Shirley Kiefer

SHIRLEY KIEFER

West Hartford, Connecticut resident, Shirley Kiefer brings feminist insight to ancient mythology. "It is especially important today with the global rise in violence towards women," says Kiefer, a long time educator, passionate about relationships and learning from literature.

Her books include: Love Among the Gods: Myths of Relationship by Shirley Kiefer (2014) published by the Creating Calm Network Publishing Group.

MYTHOLOGY

Mythology holds up a mirror to our inner life as humans, showing us how our personality and choices affect our lives. Myths of partnership not only impart wisdom about male-female relationships, but also about the balance of male and female qualities within us as individuals.

These stories from Greek (and one Egyptian) mythology are fascinating tales not only of love relationships, but also of the human quest for wholeness within.

GODS and GODESSES

Zeus and Hera are the perennial love/hate couple. Isis and Osiris bring new life out of tragedy. Jason and Medea show us what manipulation is like. Theseus and Ariadne deal with abandonment. Perseus learns to integrate his feminine side as part of his heroic quest. Psyche and Eros mature through the trials their union produced.

INSIGHTS

Shirley Kiefer retells these stories with new insight for our time. A retired librarian with a background in world religions, mythology and psychology, she helps us see their characters as parts of ourselves, giving us glimpses into these archetypal forces we all experience.

Whether you read these as literal partnership stories or as individual quests for wholeness, you will delight in rehearing these ancient tales in contemporary language.

BOOK GROUPS

Shirley Kiefer leads book groups in West Hartford, Connecticut in libraries, community centers, schools, churches and book clubs.

She can be reached through the Creating Calm Network Publishing Group at Shirley (at) VisualizeHealth.net

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I wish to acknowledge my gratitude to: Jean Bolyn, whose books and workshops provided the impetus for this book; Elaine Stuart and James Scherer for expert guidance in dream work; Kimberly Burnham, whose vision and computer expertise made this book a reality; Pat Caffrey for a final nudge to publish in print; Linda Scacco for critiquing the manuscript; Della Hennelly and Sherry Williams for encouragement; And finally, all the participants in my Mythology classes sponsored by the Adult Education Program of West Hartford, CT. Their enthusiasm provided much joy on this journey.

POET

A poet, Shirley Kiefer's poetry has been published in Inner Child Press'

The Valentine's Day Anthology: poetry . . . prose & stories of Love by The Love Writers (Jan 18, 2013)

CITIZEN of the WORLD

Shirley Kiefer was working as a educator in the early 1960s when the opportunity to teach overseas. She took it. Years later she affirms the truth expressed in writer Mary Anne Radmacher's observation, "I am not the same having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world." The transformative power of that international immersion shaped the course of Shirley's life and faith, influenced her work, and quite naturally drew her to Hartford Seminary, where such global perspective is nurtured and affirmed.

Shirley taught English and American literature at the American College for Girls in Cairo, Egypt (now called the Rameses College for Girls) from 1961 to 1964. While there she became friends with Angele Isteero, sister of Albert, who was then a student at Hartford Seminary, and so was introduced both to Hartford and the Seminary. Returning from Egypt, Shirley settled in the city, where she worked in the Reference Department at the Hartford Public Library and served as Young Adult Librarian. Noticing the library's collection was short on Muslim volumes, Shirley visited the Hartford Seminary Library to create a booklist of essential texts on Islam. She continued to attend programs at the Seminary, at first when the Seminary was still on the old campus across the street from its current location.

Attending Hartford Seminary's programs affirmed Shirley's self-described perception of herself as "a citizen of the planet," and she valued--then and now-- the broad and inclusive perspective that characterizes both campus culture and academic program. Recently, she attended presentations by the current International Peacemaking Program students, including that of Doaa Baumi, herself from Cairo. "I admire the IPP students so much," she said. "They have the same spirit that first led me to venture away from the familiar." Shirley and the students also share a passion to share that wider perspective with others. For Shirley that first took shape in her work in assembling a more diverse religious collection at Hartford Public Library, and then in teaching mythology in the West Hartford Adult Education programs. Those formative years in Egypt remain a constant in her life today, reflected in the artwork in her home, including the painting above of two village women created by the Egyptian artist Rifaat, whom Shirley visited at his studio in Cairo.

Last year, Shirley realized it was time to update her will from a general document to one that more closely reflected her life and intentions. She identified Hartford Seminary and American Near East Refugee Aid as the two organizations she knows and values most and which are positioned to continue the priorities and perspectives so essential to her own character and commitments. In designating the Seminary as a beneficiary of her estate, Shirley became the latest member of the Seminary's Mackenzie Heritage Society, helping to ensure that the encounter and dialogue so precious to her will continue. - Hartsem.edu/donate/stories-from-donors

LETER TO THE AUTHOR:

Dear Shirley Kiefer: "What a delightful surprise it was to receive an autographed copy of your book with such a nice acknowledgement. I finally finished it - it is the kind of book one needs to ponder on, not just read it straight through. Love Among the Gods is extremely well written and carefully crafted to hold your interest and stimulate the reader to think about their inner processes. I had expected no less! I will recommend it to those of my clients who have shown an interest in Jungian concepts. I am proud to have been part of your creative process in writing this book." — Elaine Stuart-Thomas, MA, LPC, Granby, CT

SENIOR CENTER EVENT

Love Among the Gods, A Valentines Bouquet of Tales. Retired librarian and Senior Center member, Shirley Kiefer, has just published a book titled, "Love Among the Gods: Myths of Relationships." Retelling Greek and Egyptian love stories in contemporary language, she portrays ancient gods and goddesses, heroes and heroines as archetypal energy present in all of us and part of contemporary life. Come hear her describe how she came to write this book and enjoy looking at some familiar and new myths in surprising ways. Shirley brings a background in world religions, mythology, and psychology to her storytelling of ancient myths. West Hartford Senior Center event Tuesday, February 10, 2015 1 pm.