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I'm Still Here

A Memoir

By Martina Reaves
Published by She Writes Press
Distributed by Simon & Schuster

About The Book
In 1969, at age twenty, Martina moves to San Francisco. She lives in a commune, marries her hippie streetcar driver, and moves away from the city—first to Mendocino County, Oregon, and then to the Virgin Islands. In 1980, Martina comes out. She finds her life partner, Tanya, at work, and in 1986 they have a son, Cooper.

In 2008, Martina is diagnosed with serious tongue cancer. Her journey in the aftermath of this diagnosis is one of hope, fear, family, friendship, perseverance, and learning to live with a terminal diagnosis.

Reaves braids these strands of her life together in I’m Still Here, presenting readers with a nuanced, poignant exploration of what it means to live—and love—authentically.

About The Author
Martina Reaves

Martina Reaves grew up in a Navy family and lived in thirty-four places before she finally settled in her current home in Berkeley with her wife, Tanya, and their son, Cooper, who now lives in Oakland. She considers living in one place for over thirty years a major accomplishment. A lawyer who hated practicing law, she became a mediator in 1986 and worked with divorcing couples and neighbors with disputes. In 2007, she dropped writing legal documents and began writing fiction and memoir, and she has been at it ever since. She loves creating serenity in her home, gardening, reading, going to plays, and that the music venue Freight and Salvage is five minutes from her home. She thinks eating is wonderful but cooking is boring.

Product Details
  • Publisher: She Writes Press (April 21, 2020)
  • Length: 264 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781631528774

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Raves and Reviews

2020 Living Now Book Awards Gold Winner in Grieving/Death & Dying
2021 IPPY Awards Bronze Winner in Autobiography/Memoir III (Personal Struggle/Health Issues)
2020 Readers' Favorite Book Awards Silver Medal in Non-Fiction: Health (Medical)
2020 Best Book Awards Finalist in Health: Cancer
2020 Best Book Awards Finalist in Health: Death & Dying

“A story rich in emotional description…”
—Kirkus Reviews

“Martina’s story is poignant, inspiring, and funny, and she tells it with a fresh voice, imbued with self-awareness and wisdom. . . . This memoir will catch and hold you with its resonance. It will also breeze you through so smoothly, you might well find yourself turning back to reread when you reach the last page.”
—Mollie Katzen, James Beard Hall of Fame laureate and author of the Moosewood Cookbook

“Immediate, visceral, loaded with humor and insight, I’m Still Here is like an intimate conversation with a wonderful friend—it leaves you feeling enlightened, enriched, and a little happier than you were before. Savor this book and share it with people you love!”
—David Schweidel, author of Milkweed National Fiction Prize winner Confidence of the Heart and coauthor of What Men Call Treasure

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I'm Still Here

A Memoir

By Martina Reaves
Published by She Writes Press
Distributed by Simon & Schuster