Gabriel Born Paperback - 2016

Muriel Stockdales creative compulsion has manifested itself in numerous disciplines. This is her first novel. Her career started in rural Vermont where she secured a federal grant to form a company presenting theater to schoolchildren who had no opportunity to see a play. She went on to direct several shows in New York City and in New England, to perform onstage, crew backstage, design costumes and scenery, and manage costume shops. Soon Disney, NBC, ABC, PBS, and more began turning to Muriel for costume design.So did dozens of US and European regional theaters. She has worked with world-renowned, award winning performers, directors, writers, and composers such as Edward Albee, Adriana Trigiani, Richard Adler, Hayden Panettiere, Colleen Dewhurst, Tony Roberts, Lonette McKee and Kermit the Frog. Wanting to pay forward the rich lessons of her career, Muriel taught at NYUs Tisch School of the Arts, Graduate Design Department for fourteen years. In 2003 Muriel produced and directed a short film entitled, New York City Spirit, celebrating diverse ways New Yorkers connect to their divine impulses. As an artist her US art flag series, E PLURIBUS, celebrating the diverse cultures of the US has been shown in multiple venues during the last 15 years including the Martha Stewart American Made Summit in 2015, The New Britain Museum of American Art in 2009 and two New York Libraries in 2008. In 2005 she returned to costume design for the feature film, Conversations with Godproduced and directed by Stephen Simon and in 2013 for the Opera Omnia production of The Return of Ulysses. Currently her focus is on production of her art flag series and various writings including a new opera version of The Ramayana. Her secret passion has always been spirituality, science and the mysterious, she has read countless science fiction and fantasy books and many of the worlds scriptural texts but she also devours books that explain the latest scientific knowledge. With a Bachelor of Science and Phi Beta Kappa key from the University of Vermont and a Master of Fine Arts from New York University, it is clear from the beginning that Muriel is not only well rounded in her interests and pursuits but also well rounded in her accomplishments.