Christine Tarantino
P.O. Box 121, Wendell, Massachusetts 01379 USA
Chronology
1948 Born 3 December in New York City.
1952 Early recollections of NYC art museums, parks, churches,
Bronx Zoo, and family bread bakeries.
1954 Moves to Boston, Massachusetts with Italian-American family.
1958 Wins first slogan contest, Gillette Corporation, but later
disqualified for being underage.
1962 Enters Framingham South High School, soon discovers poetry,
arts, 60's culture, alternatives, and aloneness.
1970 Graduates with two teaching certificates, State College
Fitchburg, MA and begins lifelong passion for teaching.•
First classroom teaching position in Westminster Massachusetts.
Later awarded Diane Goguen Memorial Honor for extraordinary
commitment and outstanding teaching excellence.
1979 Emerges from malpractice-induced coma with heightened sensibilities
and symptomatic autism. Rejects previously established family
and career relationships and goals in favor of a natural lifestyle
guided by rapid spiritual awareness and supernatural zeal. Lives
alone in woodlands of North Quabbin Region, Massachusetts for
6 years.
1981 First writings and poems published. Begins left-handed
calligraphic markings poetry. Works in restaurants and art centers
along the Mohawk-Johnny Appleseed Trails. Writes two weekly
newspaper columns, publishes travel log of Thoreau excursion
on Cape Cod., joins writing groups in Amherst, Massachusetts
area.
1986 Founder of three local writing groups; TUESDAY NIGHT POETS,
FREE SPIRIT POETS, and WOMAN'S WORTH. Awarded numerous Massachusetts
Cultural Council Grants to fund groups' activities including
printing and publishing first poetry chapbook, Rhythms of Regiving.
1990 Spends one year alone in cabin writing children's series,
Come Outdoors And Play: A Child's Guide to Nature and God. Rejects
NYC publishing house offer to publish book series.
1991 Meets and moves in with avant-garde artist & NEW NEW
PAINTER, William Gruters, with whom a mentor relationship develops.
Moves cabin to his Mill Pond home site, where Literary Arts
at Mill Pond becomes established and the bulk of writings and
projects are developed. First Literary Arts works presented,
published, and collected at La Libraire Pax & Musee royal
de Mariemont Belgium.
1992 Initiated into Transcendental Meditation, Northampton Massachusetts.
Follows Ayurvedic lifestyle, meets Dr. Deepak Chopra
1995 Over 30 titles written, printed, and published under newly
established independent book arts imprint, Words of Light International
Publishing. Mission goal was to create works(textual) which
promoted spiritual awareness and higher consciousness. First
mail art exhibition, Driving the Dream: Rte. 66, USA.,
1996 Come Outdoors And Play book series chosen for inclusion
in UK catalogue of the best books that "nourish spiritual
awareness in children".
1998 Reads Autobiography of a Yogi, The Li{e of Paramahansa
Yogananda and subscribes to Self-Realization Lessons, and later
to TRUTH Journal, by Roy Eugene Davis of Center for Spiritual
Awareness in Georgia. Begins committed spiritual practice of
meditation and hatha yoga.
1999 Attends lectures by spiritual personages; Deepak Chopra,
Ananda Moyi, Dalai Llama, and Roy Eugene Davis, with whom a
guru-disciple relationship develops.
2001 Proposes and curates first international Mail Art Exhibition/Publication,
"Your Library", held at Phillips Free Public Library
in Phillipston, Massachusetts. Emerging as a visio-textual artist.
2003 Initiated into Kriya Yoga by Roy Eugene Davis, direct disciple
of Paramahansa Yogananda, at Center for Spiritual Awareness
in Lakemont, Georgia.
2004 Regularly exhibits book arts and mail art works, internationally.
Summer artist-in-residence, Governor Dummer Academy, Plum Island.
2005 Meets and establishes cyberspace relationship with Belgium
artist Guido Vermeulen, who invites participation in his artist
book blog, and with whom a mentor relationship ensues. Publishes
first two artist book collections of mail art by International
artists, A - Z Mail Art Postcards, and A Plea to Forsake.
2006 Invited to the DaDa Festival at MOMA, New York, to honor
William S. Wilson and De Decker Geert (Sztuka Fabryka). Accepts
postlon to teach Art at Holy Trinity School, Greenfield Massachusetts.
Edits Mail Art Encyclopedia article by De Decker Geert for Sztuka
Fabryka, Belgium. Moves to Wendell, Massachusetts with Douglas
Dawson.
Christine Tarantino - e.mail: tarantinochristine@yahoo.com
