Devon resident Beth Kephart, a prolific writer of 36 books, lays her life bare in her recently published memoir, Wife | Daughter | Self, writes Caroline O’Halloran for SAVVY Main Line.

The intimate and fascinating book invites readers into the backstory of her marriage to a Salvadoran artist, the everyday things that inspire her writing, and even her struggles with insomnia.

Much of the book focuses on the author’s life on the Main Line.

“So much of Wife | Daughter | Self takes places in the tiny Tudor house that has sheltered us for decades here in Devon,” said Kephart. “I write my books in this house; my husband makes his art in this house; I now teach through the Zoom that ignites my desktop.”

There is also, however, a global scope to the memoir. Kephart chronicles her time in San Miguel, Mexico, and Alberta, Canada.

The author, who is generally accustomed to praise for her work, was especially moved by the reaction to Wife | Daughter | Self. Many readers have made the effort to reach her and share struggles of their own.

“It’s my 36th book, but to me it is one of my most important,” she said. “This is what memoir does, or should do: open a space for the reader.”

Read more about Beth Kephart at SAVVY Main Line.