Judy Light Ayyildiz

Never Forever
SYNOPSIS
Adalet’s cursed marriage ended 30 years ago, and today American son Nuri and wife Lee fly to Istanbul to bury her. Writer Lee must keep a promise. “I’m not important but my survivor’s story is,” Adalet pled; and now, as Lee examines a life cast against revolution from Ottoman Empire to Turkish Republic, Adalet’s spirit reaches into past and present, revealing a progressive woman caught in a war-torn love saga that moves all across Thrace and Anatolia. Throughout the 34 years of her fateful tie to handsome Burhan the blacksmith’s son, Adalet gives up her legacy four times and confronts deception, desertion, vice, jealousy, rejection and grief as she courageously works her way towards becoming the strong friend with inner peace as Lee remembers her.

Nothing but Time
Required list at UVA Chaplaincy Department, VA College Stores Association 2003 Finalist, Library of Virginia Outstanding Book Nominee

“The writing is wonderful (always honest and direct, but questioning, contextualizing, wondering, analyzing) and the pace--through the mixture of flashback and present-tense details--kept me engaged.”

Some of My Ancestors Are Ottomans and Turks
"One of a kind--a pioneer book. Beautifully written and informative."
-XMLWriter, Turk Books


"The large format 44-page story book is illustrated profusely by her husband Dr. Vedii Ayyildiz. His watercolors drawn with a fluid dreamy style have captured a child's rich innerscape well. This comfortably-breathing bright and handsome book was designed by the talented Karen Perihan Ayyildiz.

"My Ancestors" is the story of a Turkish-American grandfather narrating for his sleepy 8-year old grandson Jim the story of his own Turkish and Ottoman ancestors.

Through a sweeping survey of the last 1200 years of Turkish history, we learn where the Turks once had lived, how they migrated to Anadolu, and who the Ottomans were.

This is a book that also testifies to the "critical mass" that the Turkish-Americans have reached in the United States. It is not an ethnic group consisting of isolated pockets here and there anymore, tucked away in the suburbs of big cities. It is now a rapidly growing American ethnic group that needs its own books to read to its children while they go to sleep at night." Ugur Akinci, TURKISH TORQUE





42 pages. Watercolor illustrations. Includes history, foreign language, origin of words, geography, cross-cultural studies, social studies, and Turkish words with pronunciation and explanation.

Publlished by Greenhouse Bookstore, Istanbul, May '05. Click Quick Links to order or mail author JAyyildiz@aol.com

Mud River
Poems from this 2nd edition volume include: Gusto Press “Discovery Series,” winners, “Poet of the Month” Collage Magazine selections, “Poetics of Music” program aired on public television choices, prize winners, “Third World” anthology pick, and those exhibited in shows with renown artists.