AUSTIN, TX - The wisdom of twenty-five women elders of Texas is preserved in a new book written by PJ Pierce and published by the University of Texas Press. "Let me tell you what I've learned:" Texas Wisewomen Speak is available in bookstores and online at UT Press and other online stores.

The project was born the day Barbara Jordan died, Pierce explains. "I wasn't ready to lose her. She contained too much wisdom yet unspoken." In response to that loss, Pierce became determined to preserve the wisdom of older, accomplished women of Texas, the "tribal elders" of our society, for succeeding generations. She conducted a series of extensive interviews and distilled them in these pages; now the wisdom, experience and advice the women shared with her can also offer readers - whether old or young, male or female - opportunity for a richer life.

The women in this book have indeed lived extraordinary lives. Pioneers all, they forged paths in fields not open to women in their time, overcame obstacles along the way, and rose to a level of distinction that brought recognition and respect. They changed stereotypes of what it meant to be a young woman and now, experienced and seasoned, they continue to change stereotypes of what it means to be female in the second half of life.

"PJ Pierce has done us a great favor," Liz Carpenter observes in the Foreword. "She has gleaned from twenty-five strong women with a variety of experiences the essence of living a full and useful life."

The women interviewed have all crossed the half-century mark, and represent a cross section of career paths, ethnic groups, and geographic areas of Texas. They also share the collective mystique of the Texas woman, and whether or not that mystique is real or quantifiable, the state has nevertheless exerted a strong influence on each of their lives.

The accessible format of the book, with quotes broken up into categories and clearly indexed, makes the chapter easy to skim, and particular topics of interest - be they motherhood, career challenges, perseverance, power, speaking out, teamwork, voting -- easy to find.

For more information about the book, please contact Dave Hamrick, UT Press, at 512/232-7634, or at dave@utpress.ppb.utexas.edu. To interview the author, or to invite her to speak in your area, feel free to contact PJ Pierce at 512-346-7455, 512/346-4848 fax, or pjpierce@sbcglobal.net.

"Let me tell you what I've learned:" Texas Wisewomen Speak is also available in big-print through The Ulverscroft Group. To locate it on their website, click on "Search" and enter "Pierce" in Author field.