Patricia Reis, M.F.A. '82

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"Unsettled," a historical novel by Patricia Reis, M.F.A. '82, will be published Oct. 10 by new women’s publishing company Sibylline Press.

As Van Reinhardt clears out her dead father’s belongings, she comes across hints of an intriguing family history, along with a request penned by her father prior to his death that sends her on a genealogical quest. Armed with a 1900 family portrait of her German immigrant ancestors who pioneered a farm in southwestern Iowa in 1870, Van arrives in her family’s hometown braced for a slog and struggle and is greeted by unexpected warmth. Unsettled delivers what DNA analysis and Ancestry.com cannot. Using memory, imagination and heart, Van constructs her family’s ancestral narrative, mends the tears in history and begins to heal her own wounds in the process.

Reis has deep roots in the Midwest. In the mid-1800s her German immigrant ancestors pioneered a farm in southwestern Iowa and their portrait gave her this story. In addition to her M.F.A. in art and design, Reis holds a B.A. in English literature from the University of Wisconsin and a degree in depth psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara. She also maintains a private practice of psychotherapy for women.