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With wisdom, reverence and grace, Susan Pohlman delivers a lyrical meditation on midlife and motherhood while traveling the cobblestoned streets of Florence, Genoa and Rome. A Time to Seek: Meaning, Purpose, and Spirituality at Midlife is a must for those navigating the empty nest or a period of personal transition.

As the journey through Italy unfolds, Pohlman shares how travel moments can be used as opportunities for contemplation and spiritual growth. Various settings stir feelings and issues that speak to the concerns and hidden fears of everyday women.

A climb to the top of the Duomo in Florence inspires a discussion on faith, the expansive view from the Piazza di Michelangelo broadens perspective, helping her daughter settle into an apartment for a semester abroad raises fears about letting go, and trips on the train become metaphors for life’s journeys. A return to the beautiful coastal village of Nervi, the setting of her first book, Halfway to Each Other: How a Year in Italy Brought Our Family Home, prompts deeper introspection about love, marriage and the passing of time. And finally, an evening tour of St. Peter’s Basilica provides the insight to take all of the trip’s lessons and make sense of them in a way that brings peace and a sense of excitement for the next chapter of life.

Pohlman, a graduate of the University of Dayton, is the founder and director of The Phoenix Writers Network and a freelance writer, editor and writing instructor/coach. She is a frequent presenter at workshops and conferences. Her essays have been published in a variety of print and online publications including: The Washington Times, Tiferet Journal, Raising Arizona Kids, Guideposts Magazine, Homelife Magazine and The Sunlight Press.

Her work also has been featured in Dream of Venice by JoAnn Locktov (Bella Figura Publications, 2014) and Writing & Selling Short Stories & Personal Essays: The Essential Guide to Getting Your Work Published by Windy Lynn Harris (Writer's Digest Books, September 2017).