Alla Reese
Author, Editor, and Creative
Like all humans, I’m many things, the sum of lots of parts. I’m a woman of a certain age, as they used to say. I’m a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister, an aunt, a friend, an immigrant, a professional, a writer, a creative person. I love to cook and hate to clean. I admire and enjoy beautiful gardens, but I do not work the land and I do not camp. Like, ever. I love music and singing but hated playing both the piano and the viola. I’ve lived in many places, the longest in Ohio. I love to travel, especially by train!
I started my professional life teaching ninth-grade English in Elizabeth, NJ. For three years, I attempted to teach my students Romeo and Juliet, Lord of the Flies, The Chocolate War, and other works of literature, as well as writing, spelling, vocabulary, and research with mixed success. A story of rival families whose youngest members cross the divide and end up dying because of bad decisions? Sure! A deadly rivalry over sales of chocolate bars at a New England prep school? Yeah, right.
Back in Ohio, after teaching at a local community college, I made the jump from the classroom to the corporate world and spent the next two decades or so developing curricula. It was a challenging, exciting, frustrating, and joyous journey, as ed pub gave way to ed tech, books gave way to screens, editorial work gave way to product management. I loved every step along the way!
This site comprises my creative efforts, from an eight-book series about the Olympic gods’ fall from divinity to a guide and picture books designed to give families tools to teach reading, to two blogs, to jewelry designs. I hope you enjoy!
Olympians on Earth
I first had the idea for the Olympians on Earth series many years ago. The thinking went something like this: The Greek gods represent ancient archetypes. God of war. Goddess of the harvest. God of the underworld. Those archetypes, to some extent, still exist in the collective Western mind. But there are also newer archetypes. The abused, betrayed wife, reclaiming her identity and starting a new life. The irresponsible playboy who uses his reputation as a shield. The symbol of beauty and lust, whose real value is negated, subsumed by objectification. Can the Olympic gods shed their ancient archetypes and their deity, and, representing some of the newer archetypes, learn to live fulfilling, productive, even joyful lives as humans?
This is the question the series attempts to answer, as the Greek pantheon is stripped of their divinity and sent, one by one, to earth, to the mortal world, to Ohio of all places, to do just that.
Teaching Reading
I came to America at the age of 11 and learned to speak, read, and write in English without explicit instruction. I’m not special or unique in this. Millions of immigrant children have done the exact same thing. When my own children were four or five years old, I taught them to read because I wanted to make sure that, no matter what, reading would not be a barrier to learning for them.
I wrote the I Taught My Kids to Read, and So Can You! guide, along with the six picture books All the Letters, Letters Say What, I Can Say, Vowels go for Walks, Consonant Teams, and The Silent E Game, to give families and caregivers clear and simple tools to teach children the basics of reading and give them a head start. Reading is a joy! Learning to read shouldn’t be difficult or complicated, and it sure as heck shouldn’t take years!
Blogs
I started writing the Songs and Remembrances blog for one reason – to gather, document, and save memories from my life in the Soviet Union, the move across the world to America, and the experience of coming of age as an immigrant teenager. It’s a memoir in the making that ties together people, times, and events with photos and pictures, music, and other cultural elements that painted and breathed life into them all.
The 175 Bottles blog is the result of an absurd situation, a mistake that resulted in our suddenly becoming the owners of 175 bottles of wine. It started with a wine club membership and ended with almost $3,000 in credits that had to be used before we could close the account. Join us, as we attempt to make room for our new additions, try them, share them with friends and family, cook with them, and learn from the experience.
My One and Only
Why did I start designing jewelry? To be honest, I’m not sure. I was working in ed tech and needed a creative outlet. Family life was busy and stressful, and I needed a creative outlet. I hate the gym but needed “me time” and designing jewelry offered a creative outlet. I began fiddling with natural stone beads, designing necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. It was fun and relaxing. It helped focus my mind. The stones were pretty. I learned to make pretty things.
I wear many of the pieces I’ve designed. I’ve given many as gifts. I’ve sold a few. I’ve even been commissioned to design and make custom-order pieces. Each necklace, bracelet, set of earrings is unique. Each piece is My One and Only. Go take a look. If you like something, let me know. If you want something, let me know. If you want me to make you something, let me know.
