By Rebecca Barnes
On an upcoming afternoon at Jirani Coffeehouse, the community is invited into a conversation that goes far beyond a traditional author event. The Path to Here: Author Talk Back & Book Signing centers on the lived experiences behind Queenie Love’s best-selling memoir and creates space for honesty, reflection, and shared understanding.
In The Path to Here, Queenie Love writes candidly about childhood trauma, teenage motherhood, and the long road toward healing. When asked what marked the true beginning of that journey, Love explains that it was not about erasing the past but finally facing it.
“You know, for the longest time, I thought healing meant erasing the hard parts or pretending they didn’t happen,” she shares. “But the real beginning came when I stopped running from my story and started asking, ‘What if all of this… what if it all mattered?’ That shift from shame to curiosity, from hiding to honoring my journey, that’s when healing actually began.”
That spirit of openness is at the heart of this event’s format. Rather than a one-directional author talk, Love intentionally designed the afternoon as a “Talk Back,” moderated by John Reid, Editor-in-Chief of PW Perspective.
“I don’t want people sitting there passively listening to me,” Love says. “I want us in it together.” She hopes the conversation mirrors the honest exchanges usually reserved for close friends, the ones where people finally say out loud what they have been holding in. Topics will range from shame and resilience to the expectations placed on women and the courage it takes to stop shrinking.
Above all, Love wants attendees to leave feeling less alone. “That’s what storytelling does when we let it breathe,” she explains. “It reminds us we’re not the only ones carrying these stories.”
For those who may be early in their own healing process, Love is clear about what she hopes they take away from the afternoon. “Healing isn’t linear, and it doesn’t have a deadline,” she says. “There’s no right way to do this work.” Her message is one of permission: permission to take up space, to be imperfect, and to imagine a future not defined by past trauma.
“The Path to Here is proof that your story doesn’t end where your trauma began,” Love says. “You get to keep going. You get to keep becoming.”
Event Details
The Path to Here: Author Talk Back & Book Signing with Queenie Love
Date: Afternoon program, 4 to 6 p.m.
Location: Jirani Coffeehouse, 9425 West St., Manassas
Program:
• 4 p.m. – Doors open, coffee and connection
• 4:30 p.m. – Author Talk Back and moderated Q&A
• 5:15 p.m. – Book signing and meet the author
Rebecca Barnes is the publisher of Prince William Living and a longtime advocate for community storytelling. With a background in journalism and decades of experience highlighting local voices, she is passionate about sharing stories that foster connection, understanding, and belonging
