AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT

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GEORGE SCHNAIDER

The inspiration for my poetry is God. I believe that God has showered me with countless blessings, one of the most profound being a unique perspective on life. Many of us journey through life witnessing events we cannot fully comprehend, myself included. I once struggled to make sense of why certain things happened to me.

But then, there came a moment of revelation—a deep understanding of life that God granted me. I began to see the reasons behind my past, the meaning of the present, and the promise of the future. We often hear stories of miraculous survival—a person hit by a car who walks away, or someone who plummets from the sky without a functioning parachute, yet somehow lives. People tend to call these instances “luck,” but I believe luck plays no part. Such individuals are spared by the grace of God. I, too, have a story to share.

On November 3, 1984, I was walking along the side of the road when a car struck me from behind. The impact left me with seven fractures in my left leg, four fractures in my pelvis, and a traumatic brain injury. I spent three weeks in a coma, four weeks attached to life support, seven months in the hospital, and two and a half years in rehabilitation. Slowly, I emerged from that coma and began a long road to recovery. While I lost my sense of smell due to brain damage, I regained enough strength to live a normal life—not through luck, but because I was saved by God’s divine hand.

This experience reshaped my entire existence, granting me a newfound appreciation for life and igniting a powerful desire to build a closer relationship with God. Both my recovery and my spiritual journey have deeply influenced the poems I write, each one a reflection of my gratitude, faith, and love for the Almighty.

I hope these poems resonate with you and bring a touch of divine inspiration into your life. May God bless you abundantly.

“We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect.”
–Anaïs Nin

JULI-ANN GASPER

Way Up North Where the Kittiwakes Play

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Juli-Ann Gasper grew up in a family with a passion for exploration, spending her childhood summers on immersive camping trips to national parks. These annual three- to four-week excursions sparked her curiosity for geology, flora, fauna, and local cultures, as the family camped under the stars, cooked over campfires, and hiked through forests and canyons. These formative experiences laid the foundation for a lifelong love of adventure and learning.

Her 32-year career at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, showcased her dedication to education. Juli-Ann was always ahead of the curve, adopting emerging technologies to engage students in new and exciting ways. She was the first professor at the university to create a web page for her classes and received wide-eyed amazement from students when she inserted a YouTube video into a PowerPoint lecture. Beyond the classroom, her teaching experience included four semesters in the Dominican Republic and a research trip to Costa Rica, where she studied women’s cooperative businesses.

Now in her second career as a fabric artist, Juli-Ann continues to draw inspiration from nature and her travels. She developed a unique technique called layered cutaway, where up to 10 pieces of fabric are stitched together, layer by layer, creating stunning three-dimensional art. Her subjects often reflect the landscapes, animals, and plants encountered on her journeys, including the Arctic north, which inspired the book on which this bio is based. Over the past two decades, she has sold more than 200 pieces of art.

Retirement hasn’t slowed Juli-Ann’s thirst for adventure. She and her husband regularly embark on travel expeditions, often with their adult children. A cherished tradition is to bring home an alphabet book from each destination for the family who takes care of their home during their travels. When no such book was available during their Arctic journey, Juli-Ann decided to write one herself.

The 2023 edition of her book, Way Up North, features expanded content that includes discussions on the effects of climate change on the plants and animals she encountered, along with links to interactive activities for both children and adults.

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT

GEORGE SCHNAIDER

JULI-ANN GASPER

Way Up North Where the Kittiwakes Play

beyond the pages