Renee Gilmore joins the Spotlight this week to discuss her memoir, Wayfinding
Author Name: Renee Gilmore
Book Title: Wayfinding
Book Genre: Memoir
Release Date: October 1, 2025
Publisher: Trio House Press
Welcome, Renee! Please tell us a bit about your book.
Wayfinding is the story of a fiercely resilient woman determined not only to survive a life shaped by betrayals and sexual violence but to completely remap a life of freedom and joy. Told through a series of car trips and postcards from the road, this unflinching and often funny memoir maps a route toward hope, with stops at Waffle House and the Monaco Grand Prix along the way.
What drew you to write a memoir about this experience? What made you want to tell this particular story?
I originally set out to write a poetry chapbook about my father. I took a short sabbatical in New Mexico to kick off the project. It was familiar territory. I attended the University of New Mexico for my undergraduate studies and lived there for several years in my twenties. After three weeks of work, I realized this would not be a chapbook; it wasn’t all about my father, and it wasn’t poetry. At that point, the poetic form just felt too limiting. There was a bigger story to tell, including what happened in New Mexico, and I was ready to tell it.
What do you hope readers will gain or learn from reading about your experience?
I’ve been asked if writing the book was cathartic, and maybe it was, but I think the impact for me is in laying bare all of the trauma, abuse, violence, uncertainty, and fear I’ve experienced in my life, and being able to examine it. For many years, I had normalized my experiences entirely, and it never occurred to me that what happened to me was out of the ordinary. That not everyone lived through years of sexual abuse or relationship violence, or having a disability, or been in situations where they felt, with some degree of certainty, that they were going to die. I thought that anyone would have done what I did, which was not give up. Writing the book validated what my therapist had asked years before, “How did you stay alive? Many people could/would not.” Now I know what she meant. Now I understand what resilience is. Now I realize that resilience is a truly remarkable gift.
As for what I hope readers take away, I think it’s this: If you’re stuck in the messy middle, know there can be joy on the other side. There can be acceptance and forgiveness and, sure, rage, too, if that helps. If even one person can find themselves in these stories and seize a little slice of hope, it will all be worth it.
There are no easy answers, but on my journey, I’ve learned how to contextualize, and I think that, in some ways, that saved me. I hope it may also help others. Simply said, I wrote the book I wish I had found when I was barely hanging on.
What was your research process like for Wayfinding?
I recently read an article about our propensity, as a society, to over-research as a method of emotional avoidance, which led to another hour on my phone, reading more articles… The authors of the article were referring to everyday life, such as spending hours online looking at suitcases or restaurants. Still, in the case of this book, it was indeed true. It was much easier to delve deeply into marriage records in Carson City, Nevada, or the weather in Minnesota in 1973, than to reflect on the intense physical and emotional experiences I have had, pick them up and look at them, and truly process them.
The other part of the research that was, I don’t know if a challenge, but it certainly took up a lot of space, was that my trauma brain was missing information. I had entire years that I couldn’t remember. I’m lucky that I had people around me who could remember what happened, validate, or invalidate what I thought I knew. I am also fortunate to be the keeper of hundreds of family photographs. Reviewing those helped quite a bit.
What do you love the most about writing?
So many things. I love that anything can be a catalyst. A snippet of a song, the smell of new tires at the car dealership, the subtle ache of regret. I also love that not all writing has to be good writing. Sometimes, just getting the words out is enough. When I was ten years old, I knew I was a writer. I had a nom de plume. I had a glitter pen. And I had a great-uncle who was a writer, and willing to be my pen pal editor. I wish I still had those letters.
What’s capturing your imagination these days outside of reading and writing?
My husband and I are big travelers (we’ve been to all seven continents), and we’ve been making an official travel bucket list. While I’ve been to Nepal and Tanzania, I’ve never been to West Virginia or Delaware, so that list, at least my portion, is pretty eclectic. I also have a slight obsession with travel accessories. Currently, the holy grail is the perfect travel pillow. My criteria are very specific, and many involve not smelling like a sad beachball. All suggestions are welcome.
Where can readers find you?
Wayfinding launched on October 1st, so check out my website at reneethewriter.com for details. There is also a Wayfinding photo companion on the site. You can follow me on social media: On Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, I’m reneethewriter.
Thank you, Renee! Wayfinding is out NOW.
Wayfinding
Throughout her life, Renee Gilmore has been in love with the open road. Her passion for exploration has taken her across all seven continents-but the real journey has been much more personal. In Wayfinding, she confronts the impetus behind her wanderlust: a lifetime shaped by loss, betrayal, and sexual violence. Told through a series of car trips and postcards from the road, this powerful memoir maps a route toward healing, acceptance, and hope, with stops at Waffle House and the Monaco Grand Prix along the way. Narrated with unflinching honesty and flashes of humor, Wayfinding is the story of a fiercely resilient woman determined not only to survive but to remap a new life filled with freedom, connection, and joy.
Author Bio:
Renee Gilmore is a neurodivergent multi-genre writer, essayist, and poet. She writes about her experiences growing up in a family of car enthusiasts – mechanics, racers, and collectors – and navigating a family full of secrets. She fearlessly explores the illusion of happiness. Through her writing and lived experience, Renee proves that resilience can be practiced both by accident and intention. Renee holds degrees from the University of New Mexico and Hamline University. Her work has appeared in many literary journals, including The Louisville Review, Fatal Flaw, and Pink Panther Magazine, among others. Her debut memoir, Wayfinding, is forthcoming in October 2025. She lives in suburban Minneapolis with her husband, Steven.