Tim "Sugar" Magner, Author
I’ve lived a lot in my 39 years–and in a lot of places too. From studying history in Vienna, to drinking tea in Boston, teaching golf in North Carolina, eating grits in Georgia, skiing with kids that rip in Colorado, exploring New York City, ice-fishing in Minnesota, cheering on the Nebraska Cornhuskers and nearly calling California home. My nephew Johnny thinks I’m 93!
Since early on in life, I have loved to learn (even if I didn't always do my homework!). Dad regularly unplugged the lamp next to my bed to get me to put down my book and go to sleep. My earliest memories are of summers filled with life outdoors –mostly at our grandparents homes in Wisconsin and Michigan. We chased frogs and swam after fish. We pulled weeds in the garden and picked berries. Our family bought roadside sweet corn and Mom organized husking competitions. I napped in the shade under the fruit trees and wondered about becoming a farmer. We climbed trees, explored the woods after rainstorms and even visited the garbage dump to watch bears.
Now, I live in Chicago where I mostly read - about where we’ve been and where we are. But it’s where we’re going which fascinates me. Led by more and more informed citizens with passion, the seeds of a “Green Revolution” have sprouted. Change is upon us, and with a concerted and sustained effort the transformation of how our global village lives will take place faster and be more complete than the Industrial Revolution. We’ll harness current solar energy to power our lives, while learning to build what we need without creating waste–much like nature has done for a few billion years. And, we’ll do it all while improving the quality of our lives without jeopardizing the lives of future generations.
There are numerous big-thinkers who write for adults about the “Green Revolution” (see Favorite Links for bookshelf recommendations), but there are too few books on this subject for children. I choose to write simple stories for children on this biggest of topics: the environment. Immerse curious kids in the ways of nature early and often and they come to understand and feel compassion for it. They learn to see the world for what it is–a world full of connections. Once "hooked on nature," they become leaders capable of great and necessary things.
Where did the name “Sugar” originate?
With my last name being Magner, "Mags" was my nickname. This changed after I attempted to sing the Grateful Dead tune “Sugar Magnolia” as a Boston College student. I became SugarMags. Then, just Sugar.
Cammy Hines, Regional Sales
I’m Mom to four busy children, age six to twelve, and caretaker of one crazy yellow lab. I am a twelve-time “Mother of the Year” recipient, presented to me by my cute husband. We all enjoy being outside. In the summer, we grow food in our five-year-old vegetable garden. We mostly harvest beans, broccoli, tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, beets and pumpkins. This year was a bumper crop! During the winter, we bundle up and skate, sled and explore. In my free time, I … wait, I have no free time!
Ryan Newhouse, Editor
I live in the wide open wilderness of Montana with my wife and young daughter. We fish for big trout, hunt wild animals like elk and ruffed grouse and grow herbs and vegetables in our garden. I moved to "Big Sky" country to pursue a master’s degree in Environmental Writing at the University of Montana-Missoula.
When I'm not outside, I am writing and editing. Much of my writing has been published, in places like Foreign Ground: Travelers’ Tales, Personal Journaling, Chess Life, Camas: The Nature of the West, Pipes and Tobaccos, Missoula Living, Edible Missoula and many other national and international publications.
Some of my work has won awards, like the Edwin R. Hunter Award for Excellence in Research in English or American Literature and an Alexander English Prize. I was also nominated for a Bodie McDowell Award in 2004 from the Outdoor Writers Association of America.
I am deeply committed to cycling as my primary source of transportation, and I currently serve as Vice President of the Bike/Walk Alliance for Missoula (www.bikewalkmissoula.org). Cycling saves money, saves the environment and makes me a healthier individual.
Occasionally I teach classes on creative writing, publishing and fly fishing literature, but more often you can find me sipping on a cup of strong coffee, a habit I picked up as a former coffeehouse owner.
Dani Stern, Consultant
Head of School, joined The Learning Circle Montessori Elementary in 1999. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Public Relations with a minor in Psychology from Syracuse University. Dani received a Colorado State Teacher Certification from the University of Colorado. She taught 7th grade at Basalt Middle School in Basalt, CO before attending the Montessori Education Center of the Rockies in Boulder, CO, receiving an American Montessori Elementary I Credential. Dani began her tenure at The Learning Circle teaching in the Upper Elementary Classroom for five years and served as the Associate Head of School during the 2005-2006 school year. Dani has also served on the Board of Directors for the Montana Montessori Educator's Association.
Katie Smith, Education Consultant
I am a teacher with a most interesting career. After receiving my undergrad degree at Miami University of Ohio, I spent 1998-2001 living in San Francisco teaching Kindergarten to children with special needs. Then, I moved to Lake Tahoe, California to return to grad school at the University of Nevada, Reno. I received my master’s degree in 2003 in Literacy Education and opened a learning center called Clever Minds in downtown Truckee where we taught children with reading disabilities. To accommodate students with dyslexia, in 2006, I traveled to Boston to train and become proficient in the Orton-Gillingham program.
This past year has been crazy! I became a mom, sold the business and am in the process of moving back to the Bay Area. When the family gets settled, my next adventure begins—I’m returning to the classroom, where Green Sugar’s informative, pertinent and entertaining books will be a classroom mainstay.
Mike Nudelman, Illustrator
Illustrator for N is for Nature: An Environmental Alphabet Book.
I was raised in Long Island, NY and received my bachelor's degree in printmaking from Cornell University. Much of the inspiration for my varied work comes from my many collections of books, wristwatches, eyeglasses, shoes, stickers and ballpoint pens. I live in Chicago and try to take advantage of the city's great museums and parks when I'm not working in my art studio as a graduate student in the Painting and Drawing Department of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Aubri A. Vincent-Barwood, Illustrator
Illustrator for An Environmental Guide from A to Z.
The final images are watercolor on cold-pressed paper taken from animal and plant studies I have done. I composited particular studies together in a sketch with other subject matter and then painted them. All the work I do is researched. Not only for the specifics of the subject itself, but also because I have a thirst for knowledge and want to know everything there is to know about anything. So, if I’m drawing an animal, I go to the zoo and study that animal if they have one. Watch the way it moves, the things it eats, the sounds it makes. If I want to know more or the zoo doesn’t have that animal, I go to the library and read up on the animal I’m drawing.
Knowing the subject matter that your drawing or painting strengthens the work and yourself.
Lindsay Knapp, Illustrator
Illustrator for Earl the Earthworm Digs for His Life.
"The illustrations all began as light watercolor washes. After this first layer dried, I continued to layer in heavier watercolor washes. I then went back into the finished watercolors with colored pencils to enhance shading and details. Many of the colors and shadows were then enhanced in Photoshop."
I attended the University of Tennessee at Knoxville where I studied art and graduated with a degree in graphic design. My best college memories include roasting marshmallows over candles with my roommates in the middle of the night & playing cards for hours while waiting in line for basketball game tickets. I love all art-like classes, but my favorite have always been photography and creative writing. I’ve lived in East Tennessee almost my entire life but have never picked up a southern accent. I did, however, accidentally become a fan of country music. When I’m not doing something related to art – you'll find me waterskiing (it only took me 5 years to learn), playing softball or reading.
