A resident of Anchorage, Alaska, Sandy Kleven is a writer, poet, and filmmaker. She is also a licensed clinical social worker with a long history as a family clinician. Sandy s first book, The Right Touch, was published by Illumination Arts in 1998. This award-winning children s book was based on her work as the founding director of a community-based theatre group in Bellingham, WA. Featuring Jody Bergsma s colorful illustrations, The Right Touch has become the best-selling prevention book in the United States, and translations have been published in Chinese, Swedish, and Korean. When Sandy began working in Bethel, Alaska in 1984, she recognized the importance of teaching children safety lessons in the context of their own culture and community. With this as a goal, she created a four-page reader set in a remote Alaskan village which has now been expanded into Talk About Touch. Sandy has also earned a Masters degree in Creative Writing. Her poetry and essays are widely published. As the editor of Cirque Literary Journal, she supports established as well as emerging writers in the Northwest and Alaska.