Julia Walkling grew up in Hanover, N.H., and earned degrees in Linguistics from Radcliffe College/Harvard University. In the dark ages of computers, she programmed with a research group at IBM and spent three years in an attempt to translate Russian into English using the Univac I at Harvard. Moving to Brunswick in 1963 with her husband Bob, she worked mostly at raising their two children. Julia’s association with the Council began in 1983 with a frantic call from Deedee Schwartz for help on the Maine at Statehood project. Since that time, she has organized many projects for the Council and for the New England Foundation for the Humanities. Currently, she is director of New Books, New Readers, book discussions with low-literacy-level adults, and also of Stories for Life, a program developed for adults in trouble with the law. Her enthusiasms include three grandchildren, choral singing, and anything that has to do with a boat.