2nd Annual Children’s Festival of Reading
June 3rd on World's Fair Park

For more information about the Children's Festival of Reading, please call 215-8783
or email communications@knoxlib.org

Author Biographies

JACK GANTOS

Jack Gantos has been writing since he was a young boy growing up in Mount Pleasant,
Pennsylvania. As an adolescent, Gantos found solace in an abandoned book mobile,
where he spent all his extra time reading. The seeds were planted for Gantos’ future
writing career during his sixth grade year when he discovered his sister’s diary and
decided he could write better than her! Gantos incorporates many childhood antidotes
from his childhood into his Rotten Ralph, Joey Pigza and Jack Henry books. For more
information about Jack Gantos and his books, check out www.jackgantos.com

LYNNE BERRY

Lynne Berry has published numerous poems for young children; Duck Skates is her
first book for young readers. Berry lives in Nashville, TN, with her husband, five
dogs, a cat, and assorted fish. When not writing, she enjoys yoga, peanut butter
sandwiches, and trips to the park with the dogs.

WILMOTH FOREMAN

Wilmoth Foreman's first novel, Summer of the Skunks, is on the 2005-2006 Volunteer
State (TN) Book Award Master Reading List; was selected as a 2004 Book of Note by
the Tri-State Young Adult Review Committee of PA, DE, and NJ; and is a 2006-2007
Sunshine State Young Reader's Award Master List Nominee. Wilmoth received her MFA in
Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College. She is a teaching artist
in Tennessee's Artists in Residence program and a Teacher Consultant of West TN
writing Project [a site of the National Writing Project].

RONDA FRIEND

Ronda Friend from Franklin, Tennessee is a master storyteller and has captivated the
hearts and minds of young and old alike.  She worked for nine years as a
professional for Scholastic Book Fairs and now is author of a new short chapter
series, which centers around her life as a farmer’s daughter growing up “Down On
Friendly Acres” in the 50s and 60s. This nostalgic, character-based series takes a
humorous approach to addressing such traits as kindness, patience, forgiveness and
determination.  www.DownOnFriendlyAcres.com and www.SunflowerSeedsPress.com

DORIS GOVE

Knoxvillian Doris Gove has written six books for children and three hiking guides.
Since she is a biologist and an environmentalist, all of the books deal with natural
history: lifestyles of snakes and salamanders, how to talk to trees, and what
special features and creatures to look for on hiking trails. Her most recent book,
The Smokies Yukky Book describes some pretty weird, creepy characters that live
right here in our own national park.

ALAN GRATZ

Alan Gratz is the author of Samurai Shortstop (Dial Books, 2006), a young adult
novel, which has received raves from the Washington Post, Reading Today, BookSense,
School Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, and the ALA’s Booklist, which gave it a
starred review. In addition to writing fiction for young readers, Gratz has authored
numerous plays and short stories, as well as a handful of episodes of A&E’s City
Confidential. Gratz lives just outside Atlanta, Georgia with his wife Wendi and
daughter Jo. Samurai Shortstop is his first novel.

HELEN HEMPHILL

Helen Hemphill holds a MA in English literature from Belmont University and an MFA
in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College. Ms. Hemphill was the
recipient of the 2004 Harcourt Post Graduate Scholarship at Vermont and received an
honorable mention for the 1999 Martha Whitmore Hickman Award in Fiction by the
Tennessee Writers’ Alliance. Booklist called her first novel, Long Gone Daddy (Front
Street 2006), a "strong debut...Hemphill strikes a confident balance between deep
heartache and sharply irreverent humor."

 
LARSEN JAY

Larsen Jay made his first venture into children’s literature with his picture book
of visual puns entitled What if Cows Could…?  published by Bear Hug Books. Jay is an
upstate New York native who graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the
University of Tennessee where he studied Theatre and Production Management, helping
launch a successful career in the entertainment industry.

JERI LANDERS

Jeri Landers has been exhibiting her beautiful and unique artwork across America for
over 22 years, but it was her love of turn of the century Children's book
illustration that inspired her to write and illustrate her first Children's book,
Hopalong Jack and the Blue Bunnies. Published in the fall of 2005, this beautiful
book has received two book awards and has been embraced by children from 2yrs to
80yrs old! The second book in the series will be released at the end of 2006.Jeri
and her husband live on a century old farm in Grainger County surrounded by a
menagerie of dogs, cats, sheep and goats."
 

KERRY MADDEN

Kerry Madden’s critically acclaimed novel Offsides (William Morrow) was selected by
the New York Public Library for their 1997 “Books for the Teen Age” list. Her second
book, WRITING SMARTS (American Girl Library) helps kids craft their own stories and
poetry.  Her children's novel, GENTLE’S HOLLER, (starred Kirkus and Publishers
Weekly) is the story of a young songwriter from the Great Smoky Mountains, coming to
terms with life in a large family and her desire to create her own adventures beyond
the holler. Kerry’s next book, LOUISIANA’S SONG, will be published in 2007 along
with the paperback of GENTLE’S HOLLER. The third Maggie Valley book, JESSIE’S
MOUNTAIN, will be published in 2008.  GENTLE’S HOLLER is now available on Recorded
Books. You may visit Kerry at www.kerrymadden.com or www.readerville.com

SUSAN VAUGHT
Susan Vaught is a graduate of the University of Mississippi (undergraduate) and
Vanderbilt University (graduate). Currently, she works three days a week as a
psychologist, writes young adult fiction three days a week, and tends her small farm
in Middle Tennessee. Her backlist includes Stormwitch (Bloomsbury, 2005), a YALSA
Best Books for Young Adults 2006, an Andre Norton Award finalist, and a Carl Brandon
Kindred Award nominee. Additional backlist includes L.O.S.T., Shadowqueen, and Witch
Circle, co-written with Debbie Federici and published by Llewellyn Worldwide, and
Fat Tuesday (OnStage Publishing, 2004). Her upcoming release is Trigger (Bloomsbury,
2006). www.susanvaught.com

ALLAN WOLF

Allan Wolf is an author, poet, performer and educator who lives in Asheville, North
Carolina with his wife and three kids. After teaching writing at Virginia Tech, Wolf
became the Educational Director for Poetry Alive!, a national touring company that
presents theatrical poetry shows for all ages.  Wolf now writes and presents full
time.  His books include The Blood-Hungry Spleen and Other Poems About Our Parts
(Candlewick Press), and New Found Land: Lewis and Clark’s Voyage of Discovery
(Candlewick Press), a novel in verse chosen as a School Library Journal Best Book,
an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, and an IRA Children’s Book Award Notable.  His
most recent work is a book about writing poems titled, Immersed In Verse: An
Informative, Slightly Irreverent & Totally Tremendous Guide to Living the Poet’s
Life (Lark Books).  He is a veteran traveler through all the diverse worlds of verse
from poetry slams to public schools, salons to saloons.  With literally hundreds of
poems committed to memory, Wolf is always ready to spin out a stanza or two.  Got
rhyme?  Http://www.allanwolf.com

RICK YANCEY

Rick Yancey is a former Knoxville resident and author of the memoir Confessions of a
Tax Collector, chosen by The Christian Science Monitor and Amazon as one of the best
books of 2004.  His novels include A Burning in Homeland and The Highly Effective
Detective, a mystery due out this summer.  Both Highly Effective and his young adult
novel, The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp, are set in Knoxville, where he
lived for ten years.  To date, Alfred Kropp has sold to fourteen countries and has
been nominated for the prestigious Carnegie Medal.  He now lives in Florida with his
wife and three sons.