Wally Turnbull was born and raised in Haiti where he resided until 1963 when he left to pursue his education in the United States. He received his BA in Psychology from Rockford College in 1970 and his MFA in photography from Ohio University in 1972. He returned to Haiti with his wife Betty in 1972 where the couple worked until 2003 in rural education and self-help with the Baptist Haiti Mission.
In 1978, Wally received a Diplôme de Citation from the Haitian Department of Education for his work in rural education. He also received an award of distinction from Rockford College in 1983 for his humanitarian work in Haiti.
His Creole Made Easy language series has been widely acclaimed as the easiest and fastest way to learn to communicate in Haitian Creole. It is used by numerous institutions to communicated with those who speak Creole and to train those going to work in Haiti.
Wally now lives in Durham, NC with his wife, Betty, where they enjoy serving their church family, volunteering in their community, and “bringing to light meaningful books” through Light Messages and Torchflame Books.
A Simple Introduction to Haitian Creole for English Speaking People
With over 100,000 copies sold, this is the most widely used way to learn basic Haitian Creole.
The Creole of Haiti (called kreyòl, kreyòl ayisyen, or ayisyen by native speakers) is a rich yet amazingly easy language. The way verb tenses are handled and the consistency of Creole phonetics make the language much easier to learn than most others.
This book provides an easy, simple, and practical introduction to Creole. It avoids, as far as possible, exceptions, grammatical technicalities, and linguistic jargon.
- The basic elements of Creole grammar
- Sixteen easy lessons
- How to pronounce Creole words
- Simple exercises with translation keys
- Extensive dictionary of over 4700 Creole <-> English words
Audio Pronunciation Practice Guide - 2 CD set or MP3 Album
Accompanies the book Creole Made Easy
This set of two CDs provides a pronunciation guide for the Creole language. The Creole words and sentences in each of the sixteen lessons of the book Creole Made Easy are spoken so that the student may listen and practice.
The Creole words and phrases are first spoken slowly and deliberately for maximum pronunciation emphasis. They are then repeated at a slow speaking pace with slight inflection for better contextual practice.
Truth and Secret in Haiti's Creole Proverbs
This collection of the colorful proverbs that characterize the country of Haiti and its people will leave you both nodding and shaking your head as it enlightens and entertains you with simple yet deep wisdom.
The proverbs appear in the original Creole with accompanying translations. Whenever possible, literal rather than common translations are provided that the reader may hear the language as well as the proverbs. Also included are explanations of the proverbs' meanings.
Featuring over 1200 entries, this is, to date, the most varied, complete, and accurate collection of Haitian proverbs.
by Eleanor Turnbull (Author) and Wally Turnbull (Photographer)
A prayer book unlike any other
This book is unique, not only because each prayer is accompanied by a striking photograph, but because each prayer is an example of sincere, heartfelt communication with God. This is a book which teaches the essence of true prayer.
These prayers of Haitian Christians, in their own Creole words with English translations, reflect the paradoxically childlike yet deep faith of a mountain people who have come to know God as a personal friend acquainted with their culture and daily lives.
These prayers are refreshing and heartwarming, sometimes almost humorous because of the homespun metaphors which are used. The photograph which accompanies each prayer tells a story by itself.
Photographs by Wally Turnbull, Prayers curated by Eleanor Turnbull, originally edited by Sandra Burdick
