In July of 2000, Jenney Egertson met 80-year-old Maude Kelly. The following day, Jenney had an idea that felt more like a command: give Maude and a diverse group of women over the age of 80 a voice by writing a book to capture their stories and advice. It was the first step in a journey that would span decades.

As Jenney interviewed and wrote about her subjects during the fifteen turbulent years that followed, she learned about aging, parenting, facing adversity, navigating systemic racism and sexism, and accepting community. As she grew to know and love these women, they became her mentors and friends. In the end, these powerful relationships gave Jenney the courage she needed to reclaim a precious gift: her voice as both a woman and a writer.

Before I Leave follows Jenney’s journey from the moment her long-buried dream to become a writer re-emerged, through the fear she felt as she moved through middle age, to the sense of calm and acceptance she came to in her sixties. This is a book to be shared across generations as women everywhere continue to reclaim their lives and voices.

Jenney Egertson decided she was a writer at the age of seven. After growing up, she taught high school English, worked in cor­porate America, and served both corporate and nonprofit clients as a freelance writer and communications consultant before pub­lishing her first book at the age of sixty-four.

Jenney lives with her partner, her daughter, two dogs, and a cat. She still believes in magic; when she’s not reading, writing, or fishing, she loves to be surrounded by family, friends, and as many animals as possible (wild or domesti­cated, and greyhounds in particular).