Joan Elizabeth Bauer ‘84: The Road to Becoming a Published Author

For Joan Elizabeth Bauer '84, writing has always been a part of her DNA. In first grade, she turned in unassigned short stories to her first-grade teacher, and from that point on, writing would always be a key part of her life.

She also had deep memories of appreciating storytelling at Marian. "I remember Mrs. Regina Lehnhoff; we read such beautiful books: A Tale of Two Cities and Tess of the d'Urbervilles. They stayed with me and we read the hard things," she said. 

This love for writing and storytelling would lead Bauer to Creighton to get her bachelor's degree and then Marquette for a master's degree in English. Originally, she planned to become a professor, but life took her in a different direction, and she entered the finance world before staying at home to raise her children.

While raising her children, writing would still be a big part of her life. Through the years, she continued to write short stories here and there. Then the experience of seeing a neighbor adopt her young relative in distress inspired Joan to write short stories on this theme. Witnessing the adoption experience made her think about the struggles children may go through to find their birth family. Her interest in Poland made her think of how families could be separated, and that led her into learning more about how Catholic clergy members helped Jewish children escape the Holocaust. All these ideas and experiences fueled the idea for her debut novel, The Bicycle Messenger.

The Bicycle Messenger follows Steven, a troubled man shaped by childhood loss, mental illness, and a haunting story of his schizophrenic birth mother, as he searches for his roots and unravels the fragile relationships around him. Told through the voices of the women who love him, the novel spans generations—from wartime Poland to modern America—revealing the enduring weight of trauma and the possibility of grace.

Bauer hopes that people will read the book and see God's grace in their lives, especially in the challenging moments.

The development of The Bicycle Messenger required persistence and faith. Bauer sent the story to numerous agents until Chrism Press picked it up. She worked closely with her editors through multiple rounds of revisions, solicited reviews for the back cover of the novel before publishing, and worked to get the book ready to share with the world!

Persistence was something Bauer learned during her time at Marian. She credits Choir Director Cathy Pruitte with instilling persistence and grace in her students. "She called me to be stronger and better," said Bauer. Bauer had wanted to be an accompanist in her choir class and was always working on refining her skills. Miss Pruitte had Bauer, along with another accompanist, play at choir events so Bauer could still participate and learn. "It was a really generous thing to do, I don't know if anyone would just do that," said Bauer.

That experience, along with her Catholic education, really stuck with Bauer. "Bumping up against your limits and recognizing your limits is so important for your humility. Having patience with other people's limits and wanting to help them grow. When you can't do it, someone else is going to be there," said Bauer on the lessons she learned in Catholic schools that she took with her throughout her adult life.

As Bauer celebrates the effort and hard work that went into publishing The Bicycle Messenger, she has a message for other aspiring authors in the Marian community."Tell people you want to write. Talk to people who can help you. Don't be afraid to show your writing to people," Bauer said.

As The Bicycle Messenger hits shelves, Bauer continues to brainstorm for her next novel and maintains her Substack newsletter, Recent Reads. Recent Reads covers personal essays on reading, faith, and the writing life from a joyful Catholic perspective.

You can purchase The Bicycle Messenger here or subscribe to Recent Reads here.