Medina English teacher writes her first novel, ‘Still Water’

Press Release, Medina Central School

Photo courtesy of Medina Central School: English Teacher Beth Dickhut holds a copy of her first published novel, “Still Water.”

MEDINA – For many years Medina Junior-Senior High School English teacher Elizabeth Dickhut toyed with the idea of writing her own novel, “Still Water.”

“Several years ago I was thinking about some students I had who had experienced losing a parent suddenly,” she explained. “They were obviously going through a very hard time and I couldn’t help but think what was going on in the inside. It inspired me to start writing about a group of boys who were friends and experienced that loss.”

Mrs. Dickhut kept returning to her story throughout the years refining it until she felt comfortable enough to share with colleagues.

“I am so grateful to my coworkers and friends who took time out of their busy lives to read this and give me their honest feedback,” she said. “It really meant so much to me.”

Dickhut says “Still Water” is a story of loss and grief; but is also a story of hope, the kind that is rooted in friendship, family and forgiveness.

Another key element of the book deals with the romantic side of adolescence and the protagonist having feelings for one of his friend’s girlfriends.

“I do think young adults will really enjoy the story,” Dickhut said. “I hope they see themselves in some of the characters.  I really want this book to be a teachable moment for some of them and I want them to know that their teachers do care about what is going on in their lives.”

There were a couple more hoops to jump through before she could publish her book. In “Still Water” two poems are referenced, “The Peace of Wild Things” by Wendell Berry and Robert Frost’s “Going for Water.”

There is also a passage from the book “A River Runs Through It and Other Stories” by Norman Maclean. “I had to get permission to use Maclean’s and Berry’s works, and I was so thankful to the estate and the publishing company to allow me to use them since they meant a great deal to me and to the story. The Maclean estate sent along a nice compliment and said they found the story compelling and wished me the best of luck.”

She also designed the cover in Canva. With her book getting ready to launch on Amazon on Nov. 8, Dickhut said she can barely contain her excitement.

“I won’t lie, I am nervous, but it just feels awesome,” she said. “I have a real sense of accomplishment that I finished the book and people are going to get to read it. It would be really great if I saw students here carrying it around since they inspired it.”

To learn more about the book and Beth Dickhut, you can follow her on Instagram @elizabeth_d_writes.

“Still Water” will be available in paperback and Kindle formats.