Mira N.
Mataric
art by jared barbick
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Mira N. Mataric was born and educated in Yugoslavia with a BA, MA, and Ph.D. in Linguistics and World Literature from the University of Belgrade, later specializing in Special Education at Emporia University, Ks. A prominent free-lance writer and translator-interpreter while she lived in Europe, she translated American, English, Swedish, Indian and other modern poetry and prose (including John Steinbeck, Isaac Bashevis Singer, John Updike, Edna O'Brien, Victor Constoski etc). She received educational scholarships from the governments of England, Sweden, USA, Yugoslavia and traveled extensively throughout Europe, USA, Australia, Asia and Africa.
Living in the USA since 1981, Mira has taught college English, Creative Writing, Russian, and ESL, also Special Education, successfully applying her expertise in creative writing with special groups as art therapy, working with senior citizens, who - as she points out - have much to say but usually nobody to listen. She teaches how to write memoirs, journals, poetry and other literary forms. For 18 years, Mira has edited a literary journal, organized literary workshops and readings, often delivering public speeches for schools, organizations, churches and clubs, always discovering and nurturing new talents, building multi-cultural bridges and spreading education.
Mira has published 23 (bilingual) books of poetry, memoirs, short stories, a novel based in Pasadena. She has about two thousand citations in other publications and anthologies. She has been translated into other languages and awarded for poetry 8 times, the latest recognition the award of Poetry Ambassador 2006.. In November of 2005 she received a prestigious award from the Government of Serbia "Arsenie Charnoevich" for 50 years of building cultural bridges between the Serbo-Croatian and English speaking cultures. Mira is an active member of literary workshops and poetry groups publicly reading their work around L.A. and San Gabriel Valley.
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