“Drew has had a profound impact on my journey as a writer. I was given the impetus to keep writing after I completed my creative dissertation.”
June 2025 – Shirley Wachtel G’02 has published her second novel, The Baker of Lost Memories.
Shirley Wachtel G’02
Wachtel, a Doctor of Letters (DLitt) alum from Drew University’s Caspersen School of Graduate Studies, is an accomplished author, having previously published A Castle in Brooklyn, her first novel, and several manuscripts and children’s books.
We sat down with the Professor Emitera of Middlesex College to learn more about how her parents’ stories of the Holocaust have inspired her own storytelling. Here’s what she had to say.
What inspired The Baker of Lost Memories and A Castle in Brooklyn?
As a child of Holocaust survivors, I grew up with the stories of trauma and loss my parents had experienced in Poland during World War II. My father survived the Lodz Ghetto by becoming a runner for the black market, and when the camp dispersed and Jews were sent to Auschwitz, he was selected for the gas chamber but managed to escape to the line of workers. At war’s end, he discovered that his mother, brother, and three sisters had all been killed, leaving him as the only survivor. My mother was only a little more fortunate. She was taken off the street and sent to a labor camp where she survived through the kindness of one of the guards who provided her with stale bread. After being liberated from Bergen Belsen, she learned that all but two brothers in her family of nine had lost their lives in the gas chamber. As I listened to these tales, I learned that the world can be a terrible place, but as a child who never knew her grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, I also realized that life can be precious, and I determined to make the most out of mine.
As a writer, I knew that I could bring these stories to people, books that reflect the importance of family and friends and lessons learned. In A Castle in Brooklyn, I follow the lives of Jacob and his friend, Zalman, both Holocaust survivors, like my parents, who want to build a new life in America. But Jacob, now married to Esther, is haunted by his dreams of the past, and when another tragedy ensues, he is unable to cope. The Baker of Lost Memories focuses not only on the immigrants, but mainly the second generation, like me. Lena, whose parents survived the Holocaust, cannot forget the sister she knew only through stories. She feels the loss keenly and wants to be a baker like her sister, wants to fill the hole in her mother’s heart, knowing she never really can. Like her parents, she too is a victim.
Why did you choose the Doctor of Letters program at Drew?
As a tenured English professor at Middlesex College in Edison, NJ, I needed to take extra credits toward my next promotion. I thought I might as well get a degree, and when I found out that Drew University offered a Doctor of Letters program, I knew it would be the right fit. The classes were given at convenient hours during the day or evening to accommodate many of us who worked. I decided that entering the program would motivate me to write the novel I already had in my head.
What I had not planned on was how much I would enjoy my time at Drew. For one summer, a sabbatical, and after work, I took classes in the works of Willa Cather, John Locke, mystical poetry, Irish fiction, Jewish literature, and creative writing. My professors were outstanding, keeping me engaged from start to finish. Of note is Dr. Laura Winters, who was perhaps the most inspiring professor I ever had. She would be one of my advisors for my two dissertations, one on Second Generation in Middle Age, regarding children of Holocaust survivors, the other My Mother’s Shoes, the novel I always wanted to write. In October 2002, I received my Doctor of Letters degree and, subsequently, was promoted to full professor at Middlesex College. Today, having recently retired to devote myself to writing full time, I have the title of Professor Emerita.
How has Drew had an effect on your literary journey?
Drew has had a profound impact on my journey as a writer. I was given the impetus to keep writing after I completed my creative dissertation. Even though I hadn’t found the right agent, I did not give up on my dream of becoming a published writer. The feedback I received at Drew gave me the confidence to keep writing, no matter the obstacles, no matter how arduous the path to finding an agent and then an editor who found value in my work. A Castle in Brooklyn became my first published novel in 2022, and now, The Baker of Lost Memories, launched this June.
What can your readers expect to see in the future?
Now that I am retired from a career as an English professor, a career I have loved for over 30 years, in some ways, I am busier than ever. Besides promoting my books, I am writing every day, making up for the lost time when I was not being published, and I have completed several manuscripts. In addition, I have a podcast, EXTRAordinary People, where I interview people who have overcome adversity or made major contributions. I have also published some children’s books, the most recent, Stella Holds On, based on my youngest granddaughter. My three wonderful sons and their families, including three granddaughters, have been and will always be my greatest inspiration.
I am currently working on a novel about friendship, and how a daughter learns its true meaning from her mother. But whatever I write, I know that it will be about the human condition and the importance of family. I hope my parents would have been proud.
