Walter Fordham found his inspiration for Iliana in the Children's Day holiday. As a father to two girls and twin boys, Walter decided to fulfill a request that had been made long ago for him to tell "the story" of Children's Day.

In addition to being a talented singer and storyteller, Walter is a poet whose work has appeared in New Directions, International Anthology of Prose and Poetry. Iliana is his first book.

Walter was born and raised in New Jersey and studied English Literature at Guildord College. He now makes his home with his wife Joanne and children Catherine, Alicia, Peter, and William in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Walter can be reached at wfordham@hfx.eastlink.ca

Tatjana Krizmanic creates brilliant pastel drawings and oil paintings whose swirling playful intensity draws out the joyfulness of everyday life. Tatjana claims the world of music as her inspiration, seeing her works as "silent sounds that sing and dance across the canvas." During the 1980s she created artistic works for her friends and patrons, while also working as a commercial director. Since her first exhibit in Boulder, Colorado, she has built a strong following. Her paintings reside in numerous private collections and are shown in galleries and museums in the United States, Canada, and Europe. She teaches at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design and has recently completed a number of children's books for American and Canadian publishers.

A native of the former Yugoslavian republic of Croatia, Tatjana studied linguistics and languages at the University of Zagreb and at Georgetown University. She now lives in Boulder, Colorado, with her husband Peter and daughters Emelia and Katja.

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Last modified: December 3, 2001
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