Lois Unboxed: Writings of a Working Mom Ahead of Her Time - Softcover

Kuhn, Lois Harris; Kuhn, Marc

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1985661039 ISBN 13: 9781985661035

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2018

Synopsis

Midway through the twentieth century, young suburban wives were expected to stay at home tending children, sorting laundry and having dinner ready for their husbands when they returned home from work. None of this was to the liking of Lois Harris Kuhn. Philadelphia’s Gratz High School had her locked and loaded for high-end secretarial jobs when she was released into the working world of 1931. The times and culture precluded her from ever pursuing positions more advanced—the same positions her bosses held that she could have mastered and more than likely surpassed. Typing memos and taking dictation would provide income and an escape from housewifery, but nothing beyond. She needed greater, personal fulfillment. For that, she chose writing. In 1956 she was awarded a contract from a major publisher to write a biography of the late, internationally acclaimed sculpture, Jo Davidson. What followed was an explosive writing spree over the next decade that produced a bountiful stream of essays, vignettes, poems and short stories. Sadly, most wound up in storage. Here now, some 50 years later, unboxed and meticulously curated by her granddaughter, Zoe Kuhn Williams, are many of these selected writings of Lois Harris Kuhn.

About this title

About the Author

Lois Harris Kuhn lived her entire life in Philadelphia. Like many young ladies of her era, she studied secretarial skills and became exceptionally fast at typing and shorthand. But it was her intellectual capacity that made her a commodity among professionals seeking administrative assistance. She married a draftsman from Baltimore in 1939, the couple having two boys born in the mid-1940’s. Lois rejected the thought of being a permanent housewife and eventually rejoined her office colleagues as soon as her boys were able to fend for themselves after school. All this time, she wrote relentlessly, turning out short stories, books, essays, even poems. Her first and only book published was a youth’s biography of renowned sculptor, Jo Davidson. Her writing continued into her retirement years, practically up to the time of her death in 1990. Zoe Kuhn Williams lives with her husband and teaches high school art in rural North Carolina. She plays hammered dulcimer and mandolin and is a fan of genealogy and medieval and Renaissance history. Marc Kuhn is a retired radio executive turned independent author. He has published award winning children’s books, three adult novels and a novelty book for singles who are dating. More information about Kuhn and links to his books can be found on his personal website: http://marckuhn.com

About this edition

• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 1985661039
• ISBN 13: 9781985661035
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 210
• Editor: Williams Zoe Kuhn