March 20

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Marie-Pierre Baltz, is a native of France.

Her twelve years of Montessori education gave her a strong sense of independence and the desire to experience the world. Her supportive parents encouraged her to pursue her studies and practice of languages, as well as her interest for dance, music, theater and writing. She attended the Catholic University of Lille, France where she majored in foreign languages (English, Spanish and German), and traveled through Europe, Canada and the US. as an interpreter for her “Haute Couture” father’s business. A shift of interest brought her to the US in 1969 to study the Montessori philosophy of education, taught in Cincinnati and came to Joliet Il in 1973, where she met her husband Joseph M. Baltz, an actor, a framer, and a photography teacher.  Their two artistic children, Emilie and Timothee, are her constant inspiration. Now retired, Marie-Pierre feels that elder hood opened up exciting new avenues, and her stories from both sides of the Ocean could make you wonder where lies her center of gravity!

Barbara Eberhard is the producer and host of STORIES R Us. She taught photography at the University of St. Francis and was staff photographer at the Philip Lynch Theatre for over 30 years She was the director of the children’s theatre Eberhard and Friends. Barbara is the founder of the artist group, artitude. You can view her work at barbaraeberhard.com

Simi Krishnan is a mom to two rambunctious kids, a 14 and 8 year old, and wife to a Star Trek fiend!! By day she wears a data and analytics cape, leading analytics in the pharmaceutical industry, and by night she is a producer of The People Tree, a live storytelling show which takes place the third Thursday of every month, located in Naperville!

Meghali is a a resident of Aurora, married to Pravin, her college sweetheart. They share 2 beautiful children together. 

A Project Manager by profession, her penchant for writing stories is well known in her community. She writes for various newsletters and shares her wonderful, heartwarming real life experiences through her website TalesByTulika. (https://talesbytulika.com/). Her stories, which are all about kindness and generosity, are often inspired by her daily interaction with her kids, friends and sometimes even strangers. She is passionate about bringing positive change in this world. She is also actively involved in raising awareness about special needs kids and her goal is to break the stigma around the subject.

Karen Scott moved to Lockport in March 2023 after having lived in Maryland for almost 30 years, where she worked in Washington DC for the US Environmental Protection Agency as an environmental education specialist. Karen has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a master’s degree in adult education. She worked in education her whole career, starting in elementary education in public schools and the US Peace Corps, and then transitioning to adult education for the US Army, and in evening schools, community colleges, and workplace literacy programs. She is now retired and lives with 3 cats near her son and daughter-in-law and 3 grandchildren, which has been delightful, but she misses her daughter in Baltimore. Karen loves to travel and got to see much of the Pacific and SE Asia in the 1970s during and after her two years in the Peace Corps. She also had the privilege of traveling throughout a great deal of the United States while working for the EPA and the Army. She hopes to do more traveling now that she’s settled in her new home.