About

Created September 2012. Most recently updated August 2023.

This space was for legal/who-does-what stuff, but then the awesome About pages of other bloggers  inspired me. I’ve added more information for those of you curious enough to click here.

So, about Jadi Campbell: I live in the place between cultures.

I grew up in little New England/upstate NY villages, spent summers in a cabin in the woods, and attended a state university on the West coast. I decided at the age of 6 to be a writer, and earned a B.A. in English Literature. I worked in corporate America until I changed tracks and became a Licensed Massage Therapist. I’ve lived in Europe since 1992 and am proof that anyone can learn a foreign language as an adult. I published my first book Broken In: A Novel in Stories in 2012. My second novel Tsunami Cowboys followed in December 2014. Grounded appeared in May 2016. In August 2020 I published my collection of short stories, The Trail Back Out. I write often for Stuttgart’s New English American Theater (NEAT).

During the writing of the first three books I served as President of The Writers in Stuttgart. It was a fascinating job, akin to herding cats….

The following are not contradictory statements. I am American to my bones. My sensibilities are European. My husband and I travel as much as we possibly can. I want to be a citizen of the world, which brings us back to my opening statement: I live in the place between cultures.

It may not always be easy, but it’s always interesting. It stretches my concepts of what life contains. And it gives me lots to blog about, as you’ll see on the What’s Here page.

Pull up a seat and join me.

All Written Contents Copyright ©2012 Jadi Campbell. Tsunami Cowboys was longlisted for the 2019 ScreenCraft Cinematic Book Award. The Trail Back Out was 2023 Winner in General Fiction of the San Francisco Book Festival, honored as 2021 IAN Book of the Year Award Short Story Collection Finalist, 2022 Top Shelf Award Runner-up, 2021 Wishing Shelf Book Awards Red Ribbon, and American Book Fest 2020 Best Book Award Finalist: Fiction Anthologies. The title story The Trail Back Out was longlisted for the 2021 ScreenCraft Cinematic Short Story Award. Broken In: A Novel in Stories was semifinalist for the 2020 Hawk Mountain Short Story Collection Award from Hidden River Arts, and Finalist for Greece’s 2021 Eyelands Book of the Year Award (Short Stories). All of my work is available as books and eBooks purchased online at Amazon and elsewhere, in countries around the world. The following link gets you there: https:///author/jadicampbell.

Photos Copyright © 2012 Uwe Hartmann. Uwe’s photography may be viewed at viewpics.de

130 thoughts on “About”

  7. Hi, Jadi! Thanks for dropping by my blog. It made me discover yours, and I’m looking forward to exploring it. Pleased to meet you, Marina

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  8. Thanks for stopping by and liking my page – Snacking – the good, the bad and the ugly. I am enjoying my visit to yours. You certainly get around.

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      1. Ha. She helps me with a theory I’m working on: Ignorance is like dog poop; where ever you find it, there’s always more. 🙂

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  12. Hello Jadi – read your article on Holistic Wayfarer and followed you here. My life has been the reverse of yours: I grew up near Baden-Baden, then moved to the US and have lived here for much longer than I care to admit. So long, that I am losing my German language. In fact, just my last blogpost was bilingual, my attempt to restore my mother tongue. It’s interesting to live in the middle of cultures, isn’t it?!

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    1. Thanks for the comment and welcome to what I call the place between cultures. A Canadian friend who was an avid world traveler and now, like you, has lived in America for a long time would say that you’ve become a citizen of the world. Baden-Baden is beautiful. I visited several times to research European spa therapies and traditions. I returned for the city’s beauty and cultural importance. I’m off now to explore your blog. Wilkommen, und alles gute wünsche ich Dir!

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      1. I am truly a citizen of the world…traveled in 30+ countries, on 5 continents. I love seeing the world and the differences and commonalities we have across cultures. It helps to speak a few languages other than the one we grew up with…

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    1. Hello, and welcome! This blog uses travel as a jumping off point to muse about the world. I often go on tangents about culture, art, family, etc., and hope you’ll find plenty here to entertain you and make you thoughtful. I’ll look forward to your feedback. —Jadi

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  16. Delighted to have found your blog. Thanks so much for calling in to both of mine and liking several pages. Most appreciated. Now for me to explore yours.

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  17. Hi Jadi your posts and your thoughts are stimulating. Perhaps it’s the ‘living between cultures’ that frees the mind 🙂 I too claim to be a person with a global mindset.
    Looking forward to visit more often. Thanks and regards.

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    1. Hi Dilip, I think living between cultures frees the mind, once you get used to it. And it certainly made me curious about all the other cultures out there! Thanks for commenting and I look forward to reading your blog on a regular basis.

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  19. I know, you haven’t heard from me in a while. A long while. I had an opportunity to teach at my local community college after taking my dad to the Himalaya and I still need to get back to blogging… which I plan this weekend!

    But, here comes my request: I got tagged in a work-in-progress blog tour. The idea is to share the first few sentences of the first 3 chapters of the book (or story) you are working on.

    Are you interested in doing it? You can easily wait a couple weeks before you need to produce a post. I just need to know if you want to participate so I can tag you / your blog on my Monday post.

    Here is the link to the post I was tagged in: writersite.org. You can use Luanne’s format or mine for this project. I plan on writing a lot less than Luanne did.

    Please let me know if you’re in by Sunday.

    Thanks,

    Renee

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  20. Hi Jadi, I think your site’s got beautiful design and such interesting pieces, so I’m following! 🙂
    I really enjoy your posts and look forward to your next.
    Feel free to check out my writing about publishing: publishinginsights.org
    Sherry

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    1. Hi Sherry, you have a terrific site and I’m now following it. Let me know when you become a publisher; I’ll surely have a manuscript for you. Cheers, Jadi

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      1. Oh I’m blushing! Thank you for your kind words, Jadi, I would keep working hard on the site and if there’s anything I can do to help you, just let me know 🙂

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  21. It’s interesting that you write in English although you probably speak German perfectly. Are your readers mostly english speaking? One reason I blog (mostly) in German is that I never feel as confident writing in a foreign language than in my native language. Liebe Grüße von einer deutschen Bloggerin 🙂 Polly

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    1. Hi Polly! Mein Deutsch ist nicht schlecht, ich schreibe aber viel lieber auf Englisch. Like you, I’m not as confident writing in a foreign language. And my written German skills are weak – I love reading the language but am far too intimidated to consider doing creative writing in it. Vielen Dank für deinen Besuch!

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  22. Hi Jadi, nice to meet you. I’m impressed with anyone who can learn a second language as an adult!
    Thank you for following our blog. I hope you enjoy the stories of our journey, both inner and outer.
    Cheers, and happy travels
    Alison

    Reply

  24. What an awesome about. Based upon your about you are a fascinating interesting lady and your husband must an interesting gentleman too.

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    1. Thanks!! It was inspired by bloggers I admire – their pages are so intriguing and fun to read. I actually went back in and completely rewrote my ‘About’ page.

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  25. Hi Jadi,
    I am trying to connect with you and the DAZ (Deutsch Amerikanische Zentrum) English Writer’s Group. Kenneth gave me your name. I would like to join your group if you are open to new members, but I can’t get a hold of the organizer. If you are open to it, would you let me know of the date and time of the next meeting? Thanks so much for your help. Miriam

    Reply

    1. Hi Mariam, I responded to your request at your email address. If it doesn’t reach you please contact me again here. I look forward to meeting you!

      Reply

  26. What a rich and stimulating life! I can only begin to imagine the tales you have to tell–and I look forward to discovering them bit by bit.
    Cheers to you, Jadi!

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    1. Thanks so much! This blog is my spot to tell the tales and I have had a ball discovering my voice doing so. It would appear as if I’ve got lots more tales to come…

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  27. Having your feet in two separate places definitely makes one flexible. We have that in common! Thanks for the follow. I look forward to reading more of your blog.

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  29. Thanks for visiting my site and complementing the design. You are actually the only person who has done so, and I’m really proud of how it turned out! I like the idea of life being a story, and looks to me like you are taking that to the fullest.

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    1. No one else had commented on the design of your blog? Good grief, as a fellow writer I loved it immediately. And my next response was a wish that I’d thought of it first. It’s terrific.

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  30. Hi from Texas (actually I’m in Busan Korea right now but I live in Texas). I wish I could find a way to move out and live somewhere out of America too (but not especially interested in getting married). I do my best to travel as often as I can in the meantime.
    Thanks for stopping by my blog. I’m glad you liked it. 🙂

    Reply

    1. Ironically I never had any desire to move from the US… it was that love thang that drew me to Europe, and I’ll forever be grateful. Welcome to my blog. It’s always good to meet another traveler!

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      1. that’s sweet. 🙂
        I agree, it’s always nice to meet people to travel, so many interesting stories and different viewpoints. 🙂

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  31. hello and thanks for following my blog recently! I haven’t poked around your site much yet, but I’m curious – where have you lived in Europe, and what language did you learn?

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    1. Hi Alina, I’m in southern Germany and speak German. I can still stumble around in Spanish and Italian if I work at it. Thanks for visiting!

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    1. Hi Juliana, I returned from vacation a few days ago and haven’t been able to respond until now. Thanks so much for the nomination – what a great way to start my New Year! I’m honored and delighted. Once I get caught up I’ll accept the award. Thanks again, and have a wonderful 2014.

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  34. I love your description of living between cultures. Growing up I always felt that way but didn’t have the words to describe it. I am more settled now, but when people hear my mixed accents I now have a phrase to explain my upbringing!

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  35. I’m curious as to what lead you to my post about fancy tiles for my laundry! Such a first world dilemma, and in the context of what you write about, it seems entirely supercilious! However, by coincidence, I’m also a world citizen, currently out of my comfort zone again, as I settle into living on my 5th different continent. Often I crave a simpler life, without the need for constant cultural readjustment (even though I know I could not stand that for long), which is why I write about frivolous things such as paint colours and fancy tiles. Best wishes.

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    1. Hi Johanne, it’s quite simple. Your tiles are gorgeous and your blog is intriguing. One of the best things about blogs is the chance to check out other lives. Your 5th (??!!) continent? My proverbial traveler and expat’s hat is doffed. Thanks for stoppng by and best of luck with the house plans!

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  36. I am hooked already! I look forward to reading more, fellow denizen of the in-between, aspiring citizen of the world. Thank you for visiting my not-very-informative “About”, which was written in haste before I had written a single story. Here’s to storytelling and to you!

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    1. Mary, what a lovely comment. I slowly learned to combine the US and European parts to my life and you’re right: they do overlap at times to create something unique. I really like the image of “everything blends together in the space between!” There are days when it only feels like a jumble…:-)

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  40. Thank you for visiting my blog! It encouraged me to find you … and this statement of yours, “The following are not contradictory statements: I am American to my bones. My sensibilities are European. My husband and I travel as much as we possibly can. I want to be a citizen of the world, which brings us back to my opening statement. I live in a place between cultures,” captures my emotions so completely! I look forward to reading more of your experiences.

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  41. Hi Jadi – thanks for visiting my Through a Jungian Lens blog site (the old one) and liking a number of the posts found there. I do have a new version at http://rglongpre.ca/jungianlens/ which includes all the older posts at the old site. I am fascinated with your site and have added it to my “follow” list. Looking forward to a new friendship. 🙂

    Reply

  43. Yes, the book is available online with Amazon, and I was interviewed by standoutbooks.com. My writers’ group does public readings (we’re gearing up for one in November). Self-marketing is a long slow process…

    Your work must be challenging and rewarding, I wish you much success with the research!

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    1. Thanks! I’m hard at work on my next book and am glad I self-published. Now, if I could just figure out how to work the self-promotion angle… I really like your blog as well and look forward to reading more from you!

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      1. Could you sell it online? There are so many sites to sell things…
        Right now I’m charged with developing a historical society and finding a way for it to become profitable (or, be a non-profit that pays people) and writing a grant – after doing the research – for an NGO in Ghana – for HIV/AIDS tx funding.
        And I’m between jobs 🙂
        Readings at coffee shops? Interviews and oh, dial in book clubs? (I often brainstorm by myself 😉 let me know how it works.
        I try to read all the books the bloggers write – but will have research to keep me busy for a bit.

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  46. Bonjour! Hi-Guten morgen aus “Tulus”-Toulouse, France and danke-merci for dropping by the New Playground! 🙂 My very best, have a great day & c u soon, Miss Jadi! Cheers, Mélanie

    Reply

    1. Hi Silver Wolf, I wish you lots of success with your writing. I’ve discovered that a blog is a great form of writing exercise… and it’s fun. Cheers, —Jadi

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  53. Greetings from the Arizona wilderness Jadi. It’s a pleasure to meet you via my blog and now yours, that is indeed the beauty of blogging here at WordPress.

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    1. I agree! WordPress is a good way to discover interesting topics and people, and see new places. You live in a beautiful part of the world. (I rave about it in one of my posts, too: “Our Vacation of the Rocks”.) Thanks for stopping by and commenting. I am looking forward to more of your blog. —Jadi

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  55. Wonderful site and I love your tagline. I too was an English major (not literature, alas, but still) and all I want to do is live abroad! Funny. I like your blog!

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    1. HI Jess, The tagline was originally Greetings from Germany but the current one better reflects my philosophy and the blog content (and some of my friends were irritated by the photo runner at the top: “Hey! That’s not Germany!”) Glad to meet another English major here. Living abroad was not a plan of mine but travel sure was. And once I met Uwe, my fate was sealed. Stop back soon. —Jadi

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    1. Hi Leanne, I’m delighted to have you follow my blog! Your kindness project is wonderful – and – small acts are cumulative. They can move mountains. Thank you for inspiring me today. —Jadi

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      2. If you’re interested in kindness projects, I recommend this blogger, you should check her out if you don’t know about her already:

        http://kindnessgirl.com/

        By the way, you’re living the life I want to live. I want to go to Germany and live there and become fluent in German myself. I’ve never been to Germany. I’ve taught myself some basic German words and phrases by using Google translate and listening to a lot of German music on Youtube. I’m always so jealous and tinged with sadness when I come across somebody who is living the life I want to live. I hope you don’t mind me saying that, I mean it in the best way possible. I really just want to live in Europe like you are. 🙂

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        1. This is such a wonderful compliment. Thank you! I still shake my head in wonder at times that I am here. It was not something I had planned for my life. Leanne, if you are serious then I highly recommend immersion German classes, preferably here in Germany! I didn’t speak a word of the language when I first arrived and it took a good 2 years to feel comfortably fluent. (On the other hand Germans don’t expect non-native speakers to use flawless grammar, and thank goodness for that…) Thanks as well for the tip on your fellow blogger. I am checking her blog once I respond to you. All the best to you! —Jadi

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          1. Thanks so much for your kind reply, but my name is not Leanne. My nom de plume is Scriptor Obscura. I think you thought you were replying to someone else. I really appreciate your kind reply, thank you so much for your suggestions and advice. 🙂

          2. Oh dear – sorry! I looked for a direct name rather than your nom de plume so that my response could be a more personal one. I have no idea where I got Leanne from. Let me take it from the top then: Thanks Scriptor Obscura. I appreciate your patience and most definitely your compliment. I do hope you achieve your dream of living in Germany. Cheers, Jadi

  58. Hi Jadi,
    lovely blog, nice to meet you! Look forward to see and read more from you in the future; I’m your new follower. 🙂
    Greetings from the Rhine Valley
    Dina

    Reply

  59. Hi there! In order to share the joy of being nominated myself, I’m nominating you for the Liebster Award, which is intended to recognize up-and-coming blogs, particularly those with less than 200 followers. Visit my blog for all the details, and congratulations!

    Reply

  60. Great post. l hope you will shed some light on so many questions you been asked. regards. jalal

    Reply

    1. Hi Jalal, I like the way wordpress lets me learn about other people out there. I am enjoying having people get to know me as well. Best regards, —Jadi

      Reply

  61. Dear Jadi,
    you write “Greetings from Germany”. I am wondering are you German or based in Germany? Well, I am curious because I am a German expat.
    Greetings from the North Norfolk coast
    Klausbernd

    Reply

    1. Ich bin Amerikanerin. I married a German and first learned German at the age of 35. I’ve been here 20 years now and am extremely grateful for the ways life in Europe (and someplace between cultures) has made me grow. It’s ironic because my degree is in English literature and I ended up living in a foreign language! How did you land in England? —Jadi

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      1. Dear Jadi,
        sorry for not answering earlier but I have been that busy the last days …
        How I ended up in Merry Ol` England? After my degrees I lived outside Europe for many, many years – mostly in Asia and the two Americas. But I got the feeling I am European, well, I need European culture. And as I was able to speak some English I looked around in England (in Sweden and Holland, too) and found that great spot here. And I love living in England – for more than 30 years now.
        Greetings from the sea
        Klausbernd 🙂

        Reply

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