Partner Authors
Mary Cronk-Farrell
~ For more information see this author's website at http://marycronkfarrell.com
Chen Hui
~ Chen Hui was born in 1966, at the very start of the Cultural Revolution, in Changsha, the capital of Hunan province. That same year her father was removed by the government from his position as an engineer and taken to the countryside to work as a farm laborer for ten years. He was determined to see his daughter learn English, however, and asked a friend of his to begin teaching her. Hui eventually majored in English literature and education at Hunan Normal University, following which she served as the director of the International Office at the Hunan University of Economics, as well as at the Central South University of Forestry and Technology, both in Chansha. She then moved to the United States, earning an MA in education from Harding University, in Searcy, Arkansas. Her professional career has led her to teach English in China, to place English teachers in Chinese schools, and to teach Chinese in English-speaking schools, most recently at St. George's School, in Spokane, Washington, and much of her life's work has thus been devoted to building bridges between China and the United States. Having also made an informal study of ancient Chinese literature for many years, she is always delighted to have the opportunity to share traditional Chinese culture with Western friends.
Claire Rudolph Murphy
~ For more information see this author's website at http://www.clairerudolfmurphy.com
Meghan Nuttall Sayres
~ For more information see this author's website at http://www.meghannuttallsayres.com
Dr. Freda Crane
~ Dr. Freda Crane is an educator who has worked on developing Islamic curriculum on three continents. She received her MA in Curriculum from the University of California, Berkeley, and her EdD from the University of Cincinnati in Ohio. She has traveled widely collecting Muslim literature from as far away as China, and as close as the nearest used book store. Dr. Crane has been a Muslim for over thirty years, teaching and developing instruction for Islamic schools in the United States, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and Malaysia. She was the children's book editor for American Trust Publications, and Islamic publishing company, for several years, and has long been active in the educational activities of Islamic Society of North America. She is in charge of curriculum development at FADEL, the Foundation for the Advancement and Development of Education and Learning.
Tracy Springberry
~ Tracy Springberry is writer of short essays on life and much longer musings on theology. She is studying for the Unitarian Universalist ministry, is the mother of four children, and coeditor of At Work In Life's Garden: Writers on the Spiritual Adventure of Parenting. The book is a collection of outstanding essays by authors such as Barbara Kingsolver, Anne Lamott, and Scott Russell Sanders reflecting on how they have grown personally through parenting. Essays cover subjects such discovering wonder, struggling with anger, and engaging life after loss. She likes to discuss parenting as a spiritual journey, her own writing and spiritual development.
Betsy Wharton
~ Betsy Wharton lives in Pt. Angeles, Washington where she serves on the City Council. She is a registered nurse whose work has taken her into many settings, including an urban AIDS Hospice, homeless shelters, the Navajo Indian Reservation, and an Afghan refugee camp in Peshawar, Pakistan. The essay, "The Rabbi's Garage" was a winner of the 2001 AWP Intro Award and first appeared in the March 2001 issue of the Mid-American Review.