Steve Barnaby

My life in various forms has been that of a story-teller. Upon graduating from university I became a newspaper journalist. During my tenure I wrote a recurring column for more than twenty years. As a reporter I interviewed thousands of people. The practice taught me the value of listening for understanding and for in-depth research. I changed careers in mid-life and became a mediator. The experience took me around the world on what I call a listening tour while aiding various groups in solving their conflicts. Having the experience as a combat infantry veteran I learned early in life that building trust by discovering common values is a key to resolving conflict. Those values are shared through story telling. Today I am artist focusing on visual media, again another way in which to tell stories. The most influential novel in my life is Herman Melville's "Moby Dick," the worlds first novel to tell the story of man's collective struggle to co-exist globally. I am also greatly influenced by Emil Zola's Les Rougon-Macquart Series. I enjoy Joyce Carol Oates for here acumen in story telling through a variety of genre. John Irving is also another admired influencer whose unique story telling abilities is unmatched. Additional authors impacting my life are Theordore Dreiser as well as John O'Hara, whose novel "Ourselves to Know" is one of the novel writing hidden gems. I am a dedicated bibliophile who owns a personal library of more than 500 volumes.