MANCHESTER — The Northshire Bookstore is hosting C. Jane Taylor, author of “Spirit Traffic: A Mother’s Journey of Self-Discovery and Letting Go,” at an in-person event on May 12 at 6 p.m.
Taylor’s book recounts how, at the age of 50, she learned to ride a motorcycle, overcame the terror of navigating her steep dirt driveway in Vermont and, three days after her son’s college graduation, set off with him and her yoga-teacher husband on a 10,000-mile two-wheel adventure that took them all into uncharted territory — both as novice riders, and as a family.
As if in the saddle of her dual-sport BMW, the reader will experience the good, the bad and the heartbreak of her journey as a soon-to-be-empty-nester grappling with impermanence, sexuality, hot flashes, high winds and tailgating tour buses. (Think “Blue Highways” meets “Zen & The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” meets “Operating Instructions” meets “Wild.”)
With its first-person accounts of legendary rides, such as the Burr Trail, Hell’s Backbone Road and the Pacific Coast Highway, “Spirit Traffic” has a ready audience among bikers. But as a midlife memoir, “Spirit Traffic” resonates for anyone who is navigating the departure of a child, negotiating the dynamic tensions of family or simply yearning for life’s next adventure.
At the age of 16, Taylor went to Bard College at Simon’s Rock, where she earned a B.A. in literature and music history. She’s been a cook for a baroque orchestra, a sculptor’s assistant, a resume writer and a yoga teacher. She started (and stopped) her own welding shop.
For more information, email events@northshire.com. Northshire Bookstore is at 4869 Main St.
