Gail J. VanWart

I live on Peaked Mountain Farm in Dedham, Maine. It's been in my family since 1868. After traveling the world, my husband and I returned to the farm as the fourth generation to maintain its native organic Wild Blueberries. Besides being a farm steward, I have a very diverse background in publishing, writing, graphic design, community relations and marketing. My poetry has been included in many anthologies, I've served as editor of local news publications, and my freelance work has garnered me the privilege of interviews with, and an opportunity to write reviews about, celebrities Reba McEntire, Willie Nelson, Foghat, B J Thomas and Stephen King, to name just a few. You can find my book of poems, thoughts and recipes, entitled 'Life Raked In', here on Amazon.com and at other booksellers. In addition, I've authored a couple of children's books, including 'Ellery Didn't Know That', and hope to write a couple memoirs in the near future. In the meantime, my Border Collie, Blae, and I sometimes enjoy exploring Maine and sharing some of our off the beaten track Maine adventures and discoveries in our blog, Nosing Around Maine.

Currently, I am engaged in co-authoring children's wildlife awareness books with BettyLynn Egan based on the real School Jungle Safari animals that were part of a wildlife education program she and her late husband, Lou, once operated in LaHonda, California during the 1970-1980s. I served as their curator and publicist at the time. Realizing fifty percent of the animal species on planet earth has dwindled over the past forty years, the message we spread about preservation way back then, forty years ago, seems even more critical today. Our first book in our planned School Jungle Safari Real Animal Tales series, 'Who is a Chimpanzee?', illustrated by Maine artist, Debbie Story Alexander, will be officially launched on November 8, 2014 at the Bangor Public Library in Bangor, Maine.