Alexis York Lumbard with her family when she was a little girl

Alexis as a child on Whidbey Island

Alexis York Lumbard talking sense to her camel Mabruk, in the Egyptian desert

Alexis York Lumbard with her three daughters

“I was born in 1981 on a military base in North Carolina, the second daughter of my parents, Debra Banzhaf York and Stephen Travis York. My father served in the U.S. Marine Corps for most of my childhood. Like many military families, we moved around frequently. Of all the places we lived in those early years, my fondest memories are of Whidbey Island, Washington. I remember riding the bumpy ferry to and from Seattle and watching with great wonder the many birds taking flight. Little did I know that my very first children’s book, The Conference of the Birds, would involve these feathered friends!

“When I turned seven we moved to northern Virginia, a wonderful melting pot of people from around the world. By the time I was a student at The George Washington University, my interest in other cultures quickly developed into a love for world religions. It was during this time that I also met my husband. Shortly after graduation, I joined my husband in Egypt, where he was teaching at the American University in Cairo. When I wasn’t studying classical Arabic, I would explore the colorful streets of Old Cairo and visit some of the most magnificent mosques in the world. My fondest memory from Egypt however, was a five-day camel trek through the desert to Saint Catherine’s Monastery in Mount Sinai. Come to think of it, riding a camel is a lot like riding a ferry; it is bumpy, but wonderful.

“After Egypt, we moved to Amman, Jordan, where we had our first child. We lived in Jordan for only a year, but what a remarkable year it was! My husband had a unique job serving His Majesty King Abdallah II as an advisor for Interfaith Affairs. The Levant is a dazzling jewel, which fills many a visitor with wonder and delight. This special time in Jordan and those wonderful weekend visits to Damascus and Jerusalem planted the seeds for my next book, Everyone Prays, a concept book in celebration of faith as such. In every person, in every community, and in every single thing on earth there is something wonderful from which to learn, something wonderful to cherish.

“We now live a simple life in the Boston area with our three little girls. Were it not for motherhood, I do not think I would have become an author. For there was a book that I wanted to read to my children, but this book did not yet exist. So I said to myself, ‘Well, why don’t you write it!’

“I quickly learned that writing isn’t as easy as it sounds. But if we dig around deep enough we will find that there is an artist of some sort hidden inside us all.  As Ray Bradbury once observed, “We are cups, constantly and quietly being filled. The trick is knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out.” So I studied the principles of good storytelling and learned to draw upon the past and present in order to write from the center. That is why I love storytelling; good literature has the capacity to engage the whole self. 

“Even when I am not writing there is always something swirling about my mind. I think about stories while playing with my children. I think about stories while washing the dishes. But most of all, I think about stories while reading great books. If I had to choose one author whom I admire the most, I would choose Leo Lionni. I especially love Frederick, the poet mouse with a philosophical nature. Children are little people capable of asking, and reflecting upon, very big ideas.”

Alexis York Lumbard was interviewed by Nicole Waheed on the “Nicole Show,” a cablecast show originating in Newton, MA, which is focused on women’s issues and interests. In the interview, Alexis speaks about being an author of children’s books and about her Wisdom Tales book The Conference of the Birds, as well as about a new project she is working on.