Founder of Pulpwood Queens Book Club and Beauty and the Book, Kathy L. Patrick

Kathy L. Patrick is a licensed hairdresser who READS! And, she encourages others to read because, "Reading is the key to educating yourself and helping you have a more authentic and purposeful life."

Kathy L. Patrick - “Who better than a beauty professional to tell you that beauty comes from within. I take great satisfaction in helping people look their best but true beauty comes from within. We are "beauty within" queens, because we are readers and because we accept and respect each other's differences. God made us just exactly as we are and now it is our job to discover our talents, our gifts, and our purpose in this world. I just happen to believe that all those things are revealed when we become a nation, a world of readers."

When licensed cosmetologist turned publisher's rep Kathy L. Patrick lost her job during an industry slump, she hardly blinked. She opened Beauty and the Book, the only beauty salon/bookstore in the world. And, shortly thereafter, she founded The Pulpwood Queens of East Texas, a book club/reading group, asks the question, "Does a book club have to be snobby to be serious?" The concept spread nationwide and around the world. Now there are over 300 chapters nationwide and several international chapters. In addition to wearing tiaras, hot pink, and leopard print outfits the groups have BIG TIME FUN! The Pulpwood Queens’ mission: Get the WORLD READING!

In the small historic town of Jefferson, in Northeast Texas, Kathy L. Patrick is generating a worldwide storm of literacy and reading for enjoyment and self-improvement. Kathy says that, “Beauty and the Book, the ONLY Hair salon/Book Store in the country, 'combines my two passions, Beauty and BOOKS!' I think this is what God wanted me to do,”

Kathy Patrick, for over a year, volunteered at a homeless shelter each month. “After reading the book, ‘Same Kind of Different as Me,’ I ended up starting a life writing class at Newgate Mission, (homeless shelter), Longview, Texas. After we started the life writing class, I realized we needed to be reading, too. So I started the Pulpwood Queens and Timber Guys of Newgate Mission, one of only a handful of book clubs in homeless shelters anywhere.” Patrick said Newgate mission was the first homeless shelter she had ever been in, and she had no idea what to expect. “After my first visit, my eyes were opened. I had no idea but to expect but I found something totally different. I found people just like me, people who, through a series of unfortunate choices ended up homeless. I realized right then we have to seriously look behind us to see who have fallen behind, and help them back up.

The thing about going into a homeless shelter is there’s a matter of trust. And these people have been so broken that they’ve lost trust in people. So it took me about six months before I could even get a word out of them on the writing process.” Most in the shelter were functionally illiterate. Patrick brought a laptop and transcribed as they told their stories. “And I don’t know what happened, but these people sat down with me and their stories started spilling out. What happens to these people, I could cry right in front of you right now. Because when they tell you their stories, some of them are horrific. The people at the shelter I found were the results of poverty, ignorance, and bad parenting choices. It's very hard to make a good decision in life when lambasted by these three things.

“If we want this world to be a better place, we have got to start teaching, treating our children like the most precious gift, gifts from God.”

Patrick has made literacy the mission of her Pulpwood Queen Book Club. “In Marion County, where I live, we have a 39 percent adult illiteracy. The Pulpwood Queens are going to do something about that.”

Her own book, The Pulpwood Queen's Tiara-Wearing, Book-Sharing Guide to Life, is Kathy's story of a life saved by books and how she is now "paying it forward" by helping create a world of readers. It's also a fun filled ride through the benefits of reading and sharing what you have read with friends. The book celebrates female friendship, sisterhood, and the transformative power of reading. It includes life principles and motivational anecdotes, hilarious and heart-warming stories of friendships among the Queens, and stories from Kathy about the books that have inspired her throughout her life, complete with personalized suggested book lists.

Jefferson, Texas is a ways off the beaten path, but worth the trip. If all you do come to Jefferson please stop at Beauty and the Book and meet Kathy, your trip will be a success. You might also enjoy the history and ambiance of this little historic city that Kathy calls, "Mayberry on the Bayou". The Bed & Breakfast Capital of Texas, stay overnight in one of our fantabulous B&B's or historic hotels, enjoy our fine eateries and museums. We have carriage rides on our brick lined streets, to boat rides on the bayou, to even a steam train ride along the bayou. Shop at unique antique stores, boutiques, and retail establishments along the brick streets.

KATHY L. PATRICK lives just outside historic Jefferson, Texas with her husband, Jay and daughter Madeleine. Their oldest, Helaina attends the University of Texas in Tyler. Their home dubbed GRAND CENTRAL STATION also is the home of CoCo, the fastest dog in the west, their cats, Salley, Paul Newman, Ferrelina and TARZAN, their guard Leopard who also loves books as much as life itself!