Artist — Writer — Cloud Witness
| ZO Advisor
Joan Zeier is now watching and guiding us from Heaven, hence the title “Cloud Witness.” ZO has always believed that we are surrounded by a Cloud of Witnesses that have paved the way for us — Our existence has been so greatly influenced by the many creative souls met along our path, who have graciously added to our mission of promoting peace through the arts.
Joan was a Wisconsin native who put aside her dreams of writing books while she and her husband, Gerald, raised their five sons and four daughters. However, those hectic years paid off with a wealth of insights to be used later in her writing. In addition to the titles of wife, mother of 9, author, poet, and artist, she served as organist for the 7:00 am Mass at St. Dennis Catholic Church for over 45 years. She advised ZO Magazine since its inception . . .
Books:
Jacket illustration copyright 1993 by Larry Raymond
Stick Boy
The Elderberry Thicket
by Joan T. Zeier [Atheneum]
Jacket illustration © 1993 by Jim Phalen
In 1938 Wisconsin, when twelve-year-old Franny Parson’s father loses his job as a hired hand and has to go looking for work, the family members doubt their self-reliance as they face again the hard times they had hoped were gone for good.
Franny had always liked the Cooper family until they fired her father who worked as their hired man. How could they give his job to some nephew that they barely knew! Now her father must leave home to look for work and nothing is the same. Franny is determined not to like “Smokey” Manning, the Coopers’ nephew…
Joan Zeier penned a wealth of poetry and a summer visit to her home in Wisconsin before the launch party of our Magazine connected us with a timely piece by her, that we brought to Los Angeles and included in our first streamed event.
The poem “Reunion” was especially synchronous with the photo muse by Luis José Estremadoyro that we were using for the Expo that was running at the time of our launch event. So glad that Joan thought of it and allowed us to have it interpreted. Jenny Savage’s whole presentation of it was a tribute to the links between people that we are trying to bridge through art . . .