above: Stacy Waldman Bass, an author, artist and photographer.
Photographs: Stacy by Pamela Einarsen Photography; others: contributed
For acclaimed photographer and longtime Westport resident Stacy Waldman Bass, storytelling has always been visual. But with the release of her memoir Lightkeeper: A Memoir Through the Lens of Love and Loss (Simon & Schuster/Audible) Bass turns her lens inward—trading a camera for a pen to deliver a stirring meditation on grief, resilience and the healing power of memory.
In 1995, tragedy struck when her father, Michael Waldman, died in a seaplane accident off Block Island. The sudden loss shattered Bass’s world, and sparked the earliest writings that would, decades later, form the foundation of Lightkeeper. When her mother, Jessica, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer 25 years later, Bass responded in a way only a daughter and visual artist could: by creating a living tribute of photographs, words and community that would honor her mother’s legacy while she was still alive to feel it.
What began as personal documentation ultimately became a profound memoir. Lightkeeper reveals how grief can be transformed into creative expression, and how the act of remembering, especially through photography, can be both a balm and a bridge.
“Photographs aren’t just keepsakes,” Bass says. “They’re portals, gateways into memory, into stories that exist just outside the frame.”
Throughout the book, she reflects on how images can hold emotional resonance far beyond their composition. A candid smile. A half-seen hand. A light filtering through leaves in a garden once tended by her parents. These visual fragments are more than records of what was—they’re vessels for love, meaning and continuity.
Lightkeeper is filled with stunning full-color photography and luminous prose. In it, Bass evolves from daughter to archivist to the self-appointed “lightkeeper” of her family’s history. As she invites readers into this intimate and poignant journey, she also offers them a model: how to process their own grief, how to keep memory alive, and how to honor what remains.
A few of the 60 images, all collected family photos, that are used in the memoir and that serve as entry points or portals into memories.
In many ways, Bass’s career has long prepared her for this role. From her first solo exhibition in 1988, her fine art photography has earned acclaim for its emotional depth and compositional precision. Her work, featured in publications such as Architectural Digest, has graced three solo shows and become part of numerous private and corporate collections. Her bestselling books, In the Garden (Melcher Media, 2012) and Gardens at First Light (Moffly Media, 2015), celebrated the poetry of place and presence. But Lightkeeper is her most personal work yet.
Shifting from images to words was both natural and daunting and allowed her to flow from photographer to memoirist.
“I’ve always told stories through pictures,” Bass explains. “Writing Lightkeeper felt like learning to speak a new language, one that could capture what even a photograph couldn’t say.”
The memoir isn’t just about personal loss; it’s a meditation on the universal experience of grief. It prompts readers to reconsider the photographs in their own lives—not just as memories, but as emotional anchors. In a world saturated with visual media, Bass argues for a more intentional, even reverent, relationship with photography.
“We’re taking more pictures than ever, but we’re looking at them less,” she says. “Authentic photography isn’t a lost art; it’s just waiting for us to slow down and really see.”
By preserving her parents’ stories through word and image, Bass stepped into the role of becoming the “lightkeeper,” the guardian of a legacy only she could hold. She invites readers to become lightkeepers in their own families: to collect, preserve and share, not only what is visible, but what is felt.
“It’s not just about remembering,” she reflects. “It’s about illuminating—making sure the light of those we’ve lost still shines forward.”
With Lightkeeper, Bass has created something rare: a memoir that is deeply personal yet universally resonant, intimate yet widely instructive. For anyone navigating the terrain of grief, it offers not only solace, but a lens through which to reframe the journey.
More family photos that are used in the memoir.
Save the Date
Bass’s launch event, on Tuesday, September 16, will be held at the Westport Library, in conversation with Dani Shapiro.
DETAILS TO FOLLOW:
Join photographer Stacy Waldman Bass as she discusses her new memoir, Lightkeeper: A Memoir Through the Lens of Love and Loss, in her hometown with fellow memoirist and mentor Dani Shapiro. A luminous story of loss and resilience, Lightkeeper captures acclaimed photographer Bass’s personal journey through grief—and the art of keeping her parents’ legacy alive through memory and photography.
There will be a reception starting at 6:30 p.m., with the book launch and conversation starting at 7 p.m. Copies of Lightkeeper will be available for sale and signing at the event.
DETAILS
Date: Tue, September 16
Time: 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Cost: Free – $30
Venue: The Westport Library
20 Jesup Road, Westport,CT
Lightkeeper: A Memoir Through the Lens of Love and Loss is available September 16 from Simon & Schuster and on Audible.
Bass’s Fine Art Photography
above: “Black Sand, White Water 3” and “Eclipse 1.”
Stacy Bass’s fine art photography is currently represented by Swoon Gallery.
9 Sconset Square Westport CT
203-557-0997