I have both my undergraduate and graduate degree in Liberal Studies from two unique institutions of higher education, The Evergreen State College (Olympia, WA) where I was able to develop and write my own curriculum, and St. John’s College (Santa Fe, NM) where we read western philosophy and discussed the texts in classes of no more than twelve. My focus has always been at the intersections of sustainability, art, ethics, philosophy, religion, and politics & society.
Get in touch: anakhurley@gmail.com
My full name is Anastasia Nabil El-Kilani Hurley, but because Anastasia is too “fancy” for me, and because the El- in El-Kilani made locating records a near disaster, I’ve gone with Ana Kilani for the majority of my life… and then I got married and took my husbands last name, so now I go with Ana Hurley, but the truth is I love the whole thing. My husband, Brian, has his Ph.D. in History, he wrote his dissertation on the history of walking. He also runs really fast. I have two step sons, Gus and Paddle, who have been hands down the most unexpected joy of my life. My father is an entrepreneur/chef/jack-of-all trades kind of person. He was born in Palestine in the 1940’s, he immigrated to the US in the early 80’s where he met my mother, a PhD in Psychology, a researcher, entrepreneur, and activist of digital altruism in its many forms. My mother is the greatest force I have ever seen. My brother is a lawyer in NYC after a long stint in Philosophy, and is possibly the most well informed person I have ever met. I have two nephews, Aristotle and Alexander, who are the apple of many eyes. My step-father owned a local shoe store in my hometown in Arkansas and has been in my life now longer than he wasn’t. My aunt is a designer, having done work for most major brands over the past two decades, and also having designed and produced her own line of rugs and furniture. My grandmother was a nurse at St. Judes Hospital and a force in her local women’s organizations, my grandfather was a Navy Seal, reportedly in the CIA, and was both Mr. America and Mr. Universe in the 1950’s. Mixed in all this amazingness have been pivots, struggles, sadness, loss, mental illness, addiction, recovery, hope, love, connection, and growth. Although my path has been one of little resistance in comparison to those who have come before me, to pretend we are perfect does nothing but a disservice to those who come after me.
Important things not yet mentioned on this website:
My junior high track coach, Coach Fisher, would tell our entire gym class that if someone could beat me at running a mile, we would get to have a pizza party. This put me in a very weird predicament as to whether or not let someone else win so everyone can have a pizza party. I didn’t let anyone else win.
I climbed Mt.Fuji alone in the middle of the night, I made it to the top at sunrise.
I did theater and acting for many a year - from The Velveteen Rabbit to The Vagina Monologues.
I was voted funniest in the 7th grade - and in an alternate life I’d be a stand-up comedian with the dream of being on SNL.