Barbara Wolf Terao

Barbara Wolf Terao, author of Reconfigured, is from Northfield, Minnesota, and Evanston, Illinois, and now lives on an island in the Pacific Northwest. Along with way too many janitor jobs, Barbara has been teacher, psychologist, land ethic leader, television host, newspaper columnist, and book reviewer. Her most joyful roles are as mother and grandmother! Barbara's articles and essays have appeared in Orion magazine, The Seattle Times, ihadcancer website, Art in the Time of Unbearable Crisis anthology, and other publications, as well as on her website ofthebluepla.net. Her memoir's message? When your life calls, listen.

 Instagram: @barbaraterao

What period of history do you wish you knew more about?

I've always been fascinated by people in sustainable societies who lived in communion with nature, as part of nature, rather than treating the Earth as a commodity. I think we can learn a great deal about respect and reciprocity from Indigenous people, or from cultures of my ancestors, such as the Celts. And lately I'm learning about my husband's Japanese ancestors, from the 1630s when the country closed itself off from the rest of the world, up to 1854 when Japan opened its ports to international trade. My husband and I are writing a children's book of historical fiction about a real-life castaway boy named Manjiro who traveled the world and played a role in influencing the shogunate government during that time. A humble fisherman, Manjiro became a world-changer and a samurai.

Favorite non-reading activity?

I like hiking and exploring the outdoors. I grew up in Minnesota, spending summers swimming, listening to loons, and playing in the meadows and forests. That was my happy place. Now I live on an island in the Pacific Northwest and delight in visiting the sea and the mountains—or just seeing them from afar. Sometimes I walk with others and sometimes I walk alone so I can listen more closely to the birds, wind, and trees. And rain! We have lots of rain.

Is there a work of art that you love? Why? Have you ever visited it in person?

Yes! Going from my small town to New York for college in the 1970s, I fell in love with the NYC Museum of Modern Art. It was exhilarating to witness works of art that were so unexpected and outside the box. Quite a refreshing change from the conventions and confines of my life up to that point! For instance, I liked the painting, "Jacob's Ladder" by Helen Frankenthaler and the sculptures created by Claes Oldenburg and Alexander Calder. The originality of it all made my brain cells zing with delight.

What brings you great joy?

What a good question! Our children and their families live nearby, and I enjoy our time together. Also, stewing over something in my head and then finding something or someone, like a book passage or a friend, that confirms and clarifies what I was thinking is a great joy. To have company in my contemplations, concerns, and conundrums means the world to me, which is one reason I write.

What piece of clothing tells the most interesting story about your life?

I've had many nicknames over the years, starting with "Dilly" as a child. In high school, I was called "Babette" in French class, which friends morphed into the name "Babbit." Soon classmates, teachers, and friends were all calling me Babbit, which I accepted as a variation of my given name. There's a town (and a book) called Babbitt, and my friend, Lynn, managed to get me a red athletic jacket from there with "Babbitt" across the back. The jacket was a big part of my high school identity.