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Family Memories: WOOLRICH, PA

My mother used to visit my husband and me in Connecticut for a few weeks in the summer. She was in her early eighties then and, except for some hearing loss and eyesight issues, in remarkably good health.

One July I asked my friend Sue to drive out with me to Ohio to pick her up. On the way back, we decided to treat Mom by swinging off I-80 in mid-Pennsylvania to Woolrich, the company town headquarters of the eponymous sporting wear line.

My mother had some kind of recessed, Paleolithic hunter gene. She loved to shop and when she discovered a great bargain, an archetypal hunt lust was satiated. That afternoon we shopped the cavernous factory store until finally, knowing we still had a six hour drive ahead of us, I eased Mom reluctantly back to our car with her bags.

Sue and I take a lot of trips together. She drives and I navigate. I believe my genetic lineage descends directly from Odysseus; Sue’s, from A. J. Foyt. In that pre-Smartphone/GPS technological era, I was the maven of maps. Worried about time, I spotted a road that avoided the long highway looping around Williamsport. This one looked to be a straight shot back down to an I-80 interchange­.

Pine Mountain Road, as its name promised, wound through a pleasant green forest. Shortly, we began to climb. As distances between houses grew, I reassured my mother, inquiring somewhat nervously from the back seat, “Are you sure we are on the right road?”

“Of course.”

My mother, always the worrier.

The houses became smaller, quainter, more like cabins. Towering pines blocked out nearly all the sun. I noticed the road sign had four numbers on it now, instead of the usual two or three. We continued to climb. Abruptly the paved surface turned to dirt. I heard my mother in the back, rustling around in her purse. Mom kept things inside it carefully sorted into various, little plastic baggies and I was used to hearing her sound like a loose squirrel whenever she fished out something she wanted.

We passed a sign to keep alert for moose. I asked Sue if she knew when mating season started. She didn’t. She’s from Boston. We passed another sign naming the area a state forest—something to do with bears. Behind me I heard an occasional, faint clicking sound.

The road surface turned rutty and gravelly. Sue downshifted, even though the J-30 had automatic transmission. The engine sounded different, whiny, as we continued to climb. I mentioned to Sue that my ears were popping. Her's were too. My mother began to whisper to herself, which she often did. I think it had something to do with not hearing well anymore.

Sue downshifted again. The odd clicking sound in the back grew rhythmic. I asked Sue how many more gears the J-30 had.

“This is it,” she said, when suddenly the road crested. The engine returned to normalcy and we speeded up. I was glad because so far, we hadn’t saved any time driving in first gear.

We flashed through more pine forest and soon began to descend. I consulted my map again. Our route wasn’t shaded green like most maps do to show the strips of mountains piercing up through central Pennsylvania. In fact, it promised a straight drive down to the interstate.

At that precise moment the road angled sharply to the right into a steep, 180° switchback. The J-30’s rear end fishtailed on the loose gravel, tires skittering to find traction as Sue fought the steering wheel.

When we finally pulled out of the skid and slowed, Sue and I both let out expletives.

And in the backseat, my mother’s voice rose, calling out an audible to the heavens:

"Hail Mary, full of grace . . . may the Lord be with us, now and at the hour of our deaths. Amen."

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A Naturopathic Doctor’s Guide to Wellness for Immune Support

Using the Six Principles of Naturopathic Medicine to Protect and Promote Your Family’s Health and Well-Being

Artemis Morris
With a Foreword by James Maskill

A Holistic Approach to the Challenge of a Global Pandemic

This book uses the principles of Naturopathic Medicine to provide you and your family with safe and natural ways to protect and enhance your health and well-being. There are currently no scientifically approved broad-spectrum antivirals or immunotherapies available to prevent or treat COVID-19. Because of this, it is even more imperative that we do all we can to prevent disease by taking care of ourselves naturally. This includes correcting any nutrient deficiencies which compromise our health, following protocols which support our immune system’s ability to respond to illness, and keeping ourselves out of the hospital by reducing the danger of viral transmission. This approach offers a combination of traditional knowledge and wisdom from holistic therapies alongside the latest breakthroughs in evidence-based medicine as well as clinical experience gained by healthcare professionals who are currently caring for patients during the world-wide COVID-19 pandemic.

Artemis D MorrisAbout the Author

Dr. Artemis Morris is a Naturopathic Physician, Licensed Acupuncturist, professor of nutrition, researcher, author, and public speaker.  Dr. Artemis is the co-academic director of the Integrative Health and Healing Program at The Graduate Institute and professor of nutrition at The Human Nutrition Institute at University of Bridgeport, where she also taught nutrition for the Naturopathic Medical School.  She completed her Naturopathic Doctorate and Masters in Acupuncture at Bastyr University in Seattle, Washington where she conducted research on natural anti-virals for HIV.  Dr. Artemis is the medical director and founder of Artemis Wellness Center, LLC an integrative wellness center that specializes in women’s health and wellness and holistic primary care medicine.  Artemis has served as the director of the natural health center at Masonic Healthcare Center in Wallingford, the largest geriatric healthcare center in CT where she did research on acupuncture and pain management.  Dr. Artemis has been researching the Mediterranean Diet and plants of Crete since 2005 and lectures at medical conferences on The Mediterranean diet and other natural health topics.  Dr. Artemis Morris co-authored the book The Anti-Inflammation Diet for Dummies. Her practice philosophy is inspired by the quote from Paracelsus that states, “The art of healing comes from nature and not from the physician. Therefore, the physician must start from nature with an open mind.”

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Awakening the Hidden Storyteller

How to Build Storytelling Tradition In Your Family

Robin Moore

A Nationally-Acclaimed Storyteller reveals the essential elements of storytelling, story listening and story creating in this award-winning guide to creating your own storytelling tradition.

Inside each of us is a natural-born storyteller, waiting to be released. Beginning with this simple idea, professional storyteller Robin Moore guides you through the steps of locating, crafting and delivering compelling spoken stories. This title is available in three forms: As a large-format paperback book, as an e-book and as an audio recording.

Robin MooreAbout the Author

Robin Moore has made his full-time living since 1981 as an author, storyteller and instructor in story creation skills in both spoken and written word. He has written more than a dozen award-winning books, published by HarperCollins, Random House and Simon& Schuster. He is owner of his own independent publishing house, Groundhog Press, which produces books and recordings celebrating the oral tradition. He has presented more than 5,000 storytelling programs and has told stories to more than one million people. He holds a B.A. in Journalism from Pennsylvania State University and a M.A. in Oral Traditions from The Graduate Institute. He serves on the faculty of The Graduate Institute as Program Coordinator for The Master of Arts in Writing and Oral Traditions Program, The Applied Storytelling Certificate Program and the Master of Arts in Learning and Thinking Program and is Director of The Graduate Institute Publishing Center.

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The Natural Born Writer

Robin Moore

A Successful Author shows you how to bring your writing projects to fruition, using the imaginative skills you already possess.

Robin Moore struggled for seven years to write his first novel. Today, a dozen books later, he can write one in less than 90 days—with greater creativity and fluidity than he ever dreamed possible. In this ground-breaking book, he reveals his tried-and-true technique for entering the world of imagination and producing compelling writing, using the ancient tools of the storyteller.

Robin MooreAbout the Author

Robin Moore has made his full-time living since 1981 as an author, storyteller and instructor in story creation skills in both spoken and written word. He has written more than a dozen award-winning books, published by HarperCollins, Random House and Simon& Schuster. He is owner of his own independent publishing house, Groundhog Press, which produces books and recordings celebrating the oral tradition. He has presented more than 5,000 storytelling programs and has told stories to more than one million people. He holds a B.A. in Journalism from Pennsylvania State University and a M.A. in Oral Traditions from The Graduate Institute. He serves on the faculty of The Graduate Institute as Program Coordinator for The Master of Arts in Writing and Oral Traditions Program, The Applied Storytelling Certificate Program and the Master of Arts in Learning and Thinking Program and is Director of The Graduate Institute Publishing Center.

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A Journey That Breaks the Heart

An Unbreakable Mother/Daughter Bond to the Edge of Suicide

Ann Marie Sullivan

Poetry Pulled from the Wreckage: A Mother’s Account of Every Parent’s Worst Nightmare

There are many books by medical experts which offer parents crisis-based strategies for coping with the threat of suicide among modern-day teenagers. But there are few books which deliver an inside account of the healing process from the parental viewpoint. Ann begins this poetry collection by describing the emergency phone call which turned her relationship with her daughter upside down and plunged them into a world of twisting pain and mind-numbing confusion. Years later, she has emerged with a volume of more than eighty poems which describes the reconciliation and healing she and her daughter worked hard to achieve. This urgently-needed book throws a lifeline of hope and inspiration to families who are living in the shadow of childhood suicide.

From the Foreword

Ann’s account is refreshing, honest and welcoming.  This is not a self-help book or instructional guide in how to deal with the impact of depression and suicidal ideation. Instead, she delivers a harrowing account of how she learned to accept change without self-condemnation, guilt or shame.
Patricia Anne Romano, PsyD

About the Author

Irish American author Ann Marie Sullivan captures powerful feelings in her poetic words, transporting people to feel and see deeply while expressing themselves through the words she writes. She currently lives in West Hartford, Connecticut with her daughter where the two share a love of writing together. Ann grew up in many different landscapes across Connecticut where many seeds to her stories came to life. After graduating from Saint Joseph College in 1991, she began her career in teaching in Hartford, where the students have become not only further inspiration but an audience to many of her stories. Since story and students are her passion, she went on to attain an M.A. in Holistic Thinking as well as an M.A. in Writing and Oral Traditions at The Graduate Institute. As a result of her Master’s Degree, she is a contributing author to Where the Words Await: Walking the Writer’s Path, an anthology of creative writing in which she first explored the genre of poetry.

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Just Like Me

Barbara Connery

A Compassionate Resource for Dyslexic Children and Their Families

In this illustrated chapter book for families, Barbara Connery has created a work of healing fiction. Eddie is a third-grade boy who loves his parents, his dog, and summer vacations at Cape Cod. Although he tries very hard, reading is difficult for him. He finds support and inspiration from artists, educators, and most importantly, his own father. Meeting his favorite artist, Wendell Minor, changes his perspective after Mr. Minor shares that he, too, has dyslexia, a learning difference.

From the Foreword by Education Specialist Mary Jo Terranova

There are many books published today that help educators, parents, and students themselves understand what dyslexia is and how to help those with the disorder. There are very few books that approach the topic from the perspective of the child. Barbara’s book, Just like Me does just that. It offers the reader the opportunity to see through the eyes of a third-grade boy the potential frustrations and misunderstandings of educators and parents alike. This book is a must-read for families navigating the beginning stages of understanding and supporting their child with dyslexia. Barbara’s book is a refreshing way to view a student with dyslexia, focusing on the positive aspects of being a bright, inquisitive child. She offers hope to the families that this is something that can be overcome, with love, patience and a touch of humor. Barbara invites us into her own classroom with specific examples of how she makes learning to read fun, encourages individual passions and makes all her students feel like that can do or be anything.

Barbara ConneryAbout the Author

Barbara Connery holds a Master of Science in Elementary Education from Western Connecticut University and a Master of Arts in Writing and Oral Tradition from The Graduate Institute in Bethany, Connecticut. It was during her writing program that she embarked on the most significant educational journey in her almost forty-year teaching career. During this time, she investigated the correlation between dyslexia, difficulty in reading, and artistic inclination. With filmmaker Harvey Hubbell V as her mentor, Barbara met remarkable educators, parent advocates and neuroscientists, who shed a glowing light on teaching practices that could ultimately ensure reading success for all children.

Additionally, Barbara is currently a Ford’s Theatre National Oratory Fellow and is passionate about promoting oratory for all. For her efforts, she was recently awarded the Lincoln Teacher Leadership Award during a recent oratory festival in Washington, D.C. She has presented on the subject of oratory integration in numerous conferences including the Connecticut Teacher of the Year Symposium, Literacy for All Conference in Providence, Rhode Island and CASL and CECA Conferences in Hartford, Connecticut.

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The ABC’s of Health and Healing

How can Parents, Teachers and their Children Live a Healthier Life?

Cheryl Martinelli

The ABC’s of Health and Healing is designed for children and adults. This large-format picture book makes a wonderful read-aloud for classrooms, sharing with family members, and includes more than forty beautiful and meaningful photographs by the author. The easy-to-read format includes resources for families to make healthy choices. This book is a great addition for families at home, and for teachers in the classroom.

Cheryl Martinelli have been an educator for more than thirty-five years. Whether teaching in the classroom or coaching out on the field hockey field, working with children has been rewarding and important work.

Her love of photography began while growing up in Nebraska. Developing film and working with light grew into a passion. Cheryl moved to Connecticut and continued this passion with my students.

After earning a M.A. in Integrated Health and Healing from The Graduate Institute, she knew that the importance of good health practices needed to be shared with children. This book was a labor of love that includes her writing and photography.

Cheryl lives in Harwinton, Connecticut with my husband and our boys – two golden retrievers, Captain and Husker.

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Outside the Lines: Let Our Voices Be Heard

TGI Creative Writers

Outside the Lines: Let Our Voices Be Heard is a stunning amalgamation of stories, essays, and poetry by four women who came together to share their love of writing. This collection reflects their ability to find strength, hope, courage and humor through all stages of life.

In this heartfelt and honest book, these women pour their lives onto the pages because their words were not meant to be kept–they were meant to be shared. Do you always think, feel, and behave in a way that society would approve of? If truth be told, few could answer yes to that question. Yet from an early age, society pressures us to “fit in” and conform. When we don’t, people are often critical and choose not to listen to what we have to say. In Outside the Lines: Let Our Voices Be Heard, we choose to take the risk that all authors do; to speak out and share ourselves through our stories, essays, and poems. Whether they fall inside or outside the lines of society’s expectations, we are grateful that you do us the honor of hearing and listening to our voices. In October 2018, the authors met each other for the first time as they began the Writing and Oral Traditions Program at The Graduate Institute in Bethany, Connecticut. They started off as a cohort of students, intent to learn more about storytelling and writing, but evolved into a group of trusted friends who supported one another on a journey of self-exploration and growth. During this journey, a baby boy was born, a new marriage began, a dear elderly loved one became ill and passed away, and all four authors experienced the many joys and challenges that come with careers as public educators.

Four emerging writers present a stunning collection of thirty-four written pieces in a variety of genres. In October 2018, the authors met for the first time as they began the Writing and Oral Traditions Program at The Graduate Institute in Bethany, Connecticut. They started off as a cohort of students, intent to learn more about storytelling and writing, but evolved into a group of trusted friends who supported one another on a journey of self-exploration and growth. During this journey, a baby boy was born, a new marriage began, a dear elderly loved one became ill and passed away, and all four authors experienced the many joys and challenges that come with careers as public educators. They formed their own publishing company, gathered their best fiction, essays and poetry and published this anthology in print and digital form before a world-wide readership.

From the introduction

Do you always think, feel, and behave in a way that society would approve of? If truth be told, few could answer yes to that question. Yet from an early age, society pressures us to “fit in” and conform. When we don’t, people are often critical and choose not to listen to what we have to say. In Outside the Lines: Let Our Voices Be Heard, we choose to take the risk that all authors do; to speak out and share ourselves through our stories, essays, and poems. Whether they fall inside or outside the lines of society’s expectations, we are grateful that you do us the honor of hearing and listening to our voices.

This book is Volume II in The Graduate Institute Creative Writers Series.

About the Authors

Meghann England

Meghann’s love of writing was given shape at Southern Connecticut State University, where she became a writer, open-mic-coffeehouse-regular, and winner of the Leslie Leeds Poetry Prize (Spring 2001). She was assistant editor (2000) and editor of Folio, the SCSU art and literary magazine (2001) during her undergraduate career. She has taught grades 9-12 in Stratford Public Schools since 2008, and served as director of STAGE, the Bunnell High School drama club, for two years. She presently teaches at ALPHA, the alternative program she prefers to call home and enjoys being a mother to Jace, Jude, and Mackenzie.

Michelle Martin

Michelle has been an elementary school music teacher for 20 years and currently teaches in Bridgeport, CT. After many years of watching teaching artists come into schools to perform for and provide workshops for her students, Michelle decided to train as a Storyteller. She is working with a mentor from the CT Storytelling Center and is excited to share her passion for storytelling, music, and writing with children. Michelle would like to thank her husband Jason, her children Sean and Liam, and her stepson Aidan, for their love and support while she pursues her dream to become a writer and storyteller.

Jelenne Parker

Jelenne is a resident of Windsor, CT. She is a former elementary teacher currently working as a paraprofessional. After homeschooling her first daughter, she realized how much she still loves the process of teaching and all those wonderful students she proudly taught. Once her second daughter made her appearance and life became more interesting, she decided to attain her master’s degree and return to the classroom. While acquiring a degree in Writing and Oral Traditions, she rediscovered her love of writing poetry and fiction. She looks forward to writing for children and young adults.

Maria Dawn Puziello

Raised by a family of readers, in a household filled to the brim with books of all kinds, Maria’s love for the written word began at an early age. As an elementary school teacher for more than two decades, she shares her passion for reading and writing with her young students daily. Maria also enjoys singing (especially jazz standards), quilting, crafting, gardening, and spending time with her three beloved sisters, her nephew, her three nieces, and all their wonderful families. She resides in East Haven, CT with her two cats Noella and Küpfel.

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The Two-Digit Revolution

Enhancing Writing Fluency, Reading Readiness, and Cognitive Development Through Cursive Writing Instruction

Celia M. Batan

Why should we care about teaching cursive handwriting to our children?

“Once upon a time, becoming proficient in penmanship, as well as learning to write sentences in cursive, was an important and mandated skill developed by every elementary student. Writing in cursive was not only perceived as an art form, but also as demonstrative of a proper education.” (Foreword, Dr. James Trifone)

Today, unless you are a K-9 teacher, you probably are not aware that cursive instruction is no longer part of the child’s day in the classroom.

Does it really matter? In this exhaustively-researched study, Celia M. Batan pursued this question and reveals what could be lost to children– and what is harnessed by the ‘cognitive workout’ that joining letters triggers—by returning to cursive instruction in the elementary grades and continuing the use of joined letters throughout high school.

Cursive handwriting shapes the executive functions of the brain for successful academic performance while enhancing creative and critical thinking practices required for meaningful interpretations of what we see. Even more compelling is how handwriting instruction influences neuroplasticity of the brain and contributes to character development and psychological healing.

Ms. Batan demonstrates convincingly that cursive is about much more than beautiful penmanship.

Drawing on studies from the diverse fields of neuroscience, physiology, and education, she reveals how cursive makes significant contributions to reading, writing, language and overall cognitive development in early childhood.

Kinetic melody. Embodied cognition. Persistence. Self-restraint. Writing fluency. Joining letters to form a word. Academic success. She asks: are you ready to initiate your own Two-Digit Revolution?

Includes Supportive Resources:

  • Teacher Survey Results
  • Extensive Resource List

Celia M BatanAbout the Author

Celia M. Batan, BA MA CPC

Celia M. Batan believes that each classroom is an integral part of her role as educator who assists students in carving out the story of a course syllabus, knowing that the story is theirs, not the teacher’s.

Ms. Batan’s undergraduate degree is in Social Sciences, majoring in Psychology, from the University of the Philippines. Her graduate degree is in Learning and Thinking from The Graduate Institute in Bethany, CT. She also holds a Certificate in Training and Development from New York University. Ms. Batan is certified to teach adult programs in the State of Connecticut and holds TESOL certifications to teach ESL and TESOL Business English.

Every year Ms. Batan enjoys several teaching positions in counties of Fairfield and New Haven, Connecticut. She considers herself fortunate in carrying yearly course loads in a variety of fields: Instructor, YALE English Language Institute Summer University Preparation Program; Adjunct Instructor, Extended Studies and Workforce Education, Norwalk Community College; ESL Advisor and Instructor, Building1Community (immigrant center) Stamford; Assistant Instructor, Aikido Martial Arts (Aikido of Fairfield County), University of Connecticut Stamford; Music Instructor, Gregorian Chants and Liturgy, Convent for an order of nuns.

Ms. Batan’s professional background is in instructional design of communication skills training programs. She enjoys martial arts practice of Aikido, Iaido, Arnis/Escrima, as well as the art of Ikebana floral arrangement.

Ms. Batan’s community service includes volunteering for various programs in the City of Stamford: assisting Stamford Public School’s Board of Education on reinstatement of cursive writing in the primary grades, teaching ESL at Building1Community immigrant center in Stamford, presenting Philippine culture at Dolan Middle School’s annual diversity program, welcoming patrons for Palace Theatre shows, and High Mass choir singing at the Basilica in Stamford.

Each year it is with pleasure that Ms. Batan looks forward to evolving teaching methods for each of her course assignments, integrating study skills of note-taking with basic brain-mapping techniques in the mode of cursive writing.

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WHERE THE WORDS AWAIT: Walking the Writer’s Path

How can Parents, Teachers and their Children Live a Healthier Life?

TGI’s Creative Writers

What does it mean to “Live the Writer’s Life”?

To find out, ten strangers formed a writing cohort, came up with an audacious plan to write a book together, and began a life-changing journey into the world of the writer.

In this first-ever collection of writings by graduates from TGI’s Writing and Oral Traditions Program, ten authors gather their best fiction and non-fiction pieces, add insights and musings about the writer’s craft, and formed Ten Scribblers Press, an independent publishing company, to distribute their work before a world-wide readership. This book is Volume One in The Graduate Institute Creative Writer’s Series.

What’s it all about?

Consider these words from the Introduction:

The structure of Where the Words Await… might remind you of a multi-author, modern version of Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales: a bunch of ragtag folks meet at the beginning of their spiritual pilgrimage and decide to have a storytelling contest on the way. In the space of the story, each pilgrim shares not only the best story they’ve got, but a little about what drives and challenges them on their writing journey. There may be some conversation between the storytellers and the stories; but, for the most part, each story stands on its own and carries its own significance. In order to allow for this kind of conversation, the book is divided into sections by author. Each chapter features a piece of poetry, fiction, memoir, or essay alongside a small offering from its author that contemplates what unsettles or inspires them in regard to writing. The authors’ voices mix with those of their pieces, and all of these weave together to create a larger narrative about the creative process.

We intend that Where the Words Await… will engage future generations of continuing or aspiring writers in seeing that, though the writing process is messy and difficult, it is ultimately rewarding and accessible to all willing to grapple with its darker parts. This collection invites readers to find and successfully live their version of a writer’s life: not by telling them what to do, but by letting them live the experiences of other writers trying to find a “way into” writing. Your path will not look exactly like any of those presented in these pages—nor should it. Even so, we have found in our own writing community that it can be helpful to hear many opinions and ideas about what the best avenue is to writing and becoming an author. This book could be a small part of you discovering what works for you: or, even better, what doesn’t. Either way, we hope this book wakes you up to your own truth. We invite you to dip into the Quick Start Guide we have included at the end of this book as a way of jump-starting your own writing process. We have come to believe, in co-creating this book, that the writing process is a series of small awakenings. Like walking a labyrinth, our paths lead us deep into the center of own writing practices and beliefs, only to send us back to the outer rings again. It is easy for us to lose our confidence during those times, but equally possible to gain insights that enable us to break through barriers and conquer self-doubt.

This book is proof that having an encouraging community of creators behind us is key to unlocking powerful narratives and writing through resistance. After all, the writers featured in this volume had enormous help and support from one another, as provided by the structure of our M.A. Program at The Graduate Institute.

About the Authors

This book was created by members of the Writing and Oral Traditions Cohort 19-01:

Paul David Adkins, Pamela Briddle, Kyla DeRisi, Larry DiBernardo, Caren Goodhue, Sarah Gretzky, Cheryl Riello, Ann Sullivan, Tess Torrey, Rick Hribko.

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