Ivanko, John D. 1966-

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Ivanko, John D. 1966-

(John Duane Ivanko)

PERSONAL: Born October 1, 1966, in Royal Oak, MI; married Lisa Kivirist (a writer), November 16, 1996. Ethnicity: "Caucasian." Education: University of Michigan, B.B.A., 1989; Pennsylvania State University, M.S., 1996.

ADDRESSES: Home—7843 County Rd. P, Brown-town, WI 53522. Agent—(stock photography) Eleventh Hour Stock Photography Agency, Chicago, IL. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Freelance photographer and writer. JDI Enterprises, Inc., Browntown, WI, co-owner of Inn Serendipity (bed and breakfast establishment); Renewing the Countryside, cofounder of Rural Renaissance Network; Global Fund for Children, writer and photographic illustrator. Worked at an advertising agency prior to 1992; Pennsylvania State University, adjunct lecturer; workshop presenter; public speaker. Exhibitions: Photographs exhibited at Gallery 213, Chicago, IL, and Monroe Arts Center.

AWARDS, HONORS: Scholarship, Outdoor Writers Association of America, 1997; award from National Association for the Education of Young Children, 1999, citation for notable social studies trade book for young people, National Council for the Social Studies and Children's Book Council, 2000, and seal of approval, National Parenting Center, 2001, all for To B e a Kid; Directors' Choice Awards, Early Childhood News, 2000, for To Be a Kid, and 2004, for To Be an Artist; other awards for the children's books Animal Friends: A Global Celebration of Children and Animals, Be My Neighbor, and Back to School; also received awards for Inn Serendipity.

WRITINGS:

(And photographer; with wife, Lisa Kivirist) The Least Imperfect Path: A Global Journal for the Future, Paradigm Press (Monroe, WI), 1996.

(And photographer; with Lisa Kivirist) Rural Renaissance: Renewing the Quest for the Good Life, New Society (Gabriola Island, British Columbia, Canada), 2004.

Contributor of articles and photographs to national and international periodicals, including Mother Earth News, Hobby Farms, Home Power, Natural Home and Garden, Solar Today, Islands, Wisconsin Trails, Sky, Earth, and Scottish Life.

AUTHOR AND PHOTOGRAPHER; JUVENILES

(With Maya Ajmera) To Be a Kid, Charlesbridge (Watertown, MA), 1999.

(With Maya Ajmera) Back to School, Charlesbridge (Watertown, MA), 2001.

(With Maya Ajmera) Come Out and Play, Charles-bridge (Watertown, MA), 2001.

(With Maya Ajmera) Animal Friends: A Global Celebration of Children and Animals, Charles-bridge (Watertown, MA), 2002.

(With Maya Ajmera) Be My Neighbor, Shakti for Children (Watertown, MA), 2004.

(With Maya Ajmera) To Be an Artist, Charlesbridge (Watertown, MA), 2004.

PHOTOGRAPHER; WITH OTHERS

Children from Australia to Zimbabwe: A Photographic Journey around the World, Charlesbridge (Water-town, MA), 1998.

Chicago—Heart and Soul of America, Towery (Memphis, TN), 1998.

The Power of Pittsburgh, Towery (Memphis, TN), 1998.

The Illinois Adventure, Gibbs Smith (Layton, UT), 1999.

Extraordinary Girls, Charlesbridge (Watertown, MA), 1999.

Let the Games Begin, Charlesbridge (Watertown, MA), 1999.

The Ohio Adventure, Gibbs Smith (Layton, UT), 2001.

The Wisconsin Journey, Gibbs Smith (Layton, UT), 2002.

WORK IN PROGRESS: Writer and photo contributor to Renewing the Countryside: Wisconsin and The Search for Cheesemaker Willy, an illustrated children's book.

SIDELIGHTS: John D. Ivanko once commented: "On April Fool's Day, 1992, I jumped off the corporate treadmill at an advertising agency to journey around the world on what has become known as my 'quest for understanding.' One year and twenty-nine countries later, I returned to the United States with more than 15,000 photographic images and stirring accounts of my journey. Then, while serving as an adjunct lecturer at Pennsylvania State University, I completed the text for my first book, The Least Imperfect Path: A Global Journal for the Future. This travelogue describes my journey and search for elements of social and ecological change.

"I continued to develop as a professional photographer and writer, contributing to national and international magazines as a freelance journalist. Jaunts to Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru, Scotland, Belize, and Guatemala generated additional material. Before leaving Penn State in 1997, I completed my master's degree in studies related to ecotourism and recreation management.

"The joys and hopes of the children I met and the increasingly degraded social and ecological environment in which they must grow has inspired and driven me to contribute to a renewed, positive, and hopeful vision for the future, and also to offer stepping stones for us all to navigate our own journey to a more peaceful, sustainable, and just tomorrow. With the awareness developed through traveling came the responsibility to share and care for a planet and its inhabitants. To Be a Kid and the many other projects to which I've had an opportunity to contribute served as a beacon for viewing and living in this remarkable world."