TOPSHAM, Maine —The Topsham Public Library will host a special author talk and readingfeaturing longtime Topsham resident Nancy E. Randolph and her debut memoir, “Deep Waters: A Memoir of Childhood, Betrayal, & Becoming Whole, Saturday, October 17, 2026, at 1 p.m.at the Topsham Public Library, 25 Foreside Road, Topsham, Maine. Admission is free and open to the public. Books will be available for purchase and signing. Light refreshments will be served.
A LOCAL STORY WITH UNIVERSAL RESONANCE
Nancy E. Randolph has called Topsham home since 1986. For her, this author event is deeply personal—a chance to stand before the friends, neighbors, and friendly folk of Topsham who have been part of her life and journey for nearly four decades.
“I have lived in this community long enough to know its warmth and its strength,” said Randolph. “Sharing this story here, with the people who are my neighbors and my friends, means everything to me.”
“Deep Waters: A Memoir of Childhood, Betrayal, & Becoming Whole” is a raw, unflinching, and ultimately redemptive memoir that chronicles Nancy Randolph’s extraordinary journey from a childhood shadowed by trauma and poverty to a life defined by service, resilience, and hope.
Nancy’s early years in Ohio and Illinois were marked by relentless hardship—poverty so profound that her family’s homes often lacked heat or running water, a father’s violence, a mother’s emotional absence and violence, and the devastating pain of sexual abuse. Amid this turmoil, young Nancy became her siblings’ fiercest protector, finding solace in books, nature, and an unshakeable will to survive.
Refusing to be defined by cruelty or circumstance, she pursued her education with determinationand eventually rose to editor-in-chief of her college newspaper. At twenty, she boarded a plane for Navy boot camp—her first true act of self-liberation—and went on to serve as a proud United States Navy Journalist during the Vietnam Era.
In the years that followed, Randolph channeled her experiences into purpose. She founded Just Write Books LLC, became a community activist, and a tireless advocate for resilience, healing, and the transformative power of storytelling. “Deep Waters” is the culmination of that journey—written for every person who has ever been pulled beneath the surface and found the strength to rise.
Dedicated to her daughter Jessica and to all who dare to tell their stories, the memoir affirms with hard-won wisdom and tenderness that survival is just the beginning—and that becoming whole is possible, however deep the waters run. “For those who dare to tell their stories, and for those who listen with open hearts.” from the Dedication
The Topsham community is warmly invited to attend this free author talk and reading. Come hear Nancy read from “Deep Waters,” learn about her remarkable life and creative journey, and celebrate a story that speaks to the very best of the human spirit. Books will be available for purchase at $18.95 and are also available on Amazon.com and at Gulf of Maine Books and other local retailers.
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