SpirituallyFit.com - More about the authors

More about the authors

CLAIRE FAVRO: Claire began sewing on a Singer treadle machine at the age of 12, while living in Japan. By the time she returned to the United States two years later, her passion for textiles was firmly established. Her time in Japan also kindled a desire to explore the human experience connecting us across cultural boundaries. She’s found it’s often in the shared contemplation of nature that this connection is most deeply felt.

Claire's textile art is very much inspired by nature and the intricacies of relationships. Quilting is the technique Claire uses to create her work but since "quilting" carries the connotation of quilting bees, bed covers, and traditional shapes and designs, she labels it "textile art," suggesting a kinship with a more abstract approach and an intention to create for public display. Part of the fun of her pieces is the possibility for multiple interpretations. While seeing the originals in person is wonderful, even the photos convey this sense of playfulness and an invitation to relax into the image.

Thank you Claire for sharing your art with us and for submitting your article, "Sacred Spaces in a Quilt", expressing the peace you receive from this active form of meditation.

KATE REAVEY: Kate's "Reflections on September 11, 2001" ring close to her heart as she grew up in New Jersey and maintains a strong connection to her friends and relatives in New York City. Kate has been featured on our webzine before and we are grateful for her beautiful and personal contributions to this issue.

Kate's poetry is as much inspired by the rhythms of weather and seasonal change as it is by human relationships. A student of Gary Snyder, Reavey has published two limited edition, letter-pressed chapbooks, "Through the East Window" (Sagittarius) and "Trading Posts" (Tangram). She is co-director of the Foothills Writers Series, founder of the Poetry at the Brewery series in Port Angeles, and adjunct poetry editor for the Pharos, Journal of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honors Medical Society. Her poetry has appeared in Mothering magazine, the Western Journal of Medicine, and on the Lost Mountain Poesia. She and her husband make their home in the foothills of the Olympic mountains, where Reavey worked five seasons as a park ranger and six years as a college instructor before settling into life with two small children. She is currently at work on a collaboration with another poet (who is also a labor/delivery nurse) on a collection of stories about childbirth.

MICHAEL LEVY: Michael returns to our webzine with a story about perservering with the help of "spirit" and embracing love and joy while lecturing on a cruise during the time of the terrorist attacks in his article "A Time for the True Hero". Michael's web site is pointoflife.com which hosts articles, poems, and interesting links such as his "Spirit Test".

PATRICK LOAFMAN: We welcome Patrick back to SpirituallyFit and thank him for sharing these poems from his publications, Desert Journal and Song of the Winter Wren. Enjoy!

From Patrick: "After Fours Years of Amphibian Research" is written about my work in Olympic National Park, studying stream-dwelling amphibians. I was lucky enough to find six egg masses of the tailed frog, "Ascaphus truei", only six others have been reported to date. But much more important than the "data" was the experience of finding them.

"A Cloud Blooming" also refers to amphibians, this time the spade-foot toad who buries into the desert sand and remains dormant most of its life, coming to the surface during the brief rainstorms to breed. This poem, to me, reads like a dialogue between the poem itself and the poet making suggestions ("If I...") of lines that could be added that would change the poem's direction."

GAIL EVANS: is the author of Meditations In My Favourite Places In Southern Africa, The Firstborn of God, and Time Trials. She has had a lifetime interest in religion. Her frustration with orthodox attitudes towards women as well as the Calvinist Church's support of racialism during South Africa's apartheid era led her to search for answers of her own. Her controversial conclusions are the result of fourteen years of research.

From Gail: "I live in Johannesburg South Africa and have done so all my life. I am married with two sons, two dogs, two cats and a swimming pool that is more often than not green. But, it matches the lawn as it is colour coordinated most of the time."

More information about Gail Evans and her books can be found at her web site: http://gailevans.tripod.com/gailevans/index.html

JOSEPH JENKINS: With a lifelong interest in natural spirituality, Joseph Jenkins has made living lightly on the Earth his reality for over three decades. His love for the written word along with his strong environmental ethic and scientific background enables him to share a vital perspective on ecology and the human condition.

Jenkins lives with his wife, Jeanine, in western Pennsylvania on their owner-built, 17-acre homestead. They have a blended family of six children. Self-employed six months of the year in the restoration of century-old stone roofs, the author carries on a trade he has practiced since 1967. The remaining six months of the year are spent researching, writing and publishing.

The excerpt, "Symbiosis", is but a mere taste of Jenkins' engaging and thought-provoking book, Balance Point - Searching For A Spiritual Missing Link. Not only was this fictional story enjoyable to read but, it also provides insight into a pending global ecological collapse.

ELEANORA SCARPETTA: Eleanora has once again graced us with her love of food through her article "Benefits of Comfort Food" and her Italian recipes to be enjoyed on a crisp fall/winter day. The simplicity of Eleanora's words and recipes are easy for us to apply to our lives and share with our loved ones. This is a time when comfort is especially important for ourselves and to bring to others. There's nothing like showing up with a home cooked meal and a hug to lift someone's spirits.

Thank you again Eleanora for submitting your story and sharing your recipes and beautiful spirit!

PATTIANN ROGERS: Pattiann spices up this issue with "The Hummingbird: A Seduction". Touted as a PG-Rated site this racy poem was almost censored from this issue! But, the poem still passes the test. Adults may find it racy but there's nothing but nature at its best in this piece. Children may have a few questions for you parents though, so be prepared!

As always, we enjoy Pattann's poems and are thankful for being part of our webzine these last two years!

AL HARRIS: Al speaks from his heart as he shares his personal reaction to losing a friend to the WTC tragedy in "Beyond the First Glance". Thank you Al for your continued contributions and being part of our webzine from the very beginning!

DEEPAK CHOPRA: "The Law of Detachment" from the Seven Spiritual Laws of Success was selected for this issue partly to remind us of the impermanence of things. Something for all of us to ponder.

Thank you Deepak for your support of our webzine. Namaste.