Lynda Grace Philippsen

After early retirement from a successful career, but one that failed to fulfill her life-long desire to live and work as an artist, a succession of random and serendipitous events prompted Lynda Grace Philippsen to head for Japan. There she began the formal study of Sogetsu Ikebana in Tokyo. A series of challenges--communication barriers, cultural blinkers, unfamiliar pedagogy, and confounding social codes as daunting as the ikebana curriculum--did nothing to dampen her passion for the art and the kado (way of flowers). Though she had no plan to write, much less self-publish a book, the kado had other ideas. Tokyo Reverie is much more than a courageous travel adventure or memoir--a blend of artistic awakening, persistence in the face of uncertainty and grief, as well as personal evolution told with honesty and humour. It's unusual nature and wide appeal is one of its strongest assets.