Raphael, Maryanne 1938-

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RAPHAEL, Maryanne 1938-

PERSONAL: Born March 18, 1938, in Waverly, OH; daughter of Vincent I. (a surveyor) and Doris (a poet; maiden name, Brown) Patterson; married Lennox Raphael (a writer), April, 1961 (divorced, June, 1972); children: Raphael. Ethnicity: "Irish-American." Education: Ohio University, B.A.; Sorbonne, University of Paris, degree. Politics: Democrat. Religion: Roman Catholic. Hobbies and other interests: Languages, reading, travel, dance, walking.

ADDRESSES: Home and office—Writers World, 3363 Tyler St., No. 215, Carlsbad, CA 92008. Agent—Mary Sue Seymour, 475 Miner Rd., Canton, NY 13617. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Writer. Ohio University, Athens, teacher of English composition, 1958–59; entertainer at service clubs of the U.S. Air Force in Europe, 1960–61; New School for Social Research, New York, NY, teacher of women's studies, 1964–65; Alliance Israelite, Tetvan, Morocco, teacher of English as a second language, 1965–67; University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hilo, teacher of creative writing and journal writing, 1976–78; Writers World, Carlsbad, CA, editor and writer, 1978–. Family Crisis Shelter, Hilo, member of board of directors, 1976–78; member of St. Stephen Small Church Community, Coworkers of Mother Teresa, and Friday Writers Workshop.

MEMBER: Authors Guild, Authors League of America, National Association of Female Executives, Mira Costa Writers, Phi Beta Kappa.

AWARDS, HONORS: Fribourg scholar, French Government, 1960; certificate of excellence, San Diego Awards Association, for Mother Teresa: Called to Love.

WRITINGS:

Raps on Astrology (nonfiction), Write On Press (New York, NY), 1965.

(With Jenifer Wolf) Runaways: America's Lost Youth, preface by Anais Nin, Drake Publishers (New York, NY), 1974, reprinted, Authors Guild (New York, NY), 2000.

Your Psychic Powers: The Key to Success, [Canada], 1974, reprinted, Writers World International Press (Waverly, OH), 1999.

Akita: A Dog for All Seasons, AOD Publishers (New York, NY), 1976.

How to Survive as a Freelance Writer, Writers World (Carlsbad, CA), 1978.

An Interview with Anais Nin: Under the Sign of Pisces, Ohio State University Press (Columbus, OH), 1978.

How to Survive as a New Age Writer, Writers World (Carlsbad, CA), 1990.

A Book of Mirrors, 1998.

Mother Teresa: Called to Love, Writers World International Press (Waverly, OH), 2000.

The Man Who Loved Funerals (novel), iUniverse (Lincoln, NE), 2001.

(With Patricia Walden) Alexandria (romance novel), iUniverse (Lincoln, NE), 2002.

Along Came a Spider: A Personal Look at Madness, iUniverse (Lincoln, NE), 2002.

Anais Nin: The Voyage Within, iUniverse (Lincoln, NE), 2003.

Author of an autobiographical novel, Une année à Paris. Work represented in anthologies, including Who Is Anais Nin?: A Book of Mirrors Anthology, edited by Paul Herron, Sky Blue Press (MI), 1998; From Eulogy to Joy, edited by Cynthia Kuhn Beische and Kristina Chase Strom, Capital Books (Sterling, VA), 2002; and Recovering Your Lost Self from Adversity, edited by Art Martin and Tony Stubbs, Personal Transformation Press (Penryn, CA), 2004. Contributor of poetry, essays, articles, and reviews to periodicals, including International Journal, Look, Bride's, Chatelaine, Mother Earth News, Catholic Digest, and House and Home.

WORK IN PROGRESS: Autobiography of a Marriage, with Lennox Raphael and son, Raphael Raphael; editing a Spanish translation of Mother Teresa, Called to Love; How to Survive the End of the World, a poetry collection; Lord of the River, a romance novel, with Patricia Walden; Touching the Face of God: What Mother Teresa Taught Me.

SIDELIGHTS: Maryanne Raphael once told CA: "I write because I am a writer. If the sun sets one evening and I haven't written anything, my soul suffers. Writing heals me. It feeds my spirit while it gives me a deep hunger for more life. I grow through my writing. It is my meditation and my strength. It transforms me from a lost child in a dark forest to a pilgrim with a path.

"Everyone I meet, every place I go, every adventure, pain, or joy affects my writing. Writing about my brain tumor helped me survive the surgery and return to excellent health. Anais Nin, Hyemeyohsts Storm, Robert Gover, Thomas Wolfe, Margaret Mitchell, Kathryn Ann Porter, and Flannery O'Conner helped me find a style and inspired me to continue.

"I am always writing. The most memorable moments of my life found me struggling to 'be here now' and to stop planning to use this scene in my writing. Since I was a small child I have kept a diary. Besides describing my emotions, reactions, hopes, and fears, I make notes of ideas for future projects, dramatic scenes, quotations, conversations, titles, characters, and plots. When I've planned a project in my journal and in my head, I go to my computer and begin the book.

"At first I wrote short stories, articles, and poetry. Then one day I realized what I really wanted to do was to write books, so that's my main focus now. I do write lots of book reviews because it keeps me aware of the world of books and helps me stay focused.

"Mother Teresa and Anais Nin are two of my heroes. I was fortunate enough to become friends with both of them. Their passionate love for humanity, their unbreakable determination, their joi de vivre inspired me to write their biographies. Living on the Lower East Side of New York City, I met many runaways. When they poured out their intense struggles, I felt compelled to write about them."