Mom: In the Dictionary Between Laughter and Noise

Barbara Jividen is a career photographer, writer, and faith-based children's author. Formerly, she worked in the education field for more than 16 years. Using her photography along with creative design elements, she and her husband/partner Jerry Jividen, combine their talents to produce colorful illustrations for many book projects. Barbara was born in West Virginia, and now resides in Ohio with her family. She and Jerry primarily focus on nature and wildlife subjects, and travel across the US to photograph many western species of wildlife and flora. Together, they have worked with book and magazine publishers since the early 1990's, creating stock photography and articles for publications that include National Geographic Kids Magazine, National Geographic Books, National Wildlife Federation, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Skywest Magazine, Reiman Publications, and field guides for Adventure Publications, and more.

Barbara also served as Managing Editor for Over the Back Fence Publishing, Inc. for nearly a decade, while Jerry served as their Staff Photographer. The dynamic team have written and photographed more than a dozen travel planners and visitor guides, and written scores of human-interest stories for the publisher before leaving to focus on their own photography and publishing projects.

Jerry Jividen was born and raised on a 110-acre Ohio farm that adjoins more than 16,000 acres of state forest land in South Central Ohio, the third largest state forest tract in Ohio. He is a life-long outdoor enthusiast, and currently serves several non-profit organizations to preserve and project Ohio's biodiversity, including the Hocking Hills State Park and the Arc of Appalachia. His photography can also be seen in publications or projects by Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont, a display by the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History at the Bronx Zoo, Majestic Whitetails book by Voyager Press, along with the cover of the Birder's Dictionary by Falcon Press.

Barbara and Jerry Jividen also lead licensed photography workshops throughout the US, which have included Camp Denali at Denali National Park, West Yellowstone, Grand Teton National Park, and the Bureau of Land Management in Cody, Wyoming. Both are certified photography instructors, and have held teaching certificates for more than two decades. Jerry Jividen was born and raised in Ohio, where his homestead adjoins more than 16,000 acres of state forest land, the third largest state forest tract in Ohio. Jerry is a life-long outdoor enthusiast; and currently serves several non-profit organizations to preserve and project Ohio's biodiversity, including the Hocking Hills State Park and the Arc of Appalachia. Jerry is also a state-certified photography instructor, and licensed photography guide.

Together with his wife, Barb, Jerry has worked with book and magazine publishers since the early 1990's, creating stock photography and articles for publications that include National Geographic Kids Magazine, National Geographic Books, National Wildlife Federation, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Falcon Press, Voyager Press, Skywest Magazine, Reiman Publications, and field guides for Adventure Publications, and more.