Lyme Disease & Invisible Illness: Author Talk with Jennifer Crystal

The Desmond-Fish Public Library is excited to welcome author Jennifer Crystal to discuss her experience with Lyme Disease and her new memoir, One Tick Stopped the Clock. In this candid, funny, and deeply humane story, Jennifer paints a picture of resilience, learning to self-advocate, and living well with an “invisible” illness. Blending medical mystery with wit, sensitivity, and a sharp understanding of the human experience, One Tick Stopped the Clock offers hope and inspiration for anyone who can’t go back, but instead must move forward at a new pace.

Jennifer will be in conversation with her long-time friend, Kendra Ekelund. Kendra will moderate a brief, focused interview, followed by audience Q&A.

Bios
A Boston-based writer and educator, Jennifer Crystal runs the Writing to Heal Immersive Program at Grub Street Creative Writing Center. For more than a decade, she has written about the chronic illness patient experience for the Global Lyme Alliance, a column that has received mention in The New Yorker and CQ Researcher. She is a Senior Writer for Harvard Health Publishing, where she also served as the Patient Experience Representative for the Lyme Wellness Initiative. Jennifer has been interviewed for CBS News and for articles in Undark and Experience Life, and her story has been part of many anthologies, webinars, and podcasts. Her written work has appeared in The Boston Globe, Aeon’s Psyche, WBUR’s Cognoscenti, Harvard Health Blog, and many other outlets. Jennifer holds a B.A. from Middlebury College and an M.F.A. from Emerson College. She has completed a summer of study at the Bread Loaf School of English and a workshop in narrative medicine at Columbia University.

Learn more at www.jennifercrystal.com.

Kendra Ekelund is a Cold Spring resident and long-time friend—and enthusiastic champion—of Jennifer Crystal. She brings a personal lens to the discussion: she has tested positive for Lyme disease three times despite never finding a tick. She cares deeply about community-centered, evidence-based learning and building connections through shared lived experience.  Kendra also serves as Managing Director of Hudson Valley Shakespeare in Garrison, NY, and previously served as General Manager of the Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville, NY.