Mi nombre es Juan Ramirez, naci en Cali, Colombia, tengo 38 años. Llevo doce en los EE UU he desempeñado todo tipo de trabajos en New York pero siempre he sentido ese gran amor por la lectura y la escritura por eso perteneci a este gran proyecto de Twelve Lives in Queens espero poder ser parte de muchos otros en el futuro y tratar de desarrollarme mejor en el campo de la escritura de mi vida solo puedo contarles de que he sido motivado por el gran carino de mi familia y he vivido y vivo en una constante lucha por encontrar la tan anhelada felicidad que ya llegara. Este soy yo a grandes rasgos.
My name is Juan Ramirez. I was born in Cali, Colombia 38 years ago. I have lived for twelve years in the U.S. I have had all sorts of jobs in New York but I always felt the great love of reading and writing and because of that, I joined this great project of Twelve Lives in Queens. I hope to be part of many others in the future and will try to develop in the field of writing. I can only tell you that I have been motivated by the great love of my family and I have lived and live in a constant struggle to find long awaited happiness. This is me in broad strokes.
Robert Trabold has a Ph.D. in Sociology with specialties in urban issues and the religious expressions of people in transition, especially immigrants. He is a social activist and has worked for many years in organizations devoted to neighborhood improvement and world peace. For most of his adult life, he has had a contemplative dimension which has grown stronger in recent years and presently is active in different meditation movements. He publishes contemplative poetry and articles on mystical prayer and its path. He also writes different kinds of poetry and teaches a poetry writing class in Fresh Meadows, Queens. He speaks five or six different languages helping him communicate with people of different cultural backgrounds. He lives in Jamaica, Queens.
Amanda Konstantine Perlmutter is a 16 year old who lives for the arts. She has accumulated a wide range of talents and skills such as: various forms of art (including mixed media), dance, writing, field biology, acting, clowning, and photography. Amanda has studied at HB Studio and Ballet Tech in Manhattan as well as several studios in Queens. Her poems and articles have been published online by Stand & Voice, The Keystone Connection, and Stage of Life, and in print by Teen Ink Magazine. Amanda self-published her first poetic anthology last year, it is called “Alternative”. Amanda teaches a poetry workshop at Barnes & Noble Fresh Meadows. For more information about her workshop, publications, or art, she can be reached at: ALWAYSWRITE28@AOL.COM
Dena Perlmutter has studied various forms of art since childhood. Dancing, art, photography, and writing are just a few of her passions. She taught arts and crafts classes in Queens and ballet, tap, jazz, and acrobatics in several dance studios. She wrote many short stories and poems. She runs her own children’s entertainment company www.speedotheclown.com with her husband Barry, and trains people to perform as clowns/magicians/face painters etc.. Her biggest passion is raising her children properly, she home schools her three daughters Amanda, Emily, and Bella.
Dena@speedoandcompany.com
I am a native of Haiti. I was 19 when I came to New York where I went to College. Lately, I discovered writing as a tool to overcome solitude and keep occupied. I published The Haitian Child and Bilingualism and Life goes on, a Reflective Diary
Beatriz Olivetti, a Brazilian born New Yorker, has had her art studio in Long Island City, Queens, for about a year. She enjoys the artistic community she found in LIC and thrives at the collaborative possibilities that sprout in this neighborhood.
She is a graduate student in the John W. Draper Master’s Program at NYU. She received a BA in English Rhetoric and has a special interest in art and philosophy.
The art of Dalí, Miró, Gaudí, Kirschner, and Georgia O’Keefe have inspired her drawings since her childhood in São Paulo, Brazil, where visits to major museums and art foundations were critical to her artistic education.
Beatriz sees art as a way to explore philosophical concerns. The themes of her drawings speak of the ambiguity and absurdity of human existence. She thrives in the intimacy and aloofness of the urban setting. Her work illustrates the encounter between lingering sensibility and concrete persistency.
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