Lackawanna College graduate and alumna Tara Lynn Marta will host a discussion on her upcoming debut novel, “Look Back to Yesterday” and her path to becoming a writer. The event will be open to the public.

During the discussion, Marta will read an excerpt from her manuscript that will be published by Adelaide Books in May 2020. She will also have an open discussion with students and the community about her experiences coping with loss and following her dreams. The discussion will end with a question and answer session.

Marta’s novel follows Rebecca, a 33-year-old woman struggling with the death of her parents and the ending of her relationship with her boyfriend. Alone, she clings to memories of her childhood in Brooklyn and returns for the first time in 23 years. After falling asleep on the subway, she finds herself in 1980 where she meets her parents and her childhood self. While attempting to alter the past and save her mother from an untimely death, Rebecca comes to realize that the only person she can truly save is herself.

“Look Back to Yesterday” draws on elements of Marta’s life.  At the age of 12, Marta’s mother died of pancreatic cancer and her father passed away in 2008. Struggling with grief, she found solace in writing.  “Through Rebecca’s journey, people will be able to identify with her and her loss, and realize that the person you lose is never really gone. They’re always part of you somehow,” she said.

After the loss of both of her parents, Marta enrolled at Lackawanna College at the age of 33.

“I felt a little old to be there,” Marta said. “My professors encouraged me and reminded me that it’s never too late and you’re never too old to learn. You have to live your dreams because you love them. They’re so much a part of you, it’s almost like breathing.”

Marta’s novel began at Lackawanna College and went through several iterations as she went on to achieve a bachelor’s degree in English at Penn State and Master of Arts in creative writing from Wilkes University. When Mara graduated in 2018 from Wilkes, she decided to finish her novel and started searching for publishers. “I found a publisher and he loved the book, he was willing to take a chance on it.”

To RSVP or for more information, contact Mary Beth Roche at rochem@lackawanna.edu or 570-504-1589. Attendees are encouraged to RSVP by Feb. 5, 2020.