Fox Cities Book Festival: Connecting writers and readers across our diverse communities.

Leota began her life on a farm in the Kansas dust storms of the 30's, leaving it for college in Illinois. After few years of teaching, she and her husband Lee moved to Idaho where their three daughters were born. His newspaper career took them back to Michigan, Iowa and finally Wisconsin.

There, after years as an English teacher, Leota began a new career as a recruiter of accountants and data processing personnel. From that experience, she formed her own company, Landmark, the Staffing Resource, which for 13 years provided work for many. During those
years, Leota invested time and energy on community boards and committees, loving Appleton.

Following her retirement, Leota and Lee enjoyed being at their cottage on the Mecan River, volunteering and traveling. Alzheimer's Disease, however, began, developed, grew and finally took Lee's life. During that time, Leota wrote poetry, capturing her struggle to learn, accept, laugh and cry through the seasons. She writes of that love story through the poetry in Crossing, A Caregiver's Journey.