Sylvia Welner earned her B.A. in English from UCLA, and her M.A. in Bilingual/Multicultural Studies from California State University, Dominguez Hills. She holds teaching credentials at the elementary and adult education levels. Sylvia administered and taught bilingual classes for fifteen years, and has published poetry as well as an instructional guide on teaching poetry writing to the bilingual child. She also developed instructional materials, winning international awards for her writing. Small Doses of Arsenic is grounded, in part, on two trips she made to the Czech Republic, where she investigated sites and localities mentioned in the book.

Sylvia enjoys foreign travel, especially the culture and history of the places she visits. She has explored much of Europe and Asia, but her most recent travels were to New Zealand, Chile and Argentina. "Understanding the social issues that are imbedded in foreign films, books, and news events is a satisfying byproduct of my travels," Sylvia says. She often tries to learn at least a little of the languages of the places she visits, sometimes more to enhance her appreciation of the culture than for communication purposes. Beautiful scenery and animals are subjects of most of her travel photography. She also appreciates old  pictures: portraits, buildings, ruins, and interesting historical artifacts which are included in the photo album.  These pictures of Czech life are from Jára’s (Tonča’s son's) family album.  Coincidentally, just as Small Doses of Arsenic is the story of a mother and son, the authors of this book are also mother and son. 

 

Kevin G. Welner is an associate professor at the University of Colorado, Boulder School of Education, specializing in educational policy, law, and program evaluation. He is director of the CU-Boulder Education and the Public Interest Center (EPIC). His research examines the intersection between education rights litigation and educational opportunity scholarship. Kevin is the author of Legal Rights, Local Wrongs: When Community Control Collides with Educational Equity (SUNY Press, 2001). He earned both his J.D. and Ph.D. from UCLA.