CHAMBERS, Diane 1953-

PERSONAL: Born July 16, 1953, in Denver, CO; daughter of Bernerd Earl (a lawyer) and Valerie (a social worker; maiden name, Gayle) Schilt; married James Chambers (a contractor), 1975; children: Heather Anne, Matthew James. Ethnicity: "Caucasian." Education: University of Colorado, Boulder, B.S. Hobbies and other interests: Hiking, sewing, breast cancer advocacy.

ADDRESSES: Home—32262 Steven Way, Conifer, CO 80433. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Writer. Asbury Elementary School, Denver, CO, diagnostic aide, 1976–77; Baker Junior High School, Denver, sign language tutor and interpreter, 1977–80; University of Colorado, Denver, sign-language interpreter, 1979–81; West Jefferson Elementary School, Conifer, CO, sign-language instructor, 1982; community sign language interpreter, 1983–; Ellexa Press, Conifer, publisher, 2004–. American Red Cross, swimming instruction and adapted aquatics, swimming instructor, 1973–91; Gove Community School, summer day camp, director, 1979–91; private sign language tutor, 1978–79, 1998–2003. Temporary posts as sign-language instructor or interpreter at various schools, including Jefferson County Adult Education and Community College of Denver.

MEMBER: National Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, National League of American PEN Women, National Breast Cancer Coalition, Association of Breast Cancer Survivors, American Sign Language Teacher's Association of Colorado, Colorado Association of the Deaf, Colorado Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (secretary of Mile High chapter, 1985; secretary of state organization, 1986–89).

WRITINGS:

Words in My Hands: A Teacher, a Deaf-Blind Man, an Unforgettable Journey, Ellexa Press (Conifer, CO), 2005.

WORK IN PROGRESS: Hearing the Stream: A Survivor's Journey into the Sisterhood of Breast Cancer, expected 2006.

SIDELIGHTS: Diane Chambers told CA: "I did not discover my love of writing until the age of forty-six. I'd always loved reading and in my younger adult life came to prefer reading nonfiction and memoirs. While there are hundreds of authors whose work I've enjoyed over the years, there are a couple of whom I've emulated, like Torey L. Hayden and Elaine M. Mar. For many years I'd subconsciously held a notion that I could write a book of my own, but in reading theirs, I realized I wanted to do it like they did. I chose to write about an eighty-six-year-old deaf-blind man who was my sign-language student at the time.

"Immediately following the writing of Breaking the Sound Barrier, an unpublished work, I wrote Hearing the Stream: A Survivor's Journey into the Sisterhood of Breast Cancer, about six people, including myself, who have dealt with breast cancer. I completed both manuscripts within four years. Of course I wrote about subjects I was passionate about and in which I had expertise—sign language and deafness because they are my chosen career path and breast cancer because it chose me.

"I write to educate and inspire others on subjects that interest me. I begin with an idea of the message(s) I want to impart and develop the story in a creative way to capture the reader's interest. When all of the points I wish to make have poured from my heart onto the pages, the work is finished."