Spotlight
Carol Japha, a new Letters member, is the author of two books, both tracing the journey of a young girl whose beloved mother falls ill and slips–gradually, and then completely — away. Psalms for a Child Who Has Lost Her Mother, a poetry chapbook, was published in 2015 by Finishing Line Press. Mapping Eden: A Novel, described as “loosely autobiographical but thoroughly imagined,” won First Novel, and was a Finalist for Fiction, in the 2022 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. Carol’s poetry and fiction are born out of what she calls her personal quest “that continues to this day: To understand what I had, and what I lost. To discover the mother I lost so long ago, and myself — who I am, and how I am connected to my mother.”
Carol started writing in high school, as a reporter, columnist, and feature editor of the weekly New Trier News. Early in her career, she was an editor at several international research organizations: At the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, she helped produce a bimonthly journal in the field of international organization; at the Population Council, she managed the editorial process of a peer-reviewed journal on reproductive health.
Her career blossomed at the Charles H. Revson Foundation, where she served as program officer; wrote and produced annual reports; and edited essays and speeches of the president. As director of the Jewish Media Fund, she led the creation of a video collection that was installed at 200+ educational institutions nationwide. She managed a panel of leading scholars to produce an extensive media library and in-depth curricular materials on key topics in Jewish history and culture.
In recent years, in addition to writing, Carol has been painting, mainly interiors (her heroes are Bonnard, Vuillard, and Fairfield Porter).
She graduated from Barnard College, attended the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and served in the Peace Corps.
Email: info@caroljapha.com
Website: caroljapha.com
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Ying Li is an accomplished Chinese writer who in the past ten years has focused on writing poems and essays.
Ying Li has won numerous prestigious awards in Chinese American writing competitions in the United States. Twice, her essays have won 2nd Place for “Sino Literature Award”, an essay competition organized by the Sino Journal for Chinese American writers in the US. Recently, she won 2nd Place in “The 5th New York Flushing Poetry Festival”, the biggest global poetry contest for Chinese writers who live in non-speaking Chinese countries. Her selective poems will be published along with others in the near future.
Most of her poems were published in “First Line New York”, a prestigious U.S.- based Chinese poetry journal.
Ying’s first poem collection, Here Comes the Tide, will be published this coming fall.
Professional Memberships
Overseas Chinese Writers’ Association
The New York Association of Chinese Women Writers
Contact Information
yinglizcp@gmail.com
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