artists
Stephenie Ares
Poet/writer/actor/performer
Biography
My original name is Stephenie Ares from Winchendon Massachusetts. I graduated from the School of the Worcester Art Museum 1980 attended U-Mass Amherst Massachusetts. I have written poetry, art, and articles for Islamic magazines and the Independent daily newspaper in Bangladesh. I am an artist who has exhibited online in local galleries in Temecula California. I have appeared on the cover of Tiferet magazine 3 times. My art work and articles are influenced by spirituality and Sufism as well as is my poetry. My poetry and paintings have been published in the Magical Women zines.
Art Practice
My work has been featured in Islamic magazines such as Islamic Horizons, aboutislam.net, and mostly Muslim.com. My poetry has been published in Azizah magazine and sisters magazine. I am a converted Muslim married 41 years to my Bengali husband. My work is influenced by Sufism and Transcendentalism. Also the subcontinent. I also write about social issues. As an art teacher I have taught foster children with complex needs and I also work with autistic children.
Magical Women
MW stands up and is supportive for women like me. I feel it’s a space where I can be totally open with other women who are similar to me. I have felt an outsider all my life and grew up in a very dysfunctional family and I found refuge in the New England woods. My only friend growing up was nature. I have had a deep spirituality since I was young and found the Oneness of God and the connectivity of all living and inanimate things. I want to convey this in my art and writing and so I am interested in collaborating with Magical Women’s arts platform more. I always feel deep empathy for those who felt and suffered like me and I am also very concerned about climate change.
