On Thursday, November 13th at 6:30pm, Carol Woolman will present an author talk on Ecology of Grief, a poignant memoir about the loss of her youngest son, Mark. It includes the devastating and sudden loss of a young adult, but also adventure, mystery, and meaning that bring comfort and connection. It is a book that can companion a grief-stricken parent and those who work with them with compassion and understanding.
“Carol Woolman has managed the almost unthinkable reclamation of a truly terrible story—the murder of her beautiful, talented son. With grace, forgiveness, and subtle artistry, she has put pieces back together, reached out to others, remained steady on the earth, and found a way to let her wondrous son Mark live again for those who did not know him or exult in his music. Her book also offers a gentle guide to others suffering intense bereavement—what do we do in these places? Ecology of Grief: A Mother’s Witness is a masterful triumph of care and love.”
— Naomi Shihab Nye
Carol Woolman was born and raised in rural southern New Jersey. After she completed her Bachelors degree from Bucknell University, she taught first grade in South Philadelphia followed by Head Start in Hartford, Connecticut. In 1968 the family moved to Portland, Maine and to Bar Harbor in 1972. Her son Mark Woolman Horner, fourth child, was born at MDI Hospital in 1973.
After a rafting trip to the arctic, she published her first story in Friends Journal, a Quaker magazine, in 1981. Catholic Digest published her short story about a multiply-handicapped child. She wrote a WWII memoir and family history for the Veteran’s History Project at the Library of Congress in 2013.
A late bloomer, Carol started her Masters in Social Work at the University of Pittsburgh at age 40 and graduated with her MSW from the University of Connecticut in 1986, She worked as an oncology social worker for eight years and then became qualified as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, working as a psychotherapist until her retirement at age seventy.
Carol is the mother of four children and grandmother of seven. Her youngest child Mark graduated from The Juilliard School in 1995 and went on to become the principal trombonist for the San Antonio Symphony.