Westporters write books on a wide variety of subjects in all sorts of genres. Authors Margrit Strohmaier and Tracy Livecchi LCSW will share their new books — with our community. Saugatuck Scribes is a series that showcases Westport writers and their newest books.
If your child is begging for a cat, Strohmaier's beautifully illustrated, rhyming picture book, Before You Get Your Cat, teaches kids about the joys and commitment of cat ownership. Cats need exercise, feeding, grooming, and loads of love, and children also need to understand and accept the necessary responsibilities. Reading Strohmaier's book will help prepare families for the work required to raise a happy, healthy cat.
Full of evidence-based, easy to understand information about CHD, Healing Hearts and Minds offers strategies for learning to thrive despite living with this condition, but most importantly it will offer hope and connection. Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) is the most commonly diagnosed birth abnormality in the U.S. With great advances in surgery and medicine, however, survival rates have improved by 75% since the 1940s. Much attention has rightly been focused on the medical needs of these children and on providing their parents and caretakers with resources and information to navigate the complexities of this chronic condition. Little attention, however, has been paid to the psychosocial impacts on these individuals, especially as they grow, mature, and become adults living with a serious, chronic medical condition. Liza Morton and Livecchi are both mental health professionals who have developed a specialty in working with clients who have chronic medical conditions, and they are both themselves living with CHD. In this book they set out to provide the resources and support they have been looking for their entire adult lives.
Please let us know you're attending. Books will be available to purchase at the event.
In case you missed the event, you may watch the recorded program here.
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Tracy Livecchi LCSW is a clinical social worker in private practice and is the mental health consultant to the Adult Congenital Heart Association's Peer Mentorship Program. Tracy was born with a complicated CHC, which has made it necessary for her to have several surgeries and hospitalizations throughout her life. She feels fortunate to be able to combine her lived experience with a meaningful profession that she loves. She is passionate about improving access to mental health care for all, with a special focus on individuals living with serious and chronic illness. Tracy lives in Connecticut with her husband and two daughters.
Margrit Strohmaier has always been an animal lover. She was inspired to write her first picture book, What to Know Before You Get Your Dog, by her daughter’s relentless campaign to have her own dog. Margrit’s passion for creativity and art, along with her desire to raise her daughter’s awareness about the responsibility of pet ownership, resulted in the creation of her first award-winning book. In her second book of the What to Know series, Margrit offers lots of good advice for prospective cat owners. Her mission is to raise awareness and teach kids about the joys and commitment of pet ownership. Margrit has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and is the recipient of the Ana Blanc Verna Award for Creative Thinking. Originally from Austria, she now resides in Connecticut with her family and their fluffy dog, Scruffy.
Keep Your Pets Healthy
Health & Wellness
