Two Worlds Publishing is an idea born from Joan's mind to represent the writing of both herself and her husband, Hans.
It is a simple notion of two separate worlds and meeting of minds from both sides of the Atlantic Ocean coming together to form a German-American union.
ABOUT JOAN
Joan was born in Iowa, United Sates and lived on a hog farm during the 1930’s. This meant a hard working philosophy which enabled her to accomplish so much in her life.
She had a keen interest in media but also in medicine. Choosing medical school, following a B.A. degree in Communications cum laude at the University of Iowa, Joan excelled with Phi Beta Kappa and Alpha Omega Alpha honors, and began a career at the prestigious Mayo Clinic in the field of pathology. There, she met her future husband, Hans Juttner from Germany, and ensuing worldwide travels fueled Joan’s passion for writing poetry, as she observed the world.
In the 1980’s, Joan took her writing to an academic level by studying a UCLA extension course in creative writing and then further study at the Iowa writers workshop. These carved a path to new writing prospects, progressing to screenplays, stage plays and children’s books.
Marrying her expertise, experience and imagination, Joan completed a co-publication with a friend on a cookery book aimed at teenagers in a bid to improve nutrition and highlight the dangers of a junk food diet. Her love of family and memories of her childhood farm provided ample material for her imaginative stories, notably for her children’s books. ‘Pepette’ spotlights her love of pigs and their inherent intelligence and natural assimilation with people, making a thoroughly engaging story.
An incredible intellect and keen observational skills matched with voracious reading provided voluminous material for deep and philosophical poetry, as evident in her most recent publication—Love and Other Words. Joan has touched the themes of Love, Time and Nature in her abundant poetry.
Tanzania offered an opportunity through her brother-in-law, who was working in a rural village as a charity, to help a group of nuns who look after orphans. Her medical expertise, particularly in the realm of infectious diseases, was invaluable. What lies in wait for the future is a journal of observations and the stark realities of trying to work and make a difference in Africa, as a woman from the United States. This experience showed immense strength and resilience which later emboldened Joan to approach the notable publishing companies in attempt to get published and deal with the plethora of rejection letters, which so many writers receive. This harsh reality led to the forming of ‘Two Worlds Publishing’ to provide an outlet for her and Hans’ work.
All of her published works are available here on the ‘Two Worlds Publishing’ website.
ABOUT HANS
Hans-Udo Juttner is a retired radiologist whose enthusiasm for nature and hiking led him to some of the most spectacular mountains in the world – Mont Blanc in the Alps, Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, and the Mt. Everest Base Camp in Nepal.
Hans was born in Germany in the turbulent 1930s. When he was a teenager, he suddenly and tragically lost his father but found inspiration from Nobel Peace Prize winning Doctor Albert Schweitzer, whom he met in his hometown of Gunsbach, France. As a young physician just out of medical school, he worked with Doctor Schweitzer in his African jungle hospital, in Lambarene, Gabon for two years. Thereafter, he spent his medical career in the United States starting his specialty training as a radiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Here, he met his future wife, Joan.
He is a member of the Wilderness Medical Society having embraced hiking and wildlife photography, which also later led him on several photography expeditions to the great outdoors with his mentor Tom Murphy. Having lived on two continents and as a German with an American wife, he has learned the value of exploration, integration, and reaching out across the world in pursuit of humanitarian endeavors. Joan, his loving wife of 44 years, accompanied him on many of his adventures and travels.
Having helped his wife publish her books and also two of his own about his endeavors in Nepal, writing has become the future for Hans, with many biographical prospects on the table.
‘Two Worlds Publishing’ is the home for Hans and Joan’s work.