Born in 1963, Bernadette Conrad studied German Philology, Romance Languages and Social Pedagogy, and pursued a career as a social worker with a focus on addiction therapy. Today, she is a freelance writer and journalist, whose publications are regularly featured in DIE ZEIT and Neue Zürcher Zeitung. Bernadette Conrad is the recipient of various grants and awards such as the 2010 Walliser Medienpreis and the 2012 Literary Fellowship of the State of Baden-Württemberg. Her publications include Nomaden im Herzen (Nomads at Heart, 2006), a collection of literary reports, and the biography Die vielen Leben der Paula Fox (The Many Lives of Paula Fox), published in 2011 to rave reviews. During her residency at Villa Aurora, Conrad will do extensive research for her new book, a work of fiction again examining the topic of nomadic existence. Set in Los Angeles and other parts of the U.S., it tells the story of a father who emigrates to the U.S. in the 1950s, but returns after discovering that all the demons he had hoped to leave behind are still with him. It is also the story of his daughter who feels compelled to follow her father's dream, and travels to New England but ultimately realizes that she has to follow her own path.