Anita Jepson-Gilbert

Anita Jepson-Gilbert first learned about the Nazca Lines from her husband Wayne Gilbert in 1986, when they were living in Denver, Colorado. In Denver she wrote and published poetry while also teaching college English. Since she was working on campus, she was able to order library books from near and far about the Nazca Lines. As she read through all of them, she noticed how often they relied on the writings and photos by Dr. Maria Reiche to show and explain the mysterious land drawings of Nazca, Peru. This led our author to become as interested in this woman scientist as she was in the Nazca Lines. Soon her fascination produced a poem, entitled " Maria and the Stars of Nazca." In 2003, the 100th anniversary of Maria Reiche’s birth, Anita made the trip to Peru to view those mysterious line drawings both from the desert and from an airplane. In addition, she was able to meet with two people who were personally familiar with Maria Reiche and her work. The trip was a great success, and the following year the book was independently published with the addition of a small audio CD in both languages. In 2005 her book was awarded two First Prizes from the Colorado Independent Publishers Association: one for Best in Children’s Books and one for its Contribution to Literacy. Now, nearly 20 years later, it has come through a second publication from Ewings Publishing, who hopes you will enjoy reading and listening to this inspiring story in English or Spanish, or both. To order book email: anitajg5@aol.com