Emily Bunker grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area riding a horse named Hula. After high school she gave her beloved old horse to a good home and joined a Turkish and Balkan folkdance performing group. This decision led to visiting Turkey off and on for twenty-six years.

She attended Stanford University, graduating with a BA in anthropology. She has worked in California as a teaching assistant for disabled children, in the United Arab Emirates as a dance teacher and choreographer, and all over Cape Cod as a math, writing, and SAT prep tutor. She now designs and edits books for FAMILY LORE, the Cape Cod business she owns with artist Tim Joyce.

Emily has two beautiful and talented half-Turkish daughters. Michelle works in the health care business in New York City, and occasionally directs off-off Broadway shows. Eliza is a university student outside Boston studying holistic psychology and expressive arts therapy.

Tim Joyce (illustrations for Nuri’s Donkey, Secret Rules of the SAT Game, and Learning to Whistle) is an artist, songwriter, poet, and high school English teacher. He has recorded many CDs of his original music, and has published four volumes of poetry. Tim is the illustrator for FAMILY LORE, the Cape Cod business he owns with Emily.

Mary F. Bunker (author of Learning to Whistle) spent her childhood in Dedham, Massachusetts, and graduated from Milton Academy. Four of her many talents – art, sports, gardening, and writing – were passed along (one each) to her four children. She lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with her athlete daughter, Kathy. Her writer daughter, Emily, edits her poetry.

Dr. Fikri Kuchuk (consulting and photography for Nuri’s Donkey) is a photographer, poet, and petroleum engineer. He grew up in the small Turkish village where Nuri’s Donkey takes place. He lives in Paris, France.