Ellen Anderson Penno was 24 in 1986 when her first love and Carleton College classmate Ian Kraabel died in an avalanche while guiding a party of climbers on Mount Baker in the Cascade Range in Washington. His body was found in a crevice just before Penno was scheduled to begin medical school. Should she take time to grieve or begin rigorous medical studies? She chose medicine.

Ellen Anderson Penno and Ian Kraabel in an undated black and white photo taken before he died in an avalanche in 1986. (Courtesy of Ellen Anderson Penno)

Penno tells her story for the first time in her memoir “Counting Bones: Anatomy of Love Lost and Found,”  which she’ll introduce in her hometown of Stillwater at 5 p.m. Thursday, May 23, at the Lowell Inn, 102 N. Second St., presented by Valley Bookseller.

Now an ophthalmologist in Calgary, Penno structures her sometimes-funny story through the lens of the classical medical text “Gray’s Anatomy.” In this celebration of Kraabel’s life, she shows readers what becomes of those who must rebuild their lives after a tragedy. Minnesota plays a role in her book since she earned degrees from the University of Minnesota and did an internship at Hennepin County Medical Center and a residency at the Mayo Clinic. She also holds graduate certificates in creative writing from Humber College in Canada and narrative medicine from Columbia University.

Penno’s Thursday program is free, but attendees are asked to sign up using the Get Ticket option so Valley Bookseller staff can make seating arrangements. The registration link, as well as book purchase option, can be accessed at Valleybookseller.com.

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