free. The talks begin promptly at 6:00 p.m., but seating begins at 5:30 on a first come first serve basis.

Rachel Starnes’ essays have appeared in The Colorado Review and Front Porch Journal. She has lived in Scotland, Texas, Saudi Arabia, Florida, California, and Nevada.

Starnes’ first book is the memoir, The War At Home, a vivid portrait of life as a military spouse. It unearths the humor in a grainy Skype call, the romance in a honeymoon spent in a moving van, and the hope in a demanding relationship worth fighting for. Her story of falling in love with a Navy pilot will appeal to readers of You Know When the Men Are Gone, Redeployment, and Standing By, and offers a window on the struggles of military families.

Two years out of college, Rachel Starnes was broke, restless, and sure of nothing in her personal life—nothing, that is, except that she would not repeat her parents’ marriage, threatened by her father’s absences. Like all great stories, however, her certainty is swiftly shattered by the equally discontent Ross, an aspiring Navy fighter pilot. What follows is a struggle to maintain love and connection in the midst of doubt, fear, and loneliness, even when the birth of her first son brings her depression to an agonizing peak. Her story takes readers inside the varied and insular support groups for military wives, a world of solace and wrenching estrangement. Starnes doesn’t give up, battling her demons through writing that refuses to gloss over the painful facets of marriage and motherhood. Ultimately, The War At Home reveals the truths of separation, endurance, and love.

Starnes’ husband is currently stationed in Key West with the Sundowners squadron (VFC 111). They live in Key West with their two sons.

For more information go to http://friendsofthekeywestlibrary.org and click on lecture series.