1 Woman' s Vu by Nikki Stern

Nikki Stern is a writer whose work has appeared in the New York Times, Newsweek and USA Today. A former public relations executive, she moved into advocacy following the death of her husband on 9/11, serving on the Board and then as the first executive director of Families of September 11, a national organization for families affected by the terrorist attacks. For her role in co-sponsoring a series of university town-hall meetings designed to improve communication between Muslim and non-Muslim communities, she and FOS11 shared a Common Ground award in 2005 from the global conflict transformation group Search For Common Ground. Ms. Stern has presented on 9/11 recovery and on public perception of America after 2001. She serves on the Advisory Boards of Project Rebirth and Americans for Informed Democracy and is also an advisor to the Public Diplomacy Collaborative at Harvard University’s Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation. Her book, Because I Say So: The Dangerous Appeal of Moral Authority will be released in spring, 2010.

In addition to her previous career in public relations, Ms. Stern spent a dozen years in the entertainment business as a composer, performer and producer. She was the founder and prime mover of Ruthenia Music, a music production house in Manhattan and released two albums of original songs on which she performed. She also scored for film, books on tape, radio and live theater, including seven interactive murder mysteries, three of them published by Samuel French.

Author’s Note: The site’s built for whatever the reader wants to get out of it: contemplation, provocation, a tear here, a chuckle there. Mostly, it’s designed to be entertaining; it’s certainly fun to write it. Read it, leave a comment, tell your friends, have fun.