I Didn't Know How to Widow by Phyllis Stein Beal

Walking Through Grief Fog

An Illustration of Life after Loss: Northern Michigan Author Debuts Nonfiction Novella

TRAVERSE CITY, MICHIGAN—One of the “unthinkable” terrors in life is losing the one you love. For Phyllis Stein Beal, it became an unexpected reality. I Didn’t Know How to Widow: Walking through Grief Fog documents her day-to-day life after her husband’s passing and how she learned to live with that loss. 

“The death of my husband affected me deeply. The book started out as a grief journal but then writing it actually helped me heal. I want the book to help others heal too,” Stein Beal described.

The title itself, I Didn’t Know How to Widow is indicative of the exact struggle that she faces throughout this memoir. 

“Becoming a widow was a life-changing event for me,” she shared. “The loss of a spouse or significant other is heartbreaking and the grief fog can be overwhelming. This book is distinctive in that it shows how to walk through that fog.”

As a writer since the age of twelve, and a published poet and children’s author, Stein Beal’s venture into long-form nonfiction was a new undertaking. As she worked through her grief in the best way she knew how, the novella took shape and moved toward publication after she attended the Walloon Lake Writers Retreat, where friends “embraced the writing.”

Through this book, she hopes for one simple thing: to help others remember that ”there is always light after the grief fog lifts.”

Advance Praise

Early endorsements from the book reflect how Stein Beal’s touching vulnerability in this piece is a true testament to the reality of those flailing after an unexpected loss.

“This is Stein Beal’s raw, intimate account of the grief fog she was thrust into after the death of her beloved spouse. Whether the unprompted tears, the struggle with tasks her husband would have managed, the reflex to turn toward an empty chair and speak, or the stunned refrain that appears throughout the book, I Didn’t Know How to Widow, Stein Beal’s experiences will resonate with anyone who has ever faced a sudden, life-altering loss.” — Megan A. Schikora, author of A Woman in Pink

“Phyllis Stein Beal has created an intimate and powerful daily account of the first year navigating life without her husband. She shows us how different states of emotion coexist by artfully weaving together very real human moments of sorrow, joy, frustration, faith and all in between.” — Becky Jensen, poet, communications leader, and former Emmy-winning journalist

The Author

Phyllis Stein Beal began writing at the age of twelve. She has published poetry, short fiction, children's fiction, and nonfiction "How to" articles. I Didn't Know How to Widow is her first nonfiction memoir/self-help book. 

Stein Beal lives with her thug puppies in northern Michigan.

In addition to writing, she enjoys gardening, birdwatching, cooking, and spending time with her family.

The Book

I Didn’t Know How to Widow: Walking through Grief Fog

Phyllis Stein Beal 

90 pages, 6” x 9”, B/W

Biography & Autobiography / Memoirs / Family & Relationships / Death, Grief, Bereavement / Self-Help / Death, Grief, Bereavement 

ISBN: 978-1-968761-23-3, $19.95 (Hardcover)

ISBN: 978-1-968761-24-0, $15.95 (Softcover)

Publication Date: 07/23/2026

Mission Point Press

Copies are available for preorder at Bookshop.org, Amazon, and other online retailers. On its July 23 publication date, it will be available for purchase wherever books are sold. For information or to arrange for signings and events, contact the author at psteinbeal@yahoo.com. 

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