Reading is my passion. Writing is my joy. Painting is a close third. And my spaniels! I illustrated the first two books with watercolor and ink. The Cat who Walked the Camino was self-published in 2023. Teach the Children, a poem by Mary Oliver is a one-off gift for my daughter and will not be set to press. The third book, now in progress, is A Brief and Interesting History of Women in Medicine. It includes 16 short biographies of women from Classical Greece to the scientists involved in the COVID 19 epidemic. Characters range from the famous Florence Nightingale and Marie Curie to the obscure or forgotten Native American nurse Susie Walking Bear Yellowtail and Italian anatomist Anna Morandi Manzolini. Celebrating both their contributions and detailing the discrimination against many of them, these stories offer a unique selection of tales about the history of medicine.
Kate and the Beagle
Here’s a paragraph from my new book A Brief and Interesting History of Women in Medicine.
Agnodice of Athens opened her robe and showed her breasts to the judge. As women were forbidden to practice medicine or attend medical schools in 4th century BCE, she had cut off her hair and dressed in men’s clothing so she could tend to her female patients. Now she was on trial for improper behavior-the court claimed she was seducing women to produce illegitimate children.
The Cat Who Walked the Camino is the story of a small kitten who makes the pilgrimage to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain. He gets lost in a rainstorm, chased by a ferocious dog, and rescued by his best friend Lucía. The book features the highlights of the Camino. Illustrated with a detailed map of the route, the glossary at the end translates basic Spanish words used in the text.
Chickens at the Cathedral of Santo Domingo de la Calzada
The Cruz de Hierro
Basque Shepherd
My daughter and I e-mailed one morning. We had sent Mary OIiver’s “Teach the Children” to each other at the same time. I knew then I needed to illustrate the poem for her.
This poem is included in Mary Oliver’s collection “Upstream,” available from your local bookstore.
Inkberry and Lamb’s Quarters
Blue Sailors (Chicory), Mallow, and Moccasin Flower (Lady Slipper)
These are a few of the flowers celebrated in “Teach the Children.”