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Judy Light Ayyildiz
Author/educator, Judy Light Ayyildiz, conducts writing and women’s seminars in the USA and in Turkey. Internationally published, she has been a literary magazine editor, a writers’...view moreAuthor/educator, Judy Light Ayyildiz, conducts writing and women’s seminars in the USA and in Turkey. Internationally published, she has been a literary magazine editor, a writers’ conference founder, a musical director for a student group touring Poland through the Friendship Ambassadors and a director of a USA nationally recognized choir of medical wives.
Her ten published books in various genres sprung from her life and teaching. A cross-cultural triumph-over-trauma memoir, Nothing but Time, was 2002 Virginia College Bookstores’ Award Finalist, Virginia Outstanding Book Award Nominee and the runner-up in the Duquesne University Emerging Writers Series. Her third volume of poetry, Mud River, was highly acclaimed by the renowned Fred Chappell and William Packard. Leyla Ismier Ozcengiz translated her 10th book, the novel, Forty Thorns, into Turkish, titled, Kirk Diken, making Remzi’s best selling list. She is author of two other volumes of poetry, a children's book, Some of my Ancestors are Ottomans and Turks, and four co-written supplementary creative writing and critical thinking textbooks for teachers and students. Judy has written widely about Turkey and gives many talks on the rise of the Turkish Republic.
Judy’s honors include, Woman of Achievement-Education 2010, Va. Com. Of Arts, poetry and short story prizes, Daughters of Ataturk, Turkish Forum, Jim Wayne Miller Poetry Prize, College Bookstores Best Book Finalist, Gusto Poet Discovery Winner, Nazim Hikmet Poetry Festival Prize Winner, Pushcart Prize nominee, Fellow VCCA, and 2012 Winner International Best Book Awards Winner for Literary Fiction for Forty Thorns, and Second Place for Kirk Diken in the Historical Novel category.
Judy’s many roles as conference speaker, lectures, and workshops for writing, Turkish Studies, and Women’s Studies include many civic clubs/Eastern Mediterranean. Univ.-Cyprus/ the American. Turkish Embassy-Ataturk Society-Washington, DC/ Florida-North Carolina and NYC Turkish Associations/ Kirklareli/ Istanbul/ Izmir/ Gaziantep/ Ege Univ./ International schools of Istanbul/Kader Has Univ./Erciyes Univ./Gaziantepe Univ. /Bodrum Book Festival/Kured Tour Agencies Ass./ American Women of Istanbul/ Turk-American Univ. Women of Istanbul Cultural Arts Ass/ American. University. Women/ Anadolu Univ. and the Turkish Army/ Turkish Rotary Clubs/ Guilford NC/ Turkish League of America at NYC Consulate/Izmir University/ Sabanci University/many Turkish Rotary Clubs/American Alliance of Turkish Associations/Turkish American Society/many TV videos, book reviews, newspaper articles available at http://www.fortythorns.com /U.N.-Light Millennium Stevens Univ./Golden Orange Film Festival/Turkish Federation of America/Turkish American Scientific Society Univ. of Maryland/ Radford University/ Roanoke College/ C-Span Book TV/ Hollins Univ.Women’s Center and Hollins Summer Programs/ Marshall University/Roanoke Women’s Coalition.
Judy has a new volume of poetry forthcoming in the fall of 2014 from Mountain Empire Press.view less