Martha Hunt Handler
I see magic at work everywhere around me. I don’t believe in coincidences, only co-incidents: things that you hear, see or feel that help remind your soul of its path. I appreciate the phrase, “Grow or Wilt.” I think that’s what we’re all here for – to continually expand our hearts and minds as we navigate our way through the plethora of experiences we are presented with for this purpose.
Raised in Northern Illinois, I began to see wolves in my dreams from a very early age. Always a nature girl, I spent my free time either swimming in a lake near my house or roaming around in the Enchanted Forrest near my home. It was here I first heard nature speaking to me; asking for my help while promising guidance in this endeavor. After earning a degree in environmental conservation at UC Boulder, I worked as an environmental consultant in D.C., San Francisco and Los Angeles.
While in a bar in Cozumel, Mexico I magically (okay, tequila shots were involved) met the love of my life, Rich. Admittedly, this was not my initial reaction but thanks to Rich’s patience and unrelenting persistence, literally from one side of the country to the other, I eventually came around! I’m sometimes stubborn. What can I say? I’m definitely a work in progress.
We had four kids in five years and in my rare moments of solitude; I began to write creative pieces, which I found immensely soul fulfilling. When our family moved to New York in 1996, another serendipitous/magical moment occurred when I heard wolves howling. Curious, since I’d known they’d been wiped out of New York state more than 100 years prior, I ventured into the woods behind our house and found three grey wolves in a large enclosure. I soon learned that these wolves were to be the initial ambassadors for the Wolf Conservation Center (nywolf.org), a non-profit that was being formed. I immediately jumped on board, literally (I’m now Board President), to help them fulfill their mission of education and as a breeding and pre-release facility for the two most critically endangered wolf species in North America.
With my adult children now grown and flown, I’m able to focus on pursuing those passions that most pull my heartstrings: wolves and writing. I spend weekdays in Tribeca, New York and weekends near the wolves in South Salem, New York. My first novel, “Winter of the Wolf,” was published by Greenleaf in July, 2020 and in 2021 I founded the Women’s Wolfpack.
