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• Map of Imagination • Links
Katharina Bielenberg
'I first met Bernard Anson soon after I had come with my young family to spend a couple of years in Italy, in a part of Tuscany rich in Etruscan history on the coast of the Tyrrhennian Sea.
We had visited Italy many times before, but had never been able to explore in depth the rich cultural and historical heritage of our immediate environment, or learn about the Etruscan people whose spirit still resonates through the hills and plains around here.
It was a serendipitous lunch -- soon after I became involved in the editing of his book.
To work on Carmen Via was a joy, not only because it is written with an honest humour that very few writers allow themselves, but also because it has taught me so much about the historical and mythological footprints of this country.
The stories in Carmen Via merge to form a narrative that underpins the foundations of the European consciousness'.
Katharina Bielenberg has worked as a bookseller and publisher in London, and was part of the team that founded The Harvill Press, an independent house with a reputation for publishing high quality literature in translation as well as English language writers and some classic books of photography. There she worked in various capacities, first managing the rights, and finally as director of sales. Harvill has since succumbed to the pressures on the diminishing ranks of independent publishers and was bought by Random House in 2002, where it now resides within the Harvill Secker imprint.
Since the birth of her first child in 2000, Katharina has been working as a freelance book editor, particularly of translations, and as a translator from the German language. She has also acted as a consultant for private publications and given publishing training in London.
She and her husband, Jamie, arecurrently living in Tuscany with their three daughters, where they are working to restore an abandoned smallholding of olive trees, figs and vines. The combine their passions for good food and environmental issues by exploring the wild harvest of the macchia and cultivating their own vegetables biodynamically.
Amanda Bucklow
The themes explored in the book are deeply connected with my work as a mediator and facilitator. The skills of a mediator are those of a storyteller: communication skills, knowing what to leave in and what to leave out, sense of timing, a way of presenting information in a way which is relevant to the audience, a profound interest in people and a commitment to their 'success'. They are also the skills of an editor.
Dado Anso and I have worked together for over 12 years and we have developed the work and research that underpins the stories in Carmen Via. The Map of Imagination is our container for storygardeners and storygardens. Storygardeners are people who don't easily fit into boxes with labels; they are guided by a deep respect for others and the environment. They are innovative and creative. Storygardens are places that are sympathetic to their work. They hold echos of pioneering, creativity and often struggle. They may be gardens or they may be buildings.
We start in Italy because of the extraordinary richness of culture, landscape and storytelling but we have storygardens and storygardeners across Europe and beyond.
Carmen Via is a unique perspective on Italy; a country that has had such a profound influence on law, education, religion, art, music, literature psychology and communication and she is, despite infuriating flaws, beloved of the entire World.
Amanda Bucklow is a commercial mediator and trainer. She has worked in a number of industries supporting teams and individuals, developing businesses and products and resolving the conflicts that are a feature of business life.
She is currently researching the skills of efffective mediators which will inform a wider research project that focuses on people's strengths.
You can read more about Amanda's work by following the link to www.facilit8.co.uk and www.amandabucklow.co.uk
