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I began writing as a teenager, encouraged by my creative writing teacher, Carol Balcer. I went on to study creative writing at New York University, where my professor dubbed me a "New Age Beat Poetess." Both mentors urged me to make writing a life-long pursuit. Not yet ready to pen the great American novel, I dabbled in poetry, short stories, and marketing/communications writing. The projects I most enjoyed were writing short biographies of homeless shelter residents, and using poetry and journalling to make sense of my own life's struggles. I treasure the task of finding what makes each person unique and brave, despite - and even because of - our mistakes and weaknesses. The process of writing about a life, mine or someone else's, is in itself a transformational process, as we become the story we tell.
Following my fascination with the personal transformative process, I earned a masters degree in Social Work at Fordham University in New York City, and became a psychotherapist. Along that path, I have been honored to enter the lives of people of many different walks of life - inner-city drug addicts who find faith and purpose, struggling children who discover self- assurance, Christians seeking to live out the love of their God, everyday folks ,and individuals choosing to take a less-traveled road in life - all of us, I learned, have a unique perspective worth sharing. As an experienced therapist, I have the skills to interview each of my writing subjects in a compassionate, exploratory, and affirming manner.
I began writing photobooks in 2007, creating my grandmother's biography. As she neared the century mark, I wanted her family to have a tangible way to hold on to the love and values that she's given us as our matriarch. I wanted her to understand how dearly she's loved. I started off buying a fill-in-the-blanks personal history book, but quickly discovered that Grandma's many stories and insights did not fit neatly into the blanks. So I took copious notes, typed it all up, added photos and messages from family members, and had it professionally printed. The book was given as a Mother's Day gift. I had anticipated that our family would be pleased, but had not imagined the enthusiasm expressed by friends and colleagues who looked through the book. I soon realized that other people would appreciate having such a biography, and determined to provide just such a service.
In June 2007, my 7 year old daughter decided that she, too, wanted to publish a book. We had just been to Disney World; so we uploaded our photos and, in a guided interview process, my daughter dictated the story of our trip. The result was a stunning little book that taught me that my work need not be limited to biographies - so many different aspects and moments of our lives are worth preserving in photobooks.
I invite you to meet with me to explore your photobook possibilities. If you would like to dialogue with me, please use the Contact Paula page to convey your request. I'll be happy to hear from you.
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| we become the story we tell |
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