Heather Augustyn – author, writing teacher, correspondent for the Times of Northwest Indiana, wife, mother. There are many words one might use to describe Augustyn, but choosing just one wouldn't suffice.
Born and raised in Northwest Indiana, Augustyn left home for college, where she worked to gain a Master's Degree in Writing, and then took up residence in Chicago for the next ten years. She currently resides in her hometown of Chesterton, Indiana with her husband of seventeen years, Ron, and their two sons, Sid and Frank.
Currently, Augustyn has been with the Times for the past nine years. After moving back home, and having had her second son, she wanted to use her skills as a writer and wanted to have the flexibility to stay at home with the children, so the correspondent work turned out to be the perfect balance for her.
"Being a mother with young children, not yet in school, I wanted to have the best of both worlds, and fortunately enough the Times provided that, and still provides that for me today," Augustyn said.
On top of her work as a correspondent, Augustyn also teaches creative writing at the Chesterton Montessori School to grades 1-6. She became involved with the school when her sons started attending, and having known the family that runs the school since she was fourteen, they asked if she would be interested in teaching a writing class. She could hardly refuse and enjoys her time there.
Augustyn's main passion is writing about Ska music. So far, she has written three books on the subject and is in the process of finishing her fourth, due to be released this coming spring. Always interested in writing, Augustyn began entering writing contests in the 4th grade, and progressed into writing books about Ska.
"I had always listened to it growing up, back when it was called progressive music, and always enjoyed Ska music. When I went to read the history of it, however, there wasn't really anything on it. There was tons of information on reggae, but not what led to reggae," she said.
Feeling very passionately about the subject, Augustyn began to dig deeper and deeper, gathering information and putting it into a narrative that people would find interesting and entertaining to read. So far, Augustyn's works include Ska: An Oral History, Ska: Beat, Dance, and History, and Don Drummond: The Genius and Tragedy of the World's Greatest Trombonist. On top of the new book on women of Ska music, Augustyn is working on a book about Bob Marley.
In her free time, Augustyn spends some of her time volunteering at the Hageman Library, teaching writing to any child that shows up.
Augustyn has been involved with teaching these classes at the library since last fall when the library director approached her about teaching some writing classes. In these classes, the children partake in different kinds of writing from nature journaling to poetry writing.
Augustyn also enjoys photography, block printing, and metal smithing. The rest of her time is spent with her family, travelling to exotic locations of all kinds. So far, her favorite past destination is Costa Rica.
"It's time to get away and just spend some time together as a family," she said.
This summer, however, she and her family will be travelling to South Africa, which they are all looking forward to.
Photo credit: Katherine Murray Photography