By Lani Gering

I had the pleasure of making a new friend last fall when we both had donned our “,la” – IYKYK – ball caps and were hopeful about the outcome of the election as we ran into each other at one of both of our favorite new watering holes – Frankie’s Kitchen & Bar. We exchanged compliments and went about our business in that first encounter but were later formally introduced by our mutual young friend and person responsible for the layout and design of this this publication, Erin. Erin knew that we would get along famously and even suggested that Tess would be excellent subject matter for this profile. After doing my “googling” homework, I found out that this is one very impressive woman on and above just being a lot of fun and a joy to be around.

About Tess

In the essence of time, I garnered the majority of the information below from her website tessbanion.com so we could just talk about what she does for fun when she isn’t writing during our interview:

“Tess Banion, is an author, a producer and activist. She received her Master’s degree in Film and Media Studies from the University of Kansas in Spring 2011. Before graduate school she worked for several decades in political campaigns in Kansas and Minnesota.

Tess’ inaugural novel, A Parting Glass, was described by James A. Cox, of the Midwest Book Review as “A deftly crafted and engaging story of hope and transformations, A Parting Glass showcases author Tess Banion’s genuine flair for narrative driven storytelling. One of those rare novels that will linger in the mind and memory of the reader long after the book itself has been finished and set back upon the shelf, A Parting Glass is unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists and community library Contemporary General Fiction collections. Available in hard back at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and via Audible, Apple Books and at most libraries.

She also co-produced Garden City, Kansas – a documentary film about the pluralistic society that features foreign workers, asylum seekers and refugees working in the Kansas agriculture and meat packing industry in Southwest Kansas. A foiled bomb attack, planned by white supremacists in 2016, by the FBI, which targeted Somali refugees, show the strength, courage, and legacy of the people of Garden City – the descendants of the earliest inhabitants and new arrivals. This film provides a connection to the heated national discussion of immigration. The film is available on Apple TV and Prime Video.”

She is currently working on another novel based around the murder of an aunt of hers that takes place in the late 1800’s. When asked if she has a title for it, she just grinned and said, “I’m really bad with titles. You can tell from the name of my documentary – Garden City, Kansas. I am going to need some help with the title for this new one.” I volunteered to give her some ideas once it has come to fruition.

After a lifetime of living on the plains of Kansas, Tess and her husband of 44+ years, George, moved to Old Town in 2021 in order to be closer to their daughter and grandchildren. They also have a son who lives in Minnesota with his family and they visit them regularly. She said that she does miss some of her longtime friends but has cultivated a life here that she thoroughly enjoys.

Writing is her passion but she manages to have a bit of fun in tandem with her schedule. She and George can be found hopping the train to the Big Apple to grab a bite, catch a matinee on Broadway, have a cocktail or two and back on the train home at the end of the day. This is something I have always wanted to do myself. They are also big fans of AAU track and field and venture to Virginia Beach to watch the kids run, jump and throw a softball in the championships each year. They have more recently become avid NASCAR fans. That sort of cracked me up. Her eyes lit up as she talked about her first race and listening to Danika Patrick and her pit crew on the ear phones and she is really excited about the trip to the Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina this fall that George is putting together for them. It is certainly a full life.

In the words of her 4 year-old granddaughter, “Listen up, Honey”, Tess Banion is someone you want to meet.