Shen, Michele 1953-
(Michele Shenker)

Personal

Born September 13, 1953, in Cape Town, South Africa; daughter of Morris (a managing director of an automobile manufacturer) and Hilda (a homemaker) Shenker; divorced, 1986; children: Daniella Stalling. Education: University of Cape Town, B.A. (psychology); University of Witwatersrand Graduate School of Business Administration, higher diploma (personnel management).

Addresses

Home and office—Nova Constantia, Cape Town, South Africa. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Kane/Miller Book Publishers, P.O. Box 8515, La Jolla, CA 92038-8515. E-mail—[email protected].

Career

Polarity therapist; writer and illustrator.

Writings

(Self-illustrated) The Spider and the Bee, Kane/Miller Book Publishers (La Jolla, CA), 2002.

Work in Progress

Faera's Dragon; short stories and poetry.

Sidelights

South African writer and illustrator Michele Shenker, who writes under the name Michele Shen, told SATA: "Writing is for me a way of putting life events into perspective to arrive at an an understanding and balance. The Spider and the Bee, a short poem that simplistically puts the concept of divorce into context, was sparked by a conversation with a friend. When my marriage partner and I were looking to move home, I confided to a friend that he had bad taste in houses, and her view wias that it was not ‘bad,’ just ‘different.’ That brought the realization that no one is ‘wrong’ or ‘bad,’ just different, a message that applies as much to casual friendships as it does to intimate relationships.

"Faera's Dragon is a story based on a poem I wrote a few years ago titled ‘Dragon Woman.’ The poem has also been adapted as a song produced and sung by Alice Gillham, still to be released."

Biographical and Critical Sources

ONLINE

Kane/Miller Book Publishers Web site,http://www.kanemiller.com/ (September 10, 2006), "Michele Shen."