Join fellow fans of Irish literature for Jennifer Comeau's inaugural event at the Irish Cultural Centre on May 9th!

Jennifer Elwell Comeau’s debut novel, set in 1820s Co. Galway has been called, “atmospheric and beguiling” by Kirkus Reviews. Join author and singer-songwriter Jennifer for an engaging evening of reading, storytelling, travelogue and music. Hear the origin story of A Moon in All Things and be inspired by Jennifer’s own story of journeying from “Engineer to Enchantment.”

Jennifer Elwell Comeau’s journey from corporate executive to published author is as compelling as the mystical stories she writes. Following the dictates of family and societal programming, after high school she jumped into the world of engineering, earning a master’s and a bachelor’s degree. “I was the only woman engineer at the Chevy Tonawanda Forge plant of 400 people, and one of few women at all,” says Comeau. “I trained my high soprano voice down an octave, to a lower alto in order to sound more masculine, and I remember having a resting heart rate of 50 bpm due to the furious pace I kept in order to succeed.”

“I was working so hard and had achieved a lot in my life. But something was missing,” Comeau shares. “That’s when my brother reminded me of my childhood–I had been a dreamy, bookish kid, playing in ponds, writing poems, having picnics under willow trees. Hearing his words, at that moment, I realized I had lost myself.”

With no outside qualifications to give her permission to sing or write, Comeau began peeling back layers of programming to remember something her spiritual teacher once said, “When a soul aligns with its purpose, the heart carries superlative qualifications.”

She taught herself guitar and began to write songs, producing two albums of original music. A Kind of Grace, whose lyrics, “I have a mission. It’s just to listen to the wisdom that dwells in here,” was a finalist in Maine’s songwriting competition.

And listen she did.

She began to write, honing her craft through workshops. A story unfolded, about a young woman who is summoned by The Otherworld to heed her calling and go against societal dictates to become a healer of her village and thus herself. Not unlike what Comeau had experienced.

She booked a 4-week solo trip to Ireland absorbing the landscape of her ancestors and continued research she had started at home working with Irish History Professor, Niall Ó Cíosáin of Galway University. For Comeau, original songs came through while writing. “The Irish word for music is Ceol, which literally means, ‘lifeblood.’ I felt I couldn’t do justice to a story set in the lush, mythical lands of Ireland without weaving in music.”

From that research came A Moon in All Things, Comeau’s debut historical fantasy novel. Kirkus Reviews describes A Moon in All Things as “atmospheric and beguiling,” and Booklife Prize calls it, “a beautifully crafted historical fantasy infused with lyricism and Celtic magic.”

In addition to her debut novel, Comeau has authored the five-starred children’s book, “The Inside of ME,” about the well-being that happens on the inside when we go outside. Nine special, natural places in Maine are rendered on the pages by Maine illustrator, Suzi Linden. (12 Willows Press, 2024). Her essays are featured in four anthologies, including, “A Dangerous New World: Maine Voices on the Climate Crisis.” (Littoral Books, 2019)