if i may

This is rather exciting.

(Click to enlarge.)

This article, co-authored by my lovely adviser Lisa and myself, came out of the master's research I did in southern Zambia back in 2004. I never went the path of academia, but it feels good to have something come out of an undertaking you worked hard on and enjoyed.

These are some of my favorite pictures from that summer living in a tent, surrounded by dry grass and open sky, with many hopeful dreams, hours from the nearest source of electricity, running water, or proper roads. When it wasn't dead boring, it was marvelous.

 Quite a spectacular example of feminine multi-tasking, as well as the incredible strength under hardship displayed by so many African women. I spotted this young mother harvesting cotton while simultaneously breastfeeding twins.

Me covered in pricklies after an ill-taken foray off the beaten track and up a giant anthill.

 

My research had nothing to do with infants, but I did witness these baby health checks conducted beneath an enormous acacia tree, and it must have sparked something inside, though I didn't realize it at the time.

 

One of the more dismal examples of a primary school classroom out in the bush.

I loved this little drummer boy, Buishmo, one of the sons at the homestead where we set up camp.

 This incredibly wealthy man, on far right, had taken 13 wives, the youngest of which was a teenager. They subsequently formed their own women's association. Here he is dancing with 10 of them.

Our research team, somewhere in a big blank spot on the map, Southern Province, Zambia.

Anyway, this is the first time I've been published and it is fun. Of course, I'd be happy to sign your copy at any point.