Patricia Florio

I am the quintessential nontraditional student. In my forties I studied court stenography. In my fifties, while working full-time as a court reporter, I was an off-campus student at Rutgers University, Liberal Studies Degree. In my early sixties, I discovered a low residency creative writing program at Wilkes University where I attained my MA and MFA degrees.

I've come to understand that women are the fabric of our society, the very reason why I've written a memoir about my mother Amelia and my aunt Jennie in "My Two Mothers, A Memoir With Recipes." In my second book "Cucina Amelia, My Mothers Favorite Recipes," I share family stories and recipes from the two grandmothers who were instrumental in my life. Both books can be purchased on Amazon.com The influence these women have had on my life are the reasons for my story-telling.

I volunteer my services at Mary's Place by the Sea in Ocean Grove, a retreat for women undergoing treatment for cancer. It is there I see the reality women face trying to deal with an illness and treatment . I also volunteer at Francis Asbury Manor, instructing and enjoying senior citizens in a Creative Writing class.

I am blessed with a husband, four children and four grandchildren. If I bring comfort to one person and teach a portion of what I've learned to my students through higher education, then I had lived a full life.

I presently live on the Jersey shore in Ocean Grove with my husband Ralph of almost 44 years. We enjoy our beach community and our friends to the fullest.