I am proud to announce that Love & War: the World War II Letters of Arthur Smook, which I edited, is now available on Amazon.com in print and for Kindle.  This has been a labor of love for me as I have edited 450 letters that my father wrote to my mother during World War II down to all or part of 150.  There are also two wonderful letters that my mother wrote to her parents when she visited my dad in Paris, Texas, just before he was shipped to Europe.  I have received some wonderful reviews.  A good review printed by The Register-Star Newspaper on August 10, 2015 seems to have disappeared from the internet, but,  here is one written by Catherine Kirkpatrick for the New York Book Society posted on August 30, 2015.

The story begins with Arthur’s joshing letters to Cornell pal Sylvia and turns to passion after they become engaged during a home leave. Sylvia visits the young Infantry 1^st Lieutenant in Texas but they do not marry.  He is shipped overseas in October 1944,  fights in the Battle of the Bulge, and is one of the few in his unit to survive.  Arthur writes passionate letters from the front, receives four purple hearts and a bronze star, and survives to command prisoner stockades as he waits to be returned to the states.  His feelings and descriptions about all of these events are expressed in a manner that is always articulate and heartfelt: sometimes humorous, sometimes painful. 

Arthur Smook was caught up in the events of the era: Hitler's death, the Yalta Conference, the death of FDR, and the dropping of the atomic bomb in the context of an individual's wartime life.  The letters interweave these historic moments with everyday life in foxholes and a longing to return to his love in a way that compels us to keep reading.

The book is available in both print and Kindle versions on Amazon.com

A group of photographs that are sold as posters in galleries can now be ordered from Imagekind, a marvelous site where you can order images in a variety sizes, printed on fine papers.  You can also order the images framed and see virtual frames and walls with the photographs inserted.  Here is the link:  http://dianesmook.imagekind.com

Where to find my blog!  dianesmook.wordpress.com

Reviews of my work in The New York Times can be found here and here .

If you would like to learn more about the work of choreographer Isabel Gotzkowsky, visit her dance company's website, www.isabelgo.org.  She and Jon Zimmerman have moved to Berlin, so don't be surprised if the performances listed are in Europe!

My gallery of photographs Creatures of the Galapagoes is currently offliine.  You can learn about the unique ecosystem in the Galapagos Islands by visiting the Charles Darwin Foundation, Inc. at www.galapagos.org.

I have had the good fortune to photograph the beautiful jewelry created by Kelli Peduzzi. Her meticulously crafted work can be seen at www.pureblissjewelry.com.

You can find more information about the activities of Professional Women Photographers at www.pwponline.org.

Would you like more information?  Are you interested in ordering prints or the use of an image?  Please send me an email.  I would love to hear from you!