Maggie Bennett is best known for her folk music, but this longtime resident of Mercer Island has recently published her first book, “Windy Stories,” which is based on her Ph.D. dissertation. Bennett has traveled most of the world, and has heard many stories.

She will be at Island Books tonight and again on April 14, when you can meet her and get a signed copy of her book. The event tonight is a benefit for the Senior Foundation of Mercer Island. April 14, or French night, is a benefit for Thonon-les-Bains, France, Mercer Island’s sister city.

Where did you grow up? I grew up in Ohio, in a small town: Hudson, Ohio. I had an idyllic childhood. I was there until I married. We came here in 1960 for my husband to work for Boeing. I’ve been in this house since 1964. This was Esther William’s summer home.

What about your education? I got my B.S. in philosophy from Denison University in Granville (Ohio). I asked my father what I should take, and he said it didn’t matter because I’d get married and raise a family!

When did you start traveling? When I was 19 I took my first trip — a summer tour of Europe. I had a scholarship from Kappa Kappa Gamma, so I studied at the Sorbonne in Paris. I learned about French art and literature. Then I realized that I really didn’t know how to do anything, so I went to the University of Wisconsin to study speech and drama. I got my masters; for my thesis, I produced 12 programs for one of the first educational TV shows, “Wisconsin is my Doorstep,” with stories, songs and guests.

So, you’re a singer? I’ve been singing folk music all my life (she also plays Irish harp, autoharp and mountain dulcimer). When I got my masters, I was out doing my programs, but I wanted to go back to Europe. I did, and spent a year in Innsbruck and studied folklore. I took harp and voice lessons. I came back and did a concert series for the University of Washington. KWY in Cleveland asked me to do a children’s show called “Morning Surprise,” and I did that for less than a year. I also taught at the University of Colorado for four years (in the ’60s). I sang with Judy Collins when she was only about 19. That was a lively time to be in the folk music world.

Did you do any shows here? When we came out here I did a show for KCTS, “Folksong Heritage,” with different guests. I also did a radio show for KING FM for children called “The Rummy Dummy Line.”

Are you still performing? Yes, I did two shows on St. Patrick’s Day — Island House and University House in Issaquah.

So you went back to school? I went back to school to become a teacher. First I was a teacher’s assistant at the University (of Washington), then a speech and drama teacher at Mt. Si. I was going to UW to get my Ph.D. in folklore. I was 54 when I got my Ph.D.

Is this your first book? Yes. When I was teaching at Mt. Si, I told the kids to write about people they knew. I met this old guy (Del Ringer) — he talked about growing up on the Salmon River (in Idaho). So I decided to focus on him for my dissertation. I went over there (to White Bird, Idaho) to take pictures of the area. In the end I met 10 different storytellers talking about the same people, the same places in the same time period (turn of the century). The University of Idaho Press was going to publish the book, but their press went out of business. So I got my manuscript back. A couple of years ago I decided to publish this because I didn’t want it to die. I got a letter recently from Idaho Libraries, and they want to make it available for the blind and handicapped.

When did it hit the shelves? 2009, but I didn’t push it. I had multiple projects going on; my motive wasn’t to make money but to make the material available. (In addition to Island Books, the book is available at Amazon.com.)

So, you never lived in Idaho? No, I was just enamored with Del Ringer. These little towns — what do you do there? You sit on the front porch and tell stories. That’s where the title comes from; these guys would say, “Boy, those old timers sure told windy stories.”

Do you have children? I’m very proud of my children. My oldest daughter, Robin Bennett, runs the genetic counseling center at UW and has an honorary Ph.D. My daughter Kristin Bennett is a professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. She also has a Ph.D. She is tracking the resurgence of tuberculosis in the world, especially in this country. My son, Paul Bennett, has his masters and designs sports equipment for K2. All of them grew up on Mercer Island.

Any final thoughts? My message to everybody is save that stuff — write down your memories. Do it for your family. The people in the book say the telling of the stories are family glue.