Publications 2011-Present
The Clepsydra (2019)
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The Clepsydra, my first novel, is a spiritual time-travel adventure. I began writing in October of 2015 while researching the history of Spain, particularly the period known as the convivencia: the peaceful coexistence of Muslims, Christians, and Jews during and around the 11th century. When I read about the water clocks--called "clepsydras"--they used to control their irrigation systems, I got the idea for a time travel adventure in which water clocks could transport people back in time to the 11th century to learn how the faiths coexisted.
Click here to Purchase your Copy through Eco-Justice Press (coming soon)I write through the lens of New Thought philosophy, since that is my background, attempting to imagine the inner spirituality of Islam. In researching for this book, I studied the Quran and other texts, interviewed at a local mosque, and traveled to Spain to get a sense of its Islamic history. I hope to take the reader into an allegorical space where spirituality extends beyond religion, language, and creed.
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Synopsis: "As terrorism sweeps the globe, religious differences seem impossible to reconcile. Spiritual leaders of the Islamic and Christian worlds are turning to time-altering water clocks to restore the peace between faiths that once existed in medieval Spain. Among them are the Tejedors—a progressive Muslim family from Andalusia who believe the solution is to hasten the flow of time towards Islam’s prophesized Last Day—and the Order of the Libraries—a rogue band of Christian nuns who slow down time for their salvation. While both faiths are intent on defeating terrorism, their time-altering tactics fundamentally clash, drawing the attention of a spiritually advanced First Nations tribe in North America who believe they are the guardians of time. The Tejedors’ only hope to turn the hands of time in their favor is to find Tariq Kamal—a Pakistani-American linguist born to create the ultimate message of reconciliation—and to locate the Clepsydra—a 1000-year-old technology capable of broadcasting Tariq’s message across space and time. Finding the Clepsydra, however, will require a revelatory journey into Spain’s mystical past." |
Above are photos from Spain (2016 and 2017) that have inspired scenes from The Clepsydra. |
Charles Webber in the Civil War (2016)
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In May 2016, I took a short trip to New Bern, North Carolina to research my great-great-great-grandfather Charles Webber's involvement in the Civil War. Webber served as a drummer boy between the ages of 16 and 19 in the Massachusetts 23rd regiment, which occupied New Bern for nearly the whole conflict. My research also involved the study of some 200 letters written to and from young Charles during his service in the war, as well as historical print sources detailing the regiment's involvement. The report I wrote, detailing some of my findings, was published in my family's 2016 reunion book in July.
Photos (including some of CHW's original sketches) can be found on my New Bern travel page. |
Webber-Endicott Family History in Massachusetts (2013)
In April 2013, I spent one week in Massachusetts researching family history from the time period of about 1861 to 1901. The ancestors in question, the Webber and Endicott families, lived in Salem and Beverly during this time. I wrote this report as an extended summary of my historical and genealogical findings, including the thoughts these findings provoked. It was published in my family's 2013 reunion book in July.
Photos from my trip (with a narration of genealogical findings) can be found on my Boston/North Shore travel page.
Eventually, in addition to publishing an online archive of family letters, photographs, and historical descriptions, I plan to write a novel based closely on the life of my great-great-great-grandfather Charles H. Webber (1845-1923). He was a man of many talents: an actor, musician, playwright, poet, astrologer, newspaper writer, and orator. The 1800's were quite an interesting time to be alive!
The Endicott family also has a website: www.endecott-endicott.com
Photos from my trip (with a narration of genealogical findings) can be found on my Boston/North Shore travel page.
Eventually, in addition to publishing an online archive of family letters, photographs, and historical descriptions, I plan to write a novel based closely on the life of my great-great-great-grandfather Charles H. Webber (1845-1923). He was a man of many talents: an actor, musician, playwright, poet, astrologer, newspaper writer, and orator. The 1800's were quite an interesting time to be alive!
The Endicott family also has a website: www.endecott-endicott.com
Master of Arts in Teaching Capstone (2011)
This is my master's thesis, titled Applying Sheltered Instruction Principles to Content-Based Spanish Language Teaching, written to obtain a M.A.T. degree at the University of Portland. I was able to conduct the research in the classroom in which I did my student teaching. The abstract is copied below:
Sheltered instruction is a method traditionally used to teach academic content to English language learners while simultaneously building their language proficiency. Recognizing the potential usefulness of this method in second-language teaching, I applied sheltered instruction principles toward the content-based teaching of Spanish to native English-speaking high school students. I taught a six-week unit of content-focused lessons in Spanish and assessed students' ability to comprehend both written and spoken Spanish on pre- and post-assessments. Assessment scores were tabulated quantitatively, and qualitative observations were incorporated into the discussion of findings as per the QUAN-Qual model of mixed-methods research. The results of this study indicate that students significantly improved in their comprehension ability as measured by their increased knowledge of the course content that was taught in Spanish. Furthermore, students finished the unit with a heightened ability to follow directions given in Spanish and a reduced reliance on translating to English.
Sheltered instruction is a method traditionally used to teach academic content to English language learners while simultaneously building their language proficiency. Recognizing the potential usefulness of this method in second-language teaching, I applied sheltered instruction principles toward the content-based teaching of Spanish to native English-speaking high school students. I taught a six-week unit of content-focused lessons in Spanish and assessed students' ability to comprehend both written and spoken Spanish on pre- and post-assessments. Assessment scores were tabulated quantitatively, and qualitative observations were incorporated into the discussion of findings as per the QUAN-Qual model of mixed-methods research. The results of this study indicate that students significantly improved in their comprehension ability as measured by their increased knowledge of the course content that was taught in Spanish. Furthermore, students finished the unit with a heightened ability to follow directions given in Spanish and a reduced reliance on translating to English.
