Helga Stipa Madland was born in Upper Silesia
and emigrated to the United States
with her family in 1954. She has three children and six grandchildren. She is
Professor Emerita at the University
of Oklahoma and is the author of
academic and other books. Her husband, Richard Beck, teaches Ancient Greek at
OU in Norman, OK,
where they live with a dachshund and four cats.
Her latest book is the memoir, You’re
Not From Around Here, Are You?: Reminiscences.
For
More Information
Can you tell us what your book is about?
My book is a memoir; hence, I write about what I can
remember about my life, primarily my early life--up to age forty or so. It
includes WW II experiences as a child and immigration to Canada
and later the US.
Also, my personal history as an adult up to my arrival at the University
of Oklahoma. Being a
professor and department chair for 24 years will require a separate book.
Why did you write your book?
Family and friends suggested I should write my memoir, which
I call my “reminiscences.” Memoir sounds too pompous. Eventually, I succumbed.
What do you like to
do for fun?
I like to have a
cocktail and talk to my husband Richard, who is a teacher of Ancient Greek and
loves to talk. Luckily, he only talks in Greek some of the time.
Can you tell us
about your family?
I have three
children, daughter Kathy who is a manager in a corporation, son Mike who is a
computer whiz for Oracle, and son Pat who is a pilot. They each have two
children, so I have two granddaughters and four grandsons. I could go on and on
about them. The kids live in Boise, Seattle and Anchorage. My brother Mike lives in Boise and sister Ingrid, a professor, lives in
upstate New
York.
What kind of advice
would you give other non-fiction authors?
Choose a subject
that you know something about and that interests you a lot. You will probably
have to do some research. And go for it!