Sandra Tyler Explores Family, Memory, And Identity Through Memoir And Fiction
Photo: Award-winning author Sandra Tyler, founder of The Woven Tale Press, reflects on life, writing, and loss in The Night Garden.
Celebrating The Literary Craft Of Familial Bonds
Sandra Tyler’s interview unveils her emotional journey in caregiving, her exploration of mother-daughter bonds, her memoir The Night Garden, and her approach to writing organically and authentically.
Sandra Tyler, the award-winning author and editor, continues to captivate readers with her poignant exploration of familial relationships. Known for her literary works “Blue Glass” and “After Lydia,” Tyler revisits themes of motherhood, caregiving, and personal identity in her latest memoir, The Night Garden: of My Mother. This deeply personal narrative chronicles her journey as both a daughter and a mother, navigating the challenges of aging, grief, and the intimate connections that define family life.
Reflecting on her creative process, Tyler shared how writing her memoir was “finally so much harder to write than my novels, even though the subject was right there in front of me – it was lived.” Detailing the emotional and structural hurdles, she explained how dramatizing real-life events for the page demanded both vulnerability and an ability to distance herself for clarity. Tyler discovered that thinking “as a novelist” helped her uncover an arc within her lived experience, adding structure to her deeply personal story.
The Night Garden centers on the emotionally charged dynamics of being a caregiver to her elderly mother while raising children of her own. Reflecting on the universality of these challenges, Tyler pointed out, “I have heard from so many middle-aged women who are going through something similar – caring for aging parents while either balancing children, a full-time job, or both.” She noted that while caregiving often falls to one child, managing such responsibilities can come at both financial and emotional costs. Her candid depiction in the memoir reveals the strain and love that intertwine in these moments, offering a narrative of resilience and heartfelt complexity.
“Birthrates have fallen in every age group except for women in their 40s, and I was one of these women.” – Sandra Tyler
Tyler’s storytelling often revolves around relationships between mothers and daughters, a theme central to her novels as well. She explained how in Blue Glass, the exploration of an only child’s connection to her mother emerged naturally, though the character of the mother bore no resemblance to her own. “What I do think I pulled from – again, subconsciously – was the integral bond between my mother and me; that intensity of love and devotion of the only daughter,” she reflected. With After Lydia, the sisterly dynamics took center stage, but the mother’s character remained pivotal, even in death.
Discussing her second novel, Tyler candidly acknowledged the pressures of adhering to a publishing contract after the success of Blue Glass. “That novel originated much more organically,” she said, while the structured demands for After Lydia involved outlining the story in ways that felt less intuitive. Now, as she dives into work on her third novel, she is returning to a freer, more exploratory writing process, finding joy in moments when her characters surprise her and their true essence emerges.
Beyond her authored works, Tyler is also the founder and editor-in-chief of The Woven Tale Press, a highly regarded online journal that showcases the intersection of literature and art. Balancing these roles while caring for her mother and raising young children required immense dedication. “Truthfully, as a writer, I do view life events materially – always seeking those standout moments, for both the nuanced and the dramatic,” she shared. In her mother’s final years, those moments often revealed themselves through the challenges of caregiving, as she transitioned from being a daughter to a provider for her mother’s needs.
With new projects on the horizon, Tyler remains committed to exploring layered family dynamics with her signature emotional depth. Her work not only delves into life’s most personal challenges but also resonates with readers universally, offering both inspiration and solace. Through memoir and fiction, Tyler solidifies her place as a masterful storyteller, weaving narratives that linger long after the final page.
(Source: Reader’s House)
