What people are saying…

About The Braided Path

In this beautifully crafted debut novel, Len Rope-Maker is a young widow who lives with her son, Cam, in a quiet mountainside village, a village connected to the other villages by a single path that winds up and down the mountain. Cam is restless, a far-walker more interested in testing the limits of his endurance and pushing beyond the known boundaries of his world than in settling into a trade like the other villagers. His sweetheart, Fox, is also a far-walker. Together they hike up and down the mountainside from village to village, pushing each other on.

One day Cam decides to venture farther up the mountain than anybody they know has ever gone. Drawn by the lovely blue-green sea glimpsed from an outcropping of rock, Fox is more interested in going down the mountainside to the bottom of the world. And so Cam sets off, leaving Fox behind.

Days pass, then weeks. Before long Fox learns she's expecting. Little by little, over the course of several years, she and Len work their way down the mountain with Fox's baby, Jade. Fox wonders if her life will ever intertwine again with Cam's or if Cam will ever meet his daughter. Len wonders if her son has fallen off the side of the mountain to his death like his father. Cam longs for his sweetheart but is pulled deeper into the unknown world by a sequence of accidents. Will their paths ever again cross and come together?

The theme of interconnectedness alluded to in the title is deftly woven through William's novel in lovely, poetic language that will astound and delight the reader. Through close glimpses and carefully chosen details, Williams breathes life and depth into the vertical world of The Braided Path.

— Goodreads review

More on The Braided Path from The Mary Sue

"This is such an original premise and such a perfectly wrought world that I’m shocked no one else seems to have read it. It feels like an early Ursula K. LeGuin, without quite the ponderous, slow-and-steady prose. (No shade to LeGuin, goddess of goddesses—the woman took her time is all.) This moves at a faster clip through the story of Fox and Cam, young lovers who come from a culture of travelers.

Young adults are encouraged to explore up and down the cliffside settlements as far as they wish, and settle in the place that feels most right to them, but Cam never stops feeling the urge to explore upward, while Fox never stops feeling pulled down to the base of the cliff. Their journeys are quiet, emotional explorations of what it means to find your place in the wider world.”

— The Mary Sue review

About Dreamers

DREAMERS by Donna Glee Williams is a lively novel that yields sheer delight upon a first reading and increasingly deeper wisdom with each subsequent reading. It is a work of fantasy, but not in the sense of magic or impossible physical laws or fantastic creatures. The land of DREAMERS is much like any desert country on our earth. The fantasy element comes in the imaginative social structure of this land. It is a land ruled by dreams.

Each town in this dry land has a Dreamer, a girl who arrives as a young teenager, having attended dreaming school, where she has learned to open herself as a conduit for the dreams that will direct the town’s decisions. The town where DREAMERS takes place has a sixteen-year-old Dreamer who has held this role for a bit less than three years. The Dreamer possesses no identity other than her role—she is called and referred to simply as “Dreamer.” All of her day-time and evening activities are directed toward preparation for the dreams of the night. She sleeps in a completely dark and completely silent chamber in the company of her Scribe, who remains awake and alert all night, ever ready to hear and record the dreams that the Dreamer speaks upon awakening, which she does several times during the night. In the morning, the Scribe hands the sheaf of parchment with the recorded dreams to the Council of Interpreters, who will interpret the dreams and make decisions accordingly for the good of the town.

But now, the Dreamer has begun to open herself to love and to desires of her own that tug against her role as the town Dreamer. Her dreams change subtly—and then not so subtly. The Chief Interpreter, who has been expanding his own fortunes by influencing the Council’s interpretation of the rich dream material provided by the Dreamer, is not pleased—and he wields considerable power in the town—considerable threatening power.

One of the most impressive aspects of DREAMERS is Donna Glee Williams’ ability to tell a gripping tale. As the Chief Interpreter begins to act upon his threats, I find it impossible to put the book aside. I have read DREAMERS three times to date, and each time I have been utterly absorbed until the very end. The story-telling is so masterful that my heart races with anticipation, even upon a second and third reading. The book is a compelling page-turner.

— Amazon review

About Donna Glee as a Teacher and Creative Coach:

‘I am so thankful for the respect, compassion, and skill with which Donna Glee Williams infused every aspect of this seminar. I feel that the best teachers out there don’t demand the best out of their students. In contrast, I think the best teachers provide an environment in which every student wants to do their best work for that teacher, not to impress, but because the are inspired by their teacher. Donna Glee did just that. Every experience this week was like turning a corner and having some new and exciting discovery revealed to me.”

— Anonymous Seminar Attendee

“You should have seen the classroom after the call ended, not even a second later everyone were chatting about how much they loved talking to you, they really loved you! Some told me how they wanted to go home and continue writing their own stories and others said they wanted to draw Cam, Len and Fox. They all left so filled with energy like I haven’t seen on a late Friday before. It made me so happy to watch. So in the end everyone, you, my classmates, the teacher are all so happy and nothing brings me more joy then being able to bring a happy smile on everyones faces.

So thank you for lighting up everyones faces.

Lots of love from me and my class.”

— Norwegian teen who arranged a classroom Zoom event

  • Donna Glee Williams was a wonderful mentor and muse. She let us write in a safe environment, taught us to pull from within ourselves, and focus on the process versus product. We wrote anything and everything as well as reading about writing. I am so excited to get our teachers to share some of these writing strategies with their young learners and try them themselves.

    Anonymous seminar evaluation

  • Thank you very much for the creative, inspiring week investigating the possibilities of "Storytelling in the Digital Age." The week could not have come at a better time & I took away a number of ideas that I can use in the classroom. I appreciated the opportunity to pursue creative ideas grounded in sound pedagogy. I left inspired, refreshed, and renewed. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

    Sharon W.
    Unsolicited thank-you note

  • Donna Glee — I am still processing all of my experiences at the Power of Words seminar. It was exactly what I needed at exactly the right time in my life. Thank you so much for your sensitive and artful leadership. You set precisely the right tone for our group.

    Amy S.
    Unsolicited thank-you note

  • I heartily recommend Donna whose bright spirit, sharp mind and sparkling poetic abilities are precious assets.

    Lana Ayers, editor of Crab Creek Review

  • It was the absolute best experience. I've never been through anything in my teaching career that was so enlightening & rewarding & self-fulfilling. I wouldn't change a thing. It was amazing.

    Anonymous seminar evaluation

  • Words cannot really describe my experience. It was powerful and enriching. I felt empowered. It was phenomenal.

    Anonymous seminar evaluation