Saguaro Spirit

Elizabeth Drucker

Elizabeth Drucker is a writer, speaker, and advocate for people with disabilities. She wrote the novel "But I Just Want a Life" and has been published in The New Physician and Open Minds Quarterly. She is also the founder of Saguaro Spirit. She plans to attend graduate school in the Fall 2013.

Samantha Luois

Major: Molecular and Cellular Biology
Minor: Spanish
Expected Graduation Year: May 2013

I was taught as a child to two Iraqi parents to grow and live as a perpetual student and learner. My passion for medicine extends beyond working face to face with individuals, though that is what I love most about it. I am dedicated to advancing medicine as a science and more importantly as a significant force with the potential to heal and cure globally. I am proud of my heritage as a minority because it has brought me perspective and commitment to the under privileged populations of our society. My mamma always says, translated from Chaldean to English, “my daughter, you can not eat the whole world all at once.” But who said anything about “all at once.” It will take at least five sittings and lots of help.

Hobbies: Backpacking the wilderness, Traveling to distant worlds, and cooking meals for family and friends

Favorite Quote: “When sleeping women awake, they will move mountains”-

Bianca Pimentel

My name is Bianca Pimentel. I am a junior at the University of Arizona, pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in psychology with minors in Spanish and Pre-Law. The two poems included are related to my condition otherwise known as retinitis pigmentosa. This condition causes the deterioration of the retina, because of this I have been given a different kind of vision that I try to express with everyone I know. These poems and all the other ones that are currently in my portfolio were made in my Introduction to Poetry class. However, I started writing poems when I was little with my aunt. I hope these poems and all the others I may write inspire you and make you feel unknown emotions.

Peter Raisanen

Peter Raisanen graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Arizona in December of 2011. In 2010, Peter was crushed by a light pole while crossing the street at the University and underwent a long recovery under the care of his mother, father, and 7 siblings. He then followed his recovery with a self-supported 4200 mile bicycle ride from Washington to Maine in the summer of 2011 for the Children’s Heart Foundation. He has been published in the pediatric surgical and microbiological literature and is presently working for a medical practice in Phoenix and intending to attend Bastyr University in Seattle to study naturopathic medicine in concordance with acupuncture and oriental medicine. Peter wishes to promote and be an advocate for individual health with evidence based using diet, lifestyle and natural medicine. This June Peter is bicycling from Vancouver, WA to Tijuana, MX. His hobbies are bicycling, golfing, trekking and hiking, gardening and sustainable living.

Sara Saenz

Sara Saenz loves Mexican food, Byronic heroes, and theatre. She currently resides in Tucson, Arizona. She can be reached at ssaenz23@gmail.com.

Stephan Paul Schickling

I’ve been casted it seems. A case of schizophrenia. Does one hear one wave? Of course not, but such is the life of a schizophrenic. Mr. Tambourine man. –The man that shimmers and shines like cellophane to encore the show. –And an elephant, a great a wondrous icon of ages that would state----that they remember. This is the show. –The grand parade and carnival that could dare the muses in string for the rapture of carnival music, or musik, shall I say. But what am I, who am I, I am the shimmering Tambourine man, ….and I have no name, ……..or shall I say I. Stephan Paul Schickling

Dianne Staley

Dianne Staley is a freelance writer living in Tucson, Arizona. She has published numerous articles, poems, short stories, and children's stories. Dianne is currently writing primarily poetry. She is also a freelance editor and serves as Editor-in-Chief for Saguaro Spirit. She has a BA in English from the U of A. You can e-mail her at dianne.staley@gmail.com.