The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 33

Lee Hunsaker

I could, asking questions of knowledgeable people and sharing information with other small chocolatiers. Last year I was
able to take advantage of the Scale Up program for small
businesses. Fortunately, I learn from my mistakes."

LEE Hunsaker
The Love Of Writing

Lee Hunsaker grew up with the distinct advantage of
being-for the past 47 years-the daughter of theatrical,
eccentric, bonvivant, raconteur Julie Hunsaker, among
other things. Her evolution and Next Chapter are the
result of consistently following her bliss and looking for
opportunities for change.
Let her tell the story: "After spending most of my adult life
working in film, moving from job to job, traveling, forming
and losing friendships (nature of that business), coming back
to Roanoke was a shock to my system. I was, and in many ways
still am, in the throes of an epic identity crisis.
"I realized that a part of me that had been pushed away and
buried was my lifelong love of writing. I enrolled in some classes
at Hollins ... immersed myself in motherhood and my family,
and slowly began to find my footing again.
"I [organized] writing workshops in my living room, which
branched off into public spaces like Sweet Donkey Coffee and
even at Parkway Brewing! From those and from keeping strong
ties to Austin, Santa Fe, New York, etc., I realized that Virginia
is rich with stories and storytellers. I took a chance and organized a monthly Moth-style live storytelling series called Hoot
and Holler: Our Stories."
Hoot and Holler is no way to get rich-it pays very little-
but in the "finding your bliss" attic, it's in the big trunk. Hunsaker has always sought out that particular part of life, from

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Cathy Dick
attending high school for theater and writing near Boston, to
majoring in English and theater at VCU.
Her mom "always encouraged me in the arts. My love of costume and film began in my childhood, as my mother owned the
first vintage clothing store in Roanoke and eventually came to
own the Grandin Theater. I was introduced to the film business
when 'Crazy People' chose the Grandin as a filming location.
From there, I ended up in casting in Baltimore for John Waters
and eventually made my way to Austin, Texas."
She met the costume designer from "Waiting For Guffman"
who "noticed that I had a sharp eye and good sense of style and
design. She asked if I would come work on set and from there
my costume career took off." She'd been a costume designer for
movies like "Miss Congeniality," "Office Space" and "Boyhood."
In 2008 she was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a new
marriage and an 18-month-old son. "My world was thrown
upside down," she says. She "went through nearly a year of aggressive treatments and surgeries" and "came to the decision that
the stress, hours, and physical and emotional demands of the
film industry were going to compromise my health.
"I needed to re-evaluate all I'd ever known in all areas of my
life. It was time to prioritize and in doing so, I made the very
hard choice to leave Austin and my career as I knew it, and to
return back to my hometown of Roanoke. My husband, also
extremely successful in his career as a prop master, gave up a
lot to be here."
The move, initially, "was a shock to my system. I was,
and in many ways still am, in the throes of an epic identity crisis." That's when she rediscovered her love of writing
and "slowly began to find my footing again ... and I now
believe I am finally finding my way back to myself and to
what I truly love."

MARCH/APRIL 2017 | 33

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The Roanoker March/April 2017

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