About Us

Belletrista is a not-for-profit, bimonthly web magazine which seeks both to encourage cross-cultural understanding through international literature written by women and to increase the visibility of that literature.

Originally the brain child of Lois Ava-Matthew, Belletrista has been developed and honed with the assistance of a remarkable international group of readers who came together as our Board of Advisors, each bringing to the magazine special skills, talents and education. Our initial group of writers and reviewers come from the US, UK, continental Europe, Canada, Ireland, Australia and South Africa, a list that is expanding.

We approach our mission as readers, not as academics or book industry professionals. Belletrista hopes to bring its unique view of women-authored, global literature to a broad audience of international booklovers, from the seasoned fan of world literature to the passionate reader who is just venturing beyond familiar literary shores.

A majority of our content is freelance-written. Writers should note that we do not accept submissions of original fiction or poetry. We do not accept unsolicited material of any kind; however, if you think you have something to contribute to our magazine please feel free to contact us and inquire.

Belletrista acknowledges the early and continuing support, financial and otherwise, of the Matthew family, The Toadstool Bookshop of Milford, NH, USA; and the generosity of many of its writers and advisors.


Contributors in this Issue

Kathleen Ambrogi is an American who has spent most of her life abroad, in Europe, Africa and Southeast Asia. After earning her M.S. in English Education, she taught English, Social Science, Art and Information Technology in schools around the world. Today she is a professional writer, sharing her impressions of cultural forces through fiction and nonfiction.

Andy Barnes lives in Bristol in the United Kingdom. He is an avid reader on a mission to discover great writing from as many parts of the globe as possible. Andy works in one bookshop, and volunteers in another, and when he isn't reading or selling books, he is usually talking or writing about them.

Dan Chaikin is a geologist who works for a geophysical company in Texas.

F. P. Crawford studied Middle Eastern politics, religion, and literature and wrote her M.A. thesis on translations of Lebanese women's novels written during the Lebanese civil war of 1975-1990. She later fled academia for the real world and pleasure reading. She enjoys all things new and currently finds herself drawn to Japanese and Scandinavian literature. She lives and works in the Washington, DC area with two cats, her sweetheart, and an embarrassing number of unread books.

Tad Deffler spent the first quarter of his life (so far) moving around the world as an Army brat, the second quarter of his life acquiring degrees he doesn’t use, the third quarter trying to figure out what the fourth and subsequent quarters should be about, and the last quarter working for a long series of companies without ever moving his desk as his tiny software company got acquired by ever-larger ones. He lives in New Jersey but spends as much time in Ontario as he can wangle.

Ceri Evans lives amidst the green green grass of North Wales. She is a family lawyer who prefers reading to anything else. She would secretly love to drop everything and open a second hand book shop.

Caitlin Fehir is an English teacher living in southern Ontario, Canada. Her reading tastes change daily, and she is constantly adding to her never-ending list of books to explore. Her new-found love is traveling, an expensive hobby that is supplemented by seeing the world through literature.

Akeela Gaibie-Dawood lives in the beautiful city of Cape Town, South Africa. She enjoys nature and is a keen hiker. She loves books and the written word, and has a Masters degree in journalism. Her current reading challenge is to visit as many countries around the world, via books, as possible.

Jane Anderson Jones has been a community college professor of Literature and Humanities for over 25 years. A resident of Sarasota, Florida, she has edited an anthology of Florida poetry and has done the usual academic writing and paper presenting. She's beginning to think about retiring to have more time to read and travel.

Tim Jones is an author, poet, editor and anthologist who lives in Wellington, New Zealand. He is currently working on his second novel and third collection of poetry. As a reader, he especially enjoys Russian and South American literature in translation, poetry from New Zealand and around the world, and science fiction – plus everything from Elizabeth Jane Howard novels to Buffy comics.

Michael Matthew is a scientist with a small company outside of Boston. Outside work, his reading is usually, but not limited to: nonfiction, current events, poetry or science fiction.

Amanda Meale is a music teacher who loves to read. She lives near Sydney, Australia.

Deborah Montuori teaches English at a Pennsylvania university. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan with a specialization in Early Modern British literature, and most of her professional writing focuses on defining the self. In addition to reading, she enjoys attending plays, watching independent films, listening to Celtic or classical music, and cooking healthy gourmet meals. She lives with one cat and thousands of books that help to keep her sane.

Joyce Nickel is a corporate writer from Vancouver, Canada. When she's not reading or traveling, she can be found enjoying the outdoor lifestyle of the Pacific Northwest.

Charlotte Simpson lives in London. She reads a wide range of classic and contemporary fiction written by women and is currently focusing on Africa. She has a Masters degree in Modern British Women's History.

Barbara Steeg has worked in publishing for over twenty years, and is currently with a prominent children's magazine in Columbus, Ohio (USA). While enjoying many different literary genres, she is particularly enamored with books about the human spirit, identity and the collision of cultures. In addition to her life‒long love of books, she enjoys music, travel, rock climbing, and contemplating evil.