Join author
Phyllis Chinlund for a book talk and discussion of her memoir Looking Back from the Gate: A Story of Love, Art, and Dementia.
From the unique perspective of her two careers in geriatric social work and documentary film, Phyllis Chinlund confronts the cognitive decline of her beloved husband, photographer Ray Witlin. With the immediacy of journal entries, photographs, letters, and conversations recorded when they took place, Chinlund draws the reader directly into the couple’s lives and hearts. Over nearly a decade, as she struggles with the inevitable series of heart-wrenching decisions faced by every Alzheimer’s caregiver, Chinlund takes on additional challenges, moving from Manhattan to Maine, where she can afford to provide Ray with better care, and continually seek ways to nurture his creativity and enrich his daily experience, while pursuing her own career. Touching every note in the symphony of a long relationship, “Looking Back From the Gate” is a vivid portrait of a marriage and a testament to the endurance of love in the face of devastating mental and physical decline.