Treading Water at the Shark Café is an American Quaker woman’s extraordinary journey of witness and discovery from her suburban Philadelphia home to the war zones of the former Yugoslavia. Set against a background of violence, her story focuses on young people–often forgotten in times of war–who lived outside the spotlight.
Like the Freedom Riders and the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee in the United States, the student activists in the former Yugoslavia envisioned a better world, taking incredible risks to make their dreams come true. Optimism, energy, and imagination conjure new possibilities, even in the midst of chaos. Told with honesty and deep conviction, this memoir will resonate with a growing audience of readers who are tired of political warmongering and share a longing for effective nonviolent alternatives.
Lyndon Back has a master’s degree in public administration from State University of New York, Albany. She has a CELTA/TESOL certificate from the School of International Training in Brattleboro, Vermont. Her competency in Serbo-Croatian was earned at the Akbukum Language School in Novi Sad, Serbia.
In 1998, Lyn left her job as director of planned giving at the American Friends Service Committee to volunteer with the Balkan Peace Teams in Belgrade, Serbia, and Prishtina, Kosovo. After her return, Lyn worked in refugee resettlement at Lutheran Children and Family Services. Her experiences in the Balkans continue to influence her writing. Her poems, essays, and short stories have appeared in numerous literary journals. Lyn is a member of Old Haverford Monthly Meeting (Quakers).
Rev. Mary Wade, Ph.D., is a poet, public speaker, community peacebuilder, and minister in Philadelphia. She currently serves as Associate Minister at Wayland Temple Baptist Church in Philadelphia. She earned a B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Dayton, a Master’s Degree in International Relations from Boston University European Division, and her Ph.D. from George Mason University Institute of Conflict Analysis and Resolution in 2005. She wrote her dissertation on Spirituality and Conflict Resolution: A Study of the Life and Teachings of Dr. Howard Thurman. Formerly the Quaker United Nations Human Rights Representative of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), Mary focused on South Africa (emphasizing apartheid), Central America, and the UN Human Rights Covenants.
Lucy Tinkcombe has taught public speaking, interpersonal communication and writing at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University, and the Community College of Philadelphia. She has professional experience in strategic communication, technical writing, and journalism, and has published original poetry and translation. Lucy served as Executive Director of Cambridge Insight Meditation Center, and consulted to Pendle Hill Quaker Study Center on internal and external communication during its strategic planning process. Lucy has an A.B. summa cum laudein Medieval Studies from Mount Holyoke College, an M.Litt. in Medieval Studies from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, and a Ph.D. in American and Comparative Literature from Stanford University.
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