About
Charlene Edge is the author of two books. The award-winning memoir:
Undertow: My Escape from the Fundamentalism and Cult Control of The Way International (2017), and From the Porch to the Page: A Guidebook for the Writing Life (2022).
Both books are available in paperback and ebook from major booksellers and indie bookstores.
Charlene spent seventeen years as a leader in The Way International (1970–1987). After she escaped, she earned a B.A. in English from Rollins College’s and became a published a poet and prose writer. She worked for more than a decade as a technical and proposal writer in the software industry.
Her poetry has been featured on WMFE-FM's Poetic Logic and published in The Florida Writer magazine, the Tampa Writers Alliance’s Wordsmith, and the Rollins Book of Verse 1885–2010; her essays have appeared in Shifting Gears: Small, Startling Moments In and Out of the Classroom and ICSA Today, magazine of the International Cultic Studies Association.
She is a member of the Florida Writers Association, the Authors Guild, and ICSA. She lives in Florida with her husband, Dr. Hoyt L. Edge. Charlene blogs about their travel adventures, writing, cults, fundamentalism, and other topics at: https://charleneedge.com.
She launched her latest book, From the Porch to the Page, at the Winter Park Public Library, Winter Park, FL on May 17, 2022. Here is the video of that event:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqUkJkNpG-0
Featured Work
Undertow: My Escape from the Fundamentalism and Cult Control of The Way International
Undertow: My Escape from the Fundamentalism and Cult Control of The Way International™ is Charlene Edge’s riveting memoir about the power of words to seduce, betray, and, in her case, eventually save. After a personal tragedy left her bereft, teenaged Charlene rejected faith and family when recruiters drew her into The Way International, a sect led by the charismatic Victor Paul Wierwille. The Way became one of the largest cults in America. Charlene gave it seventeen years of her life. Published 11-21-16. New Wings Press, LLC. ISBN 978-0-9978747-0-9
Other Works
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From the Porch to the Page: A Guidebook for the Writing Life
2022
Awards and Recognition
- Undertow is listed in BookRiot's 100 must-read books about cult life. Visit: http://bookriot.com/2017/01/27/100-must-read-books-about-life-in-cults/
- The Annual 2017 Florida Authors and Publishers Association President’s Book Awards awarded Undertow a gold medal in the category of Autobiography/Memoir.
