CLiF is honored to partner with more than 50 accomplished and inspiring children's book authors, children's book illustrators, and poets who give presentations on our behalf to thousands of children across New Hampshire and Vermont. (You can learn more by visiting Author/Illustrator Visits or Writer-in-Residence.) After each biography below we have listed whether an individual is involved in one or both of these CLiF programs. CLiF works only with presenters who live in New Hampshire or Vermont, and we always strive to have them visit children in a community near their home. When children meet an accomplished writer or artist who lives nearby, they begin to understand there is nothing preventing them from following a similar path.
Rick Agran
Rick Agran grew up in Brookline NH. He's written two books: Pumpkin Shivaree, a picture book for children and a collection of poems called Crow Milk. He co-edited Under the Legislature of Stars: 62 New Hampshire Poets. He studied poetry, filmmaking, and sociolinguistics at Sarah Lawrence College and UNH. He's worked in a lumbermill, sold brass and copper jewelry, washed dishes and cooked fancy soup, worked as a farmer, and taught lots of people to read and write. He loves making images in poems and fine art and likes to explore how people read pictures and tell stories. (Writer-in-Residence)
Jim Arnosky
Jim Arnosky was born in New York City and raised in Pennsylvania. He has written and illustrated 86 books on subjects related to nature and has illustrated 46 other books written by various authors. He has been awarded the Christopher Medal, Orbis Pictus Honor, ALA Gordon Award, and Outstanding Science book awards from National Science Teachers Associations. Since 1976, he and his family have lived in an old farmhouse in Vermont. Learn more about Jim at www.jimarnosky.com. (Author/Illustrator)
Lynda Graham Barber
Lynda Graham Barber is author of many titles for children, including Say Boo!, A Chartreuse Leotard and a Magenta Limousine, and Toad or Frog. Lynda finds inspiration for her books while following moose tracks and watching the woodcock's spiraling spring dance. She has taught writing for children and studied in the MFA children's writing program at Vermont College. She lives in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont with her husband and their three rescued dogs. (Author/Illustrator)
Roberta Baker
Roberta Baker was born in New York City and grew up on Long Island. She is the author of several books for children including No Ordinary Olive, Lizard Walinsky, and Olive's Pirate Party. She has worked in England, Ireland, New York, and New England, and now lives with her daughter and husband in Tilton, New Hampshire. (Author/Illustrator)
Susan Bartlett
Susan Bartlett is author of Seal Island School, The Seal Island Seven, and, most recently, Opening Day, a book about deer hunting with a theme of friendship. She lives in Plainfield, Vermont. (Author/Illustrator)
Marek Bennett
Marek Bennett creates comics and leads arts residencies around New England. His self-syndicated weekly comic strip, Mimi’s Doughnuts appears in New England newspapers, and his comic workshops teach valuable comics discovery techniques and graphic literacy skills to students of all ages through residencies and workshops at schools, libraries, museums, and more. Marek lives in New Hampshire with his wife Denise, his step-daughter Faith, his little brother Ross, and about a jillion little furry creatures of various species and personality types. You can learn more about him atwww.marekbennett.com. (Writer-in-Residence)
Simon Brooks
Simon Brooks, storyteller, began spinning yarns and telling tales in 1991 when he would perform for school groups and families at Youth Hostels in the
United Kingdom before moving to the States. In 2003 Simon became a Children's Librarian and freelance storyteller in the Upper Valley. He has
performed for libraries, schools, festivals and private functions telling stories to people of all ages. Combining his passion for children's literature, and folklore Simon creates a fun program for both children and adults. His repertoire comes mainly from European folk and faerie tales, but he also includes stories from other
countries and cultures. All these tales, myths and legends are given life and animation with his unique voices, as they are acted out in front of a
captivated audience. Simon Brooks lives in Orford NH with his wife and two children. You can learn more about him at www.diamondscree.com.(Author/Illustrator)
Eileen Christelow
Eileen Christelow is author and illustrator of more than a dozen books for children including The Great Pig Escape, What Do Authors Do?, and What Do Illustrators Do? Born in Washington, D.C., she worked as a freelance photographer and graphic designer before devoting herself entirely to writing and illustrating books for children. She lives in Putney, Vermont. Learn more about Eileen at www.christelow.com. (Author/Illustrator)
Maryann Cocca-Leffler
Maryann Cocca-Leffler is author and illustrator of over 40 books for children. Some of her titles include Princess K.I.M. and the Lie That Grew, Bus Route To Boston, Clams All Year, Jack's Talent and the award winning Mr Tanen's Tie Books. Maryann lives in Amherst, New Hampshire with her husband and their two daughters. Visit her website (where you can also download free activity sheets!) at www.maryanncoccaleffler.com. (Author/Illustrator)
Glenn Currie
Glenn Currie is a poet, humorist and essayist. He graduated with highest distinction from Dartmouth College in 1965 and has taken post-graduate courses at Michigan State, Georgetown, and Oxford University. Mr. Currie served in the U.S. Navy from 1965-1969, and worked in a variety of senior positions for Avco and Textron Corporations from 1970-1986 before returning to New Hampshire where he is a freelance writer and maintains a private consulting business. He has written articles for the Concord Monitor for many years and also writes occasionally for New Hampshire Magazine. His work has been published in a wide variety of journals and newspapers over the last thirty years. Mr. Currie recently hosted the 14th Annual Arts and Essay Conference for Children at New England College and has enjoyed working with children in a variety of elementary classroom settings. His children's book, A Boy's First Diary, was published in 2007. He has also published three collections of poetry and photography, Daydreams (2004), Riding in Boxcars (2006), and In the Cat's Eye (2009).
Michael J. Daley
Michael J. Daley has enjoyed a life-long love of science, machines, and science fiction. These passions inform his fiction and non-fiction writing. Daley's books include Space Station Rat--currently on state children's choice lists in South Dakota and Oklahoma--and Shanghaied to the Moon. Daley lives with his wife (and fellow CLiF presenter) Jessie Haas in a very small house they built themselves in Westminster, Vermont. Learn more at www.michaeljdaley.com. (Author/Illustrator, Writer-in-Residence)
Kathleen W. Deady
Kathleen W. Deady has written more than 40 books for children. Her picture books include All Year Long--a CBC/IRA Children's Choice for 2005--and It's Time! She has also written nonfiction books on a wide variety of topics, from animals and space to sports and ancient civilizations. Her work has appeared in a number of children's
magazines, including Highlights and Boys Life. Kathy is a resident of Manchester, New Hampshire. Visit her website at www.kathleendeady.com. (Author/Illustrator, Writer-in-Residence)
Chris L. Demarest
Chris L. Demarest is the author and illustrator of dozens of children's books. A volunteer firefighter, Demarest wrote and illustrated Firefighters A to Z as well as Hurricane Hunters!: Riders on the Storm, Mayday, Mayday!: A Coast Guard Rescue, Smokejumpers One to Ten, and many other books. He illustrated Leaping Beauty and Other Animal Fairy Tales and the MathStart book Beep Beep, Vroom Vroom! Chris has lived aboard Coast Guard patrol boats in the Persian Gulf and has spent time flying with Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center's Advance Response Team to document their work. He lives in Meriden, New Hampshire with his family. To learn more about Chris check out his website www.pbase.com/chrisdemarest or read his blog chrisdemarest.blogspot.com. (Author/Illustrator)
Crescent Dragonwagon
Crescent Dragonwagon is a prolific writer of fiction and non-fiction for both children and adults. Some of her children's books include The Itch Book, Strawberry Dress Escape, The Sun Begun, This Is the Bread I Baked for Ned, When Light Turns Into Night, Will It Be Okay?, and Your Owl Friend. Crescent lives in Putney, Vermont. Visit her website at www.dragonwagon.com. (Writer-in-Residence)
Amy Ehrlich
Amy Ehrlich is the author of more than 30 books for young readers. She is winner of the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award for her novel Joyride, which was also chosen Booklist Choice Best Book of the Decade. Amy lives on a farm in northern Vermont with her husband and a great many domestic and agricultural animals. (Author/Illustrator)
Jennifer A. Ericsson
Jennifer A. Ericsson is an award-winning author of titles such as No Milk!, The Most Beautiful Kid in the World, She Did It!, and Out and About at the Bakery. When not writing, she enjoys reading, taking long walks, watching movies, building gingerbread houses, creating stained glass pieces, and traveling. Jennifer lives in New Hampshire. (Author/Illustrator)
Terry Farish
Terry Farish writes fiction and freelances for magazines. Some of her children's books include The Cat Who Liked Potato Soup, Why I'm Already Blue, Shelter For a Seabird, and Talking in Animal. Terry has also been a Red Cross worker in Asia, children's librarian, waitress, and editor, but the work that always holds her is writing. Find out more about Terry at www.terryfarish.com. (Writer-in-Residence)
Sally Ford
Sally Ford is author of Bungee's Voyage, winner of Sail America's John Southam Award. She lives in Newfields, New Hampshire, with her husband of 35 years. Visit her website at www.bravebungee.com. (Author/Illustrator)
Gail Gibbons
Gail Gibbons is the author and illustrator of more than 100 non-fiction children's books including, most recently, Snakes, Coral Reefs, The Vegetables We Eat, and Galaxies, Galaxies! She and her husband divide their time between a landlocked house in Vermont and a house surrounded by sea off the coast of Maine. Visit her website at www.gailgibbons.com. (Author/Illustrator)
John Steven Gurney
John Steven Gurney has illustrated over 100 books for children, including The A to Z Mysteries series, The Bailey School Kids, and Big Apple Barn. He is the author and illustrator of the picture book Dinosaur Train. John also works as a caricature artist and does illustrations for games and puzzles. He lives in Brattleboro, Vermont with his wife, two children, and a Siberian husky. To read more about John, check out his website
http://johnstevengurney.com. (Author/Illustrator)
Jessie Haas
Jessie Haas is a lifelong resident of Westminster, Vermont. She sold her first children's book while a senior at Wellesley College, and has gone on to write over 30 more. Honors for her novels include a Parents' Choice Gold Award for Unbroken, the Golden Kite Honor for Shaper, and her newest novel, Chase, is a Junior Library Guild Premier Selection. She lives with her husband (and fellow CLiF presenter) Michael J. Daley in a small, off-grid house they built themselves. Find out more at www.jessiehaasbooks.com. (Author/Illustrator)
Karen Hesse
Karen Hesse has written many books for children. Her book Out of the Dust was awarded the Newbery Medal for 1998. Other books for children include Witness, A Light in the Storm: The Civil War Diaries of Amelia Martin, Come On Rain, and Just Juice. She lives in Vermont with her husband. (Author/Illustrator)
Geof Hewitt
Geof Hewitt is Writing/Secondary English Consultant for the Vermont Department of Education and co-director of the Vermont Adolescent Literacy and Learning Initiative. He is the author of three books of poetry and three books for teachers, including A Portfolio Primer: Teaching, Collecting, and Assessing Student Writing and Today You Are My Favorite Poet: Writing Poems with Teenagers. His most recent is Hewitt's Guide to Slam Poetry and Poetry Slam, which comes with a DVD showing him at work in Vermont classrooms. Hewitt performs across the state and leads writing workshops for all ages. (Writer-in-Residence)
Erick Ingraham
Erick Ingraham's talent for drawing was encouraged by his parents and teachers since early childhood. He is a fine artist, designer, and children's book illustrator. Ingraham has illustrated 13 children's books, including Cross-Country Cat, Old Blue, Hot-Air Henry, Porcupine Stew, Flood, and Blue-Ribbon Henry. He lives in Peterborough, New Hampshire. Learn more at www.erickingraham.com. (Author/Illustrator)
William Jaspersohn
William Jaspersohn has written more than 20 children's books, including How the Forest Grew (a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award winner) and The Ballpark (a New York Times Best Book and American Book Award nominee). In 2000, Yankee Magazine named his Vermont Folklife Center Children's Book, The Two Brothers, a Top 40 Classic New England Children's Book. Jaspersohn lives in Johnson, Vermont. (Writer-in-Residence)
Mary Catherine Jones
Mary Catherine is a former director of sales and marketing for a Vermont publishing company. She has run toddler and pre-school storytime programs for the Wilder Library in Wilder, VT, the Howe Library in Hanover, NH, and the Pierson Library in Shelburne, VT. She currently Co-Chairs the Shelburne PTO, is a Jr. Great Books leader for 4th-8th graders, and an Everybody Wins! Reading Mentor. Mary Catherine has also served as a CLiF Program Assistant and a CLiF Director. When not practicing fingerplays, Mary Catherine lives in Shelburne, VT, with her husband and two teenage voracious readers.
Donald Johnson
Donald Johnson is the author and illustrator of the beloved Henry series, including Henry Hikes to Fitchburg, Henry Builds a Cabin, and Henry Climbs a Mountain. He lives in Lebanon, New Hampshire. Find out more at www.henryhikes.com (Author/Illustrator)
Gloria Kamen
Gloria Kamen was born in New York City, grew up in the borough of Queens, and was trained at the Pratt Institute. She has illustrated dozens of award-winning children's books, including several of her own. She lives in Windsor, Vermont. (Author/Illustrator)
Marty Kelley
Marty Kelley is a recovering second grade teacher, who writes and illustrates books for kids. His titles include The Rules, Summer Stinks, Fall is Not Easy, and Winter Woes. Marty lives in New Hampshire with his wife and two children. Find out more at www.martykelley.com. (Author/Illustrator, Writer-in-Residence)
Leland Kinsey
Leland Kinsey has published six collections of poetry, including In the Rain Shadow, Sledding on Hospital Hill, and most recently, The Immigrant's Contract. Since receiving his degrees, he has worked as a farmhand, printer, horse trainer, maple sugar maker, and Elderhostel instructor in writing, birding, astronomy, and canoeing. He lives in Vermont near the Canadian border with his wife and three children. (Writer-in-Residence)
Natalie Kinsey-Warnock
Natalie Kinsey-Warnock grew up on a farm in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom where her Scottish ancestors settled 200 years ago. The inspiration for her books comes from her childhood growing up on that farm and her true family stories. She is the author of 20 books, including picture books such as The Bear That Heard Crying, Nora's Ark, and From Dawn till Dusk and young adult novels such as The Canada Geese Quilt, As Long As There Are Mountains, and Gifts from the Sea. Find out more about Natalie at www.kinsey-warnock.com (Author/Illustrator)
Marv Klassen-Landis
A performer, writer, educator, and arts education consultant, Marv Klassen-Landis is the author and illustrator of Jump, Children, Jump and the co-author of Please Talk with Me. He writes poetry and fiction for children and adults, and leads workshops, residencies, and family poetry parties. He co-founded Children's Voices Theatre, which is dedicated to inspiring young people to express themselves through writing and performing. (Writer-in-Residence)
Reeve Lindbergh
Reeve Lindbergh has lived in Vermont for many years. She is the author of more than 20 children's books, including There's a Cow in the Road!, North Country Spring, and Our Nest. Her books for adults include Under a Wing, a memoir, No More Words, her story of caring for her mother during her last years, (Author/Illustrator) and Forward From Here: leaving Middle Age and Other Unexpected Adventures. (Author/Illustrator)
Peter Lourie
Peter Lourie is author of many adventure stories for children including Amazon, Lost Treasure of the INCA, Hidden World of the AZTEC, and his newest Arctic Thaw: The People of the Whale in a Changing Climate. His stories come directly from his travel journals. He has taught writing at Columbia College, the University of Vermont, and Middlebury College. Learn more about Peter's adventures at www.peterlourie.com (Author/Illustrator)
David Martin
David Martin grew up in Queens, New York thinking he was going to be a scientist but ended up writing books for children. Some of his titles include We've All Got Bellybuttons, Piggy And Dad Go Fishing, Monkey Trouble, and Happy Birthday. His most recent releases are Lucy And Bob, a series of four Brand New Reader stories which he wrote and illustrated, and a picture book, All For Pie, Pie For All. David is a former teacher who now leads literacy workshops for parents, teachers, and librarians and does writing residencies with elementary school children. He lives in Lyndonville, Vermont. Visit his website at www.davidzmartin.com (Author/Illustrator, Writer-in-Residence)
Diane Mayr
Diane Mayr is a children's book author living in Rockingham, New Hampshire. Her titles include Run, Turkey, Run!, Out and About at the Apple Orchard, Littlebat's Halloween Story, and The Everything Kids' Money Book. She has also published articles, stories, quizzes, haiku, and poems in the Christian Science Monitor, Ladybug, Boys' Quest, The Writer, and more. Visit her website at www.dianemayr.com (Author/Illustrator)
Susan Milord
Susan Milord is the author of several children's books that focus on arts and crafts, nature, folk tales, and cultures from around the world. Some of her titles include The Kids' Nature Book, Willa the Wonderful, Three About Thurston, and Love That Baby! Her books have won several awards from professional organizations and are also included on several parent recommendation lists. She lives with her husband in Vermont. (Author/Illustrator)
Sy Montgomery
To research books, films, and articles, Sy Montgomery has been chased by an angry silverback gorilla in Zaire, bitten by a vampire bat in Costa Rica, and swum with piranhas, electric eels, and dolphins in the Amazon. Some of her titles include The Good Good Pig, Search for the Golden Moon Bear: Science and Adventures in the Asian Tropics, and The Tarantula Scientist. She and her husband are featured on their website www.authorwire.com. (Author/Illustrator)
Denise Ortakales
Denise Ortakales has taught at the Art Institute of Boston and currently teaches at McIntosh College in Dover, New Hampshire. She has done sculpted paper illustrations for dozens of publications and children's books including Good Morning, Garden, Carrot in my Pocket, and Planets. Working with paper sculpture she creates colorful and magical settings that draw readers further into the story. Learn more at www.deniseortakales.com. (Author/Illustrator)
Katherine Paterson
Award-winning and beloved author Katherine Paterson has written dozens of works for children and young adults, including Bridge to Terabithia, Jacob Have I Loved, Come Sing, Jimmy Jo, and most recently, Bread and Roses, Too. She lives with her husband in Barre, Vermont. Visit Katherine's official website at www.terabithia.com. (Author/Illustrator)
Angela Patten
Angela Patten is a native of Dublin, Ireland. She moved to the United States and Vermont in 1977. After graduating Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Vermont, she received an MFA in Writing from Vermont College. Author of two poetry collections, Reliquaries (Salmon Press, 2007) and Still Listening (Salmon Press, 1999), she is also included in several anthologies including Cudovista Usta (Marvellous Mouth), Drustvo Apokalipsa (Slovenia) (2007); Salmon: A Journey in Poetry, 1981-2007, edited by Jessie Lendennie; The White Page/An Bhileog Bhan: Twentieth Century Irish Women Poets (Salmon, 1999), and Onion River: Six Vermont Poets (RNM Inc. 1997). Her poems and essays have appeared in literary journals including The Literary Review; Prairie Schooner; Michigan Quarterly Review; Poetry Ireland Review; Calyx, Full Circle Journal, and others.
She is the recipient of a 2007 Creation grant from the Vermont Arts Council and a 2002 Vermont Arts Endowment grant from the Vermont Community Foundation. She was a finalist in the Pablo Neruda Prize for Poetry (Nimrod International) in 2007 and in the Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Competition, (Ireland) in 1996.
Angela teaches literature and creative writing at the University of Vermont. She has presented her work at readings in Ireland, Germany, the Czech Republic, and throughout Vermont and New England.
She is a regular faculty member at the New England Young Writers’ Conference at in Ripton, Vermont and has also taught at The Frost Place in New Hampshire. She has conducted workshops for children and teens at schools in Vermont and Northern Ireland. In a workshop entitled Creativity in Later Life, sponsored by Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, Angela taught students who ranged from fifty to eighty years of age. You can visit Angela at www.carraigbinn.com. (Writer-in-Residence)
Tracey Campbell Pearson
Tracey Campbell Pearson is an award-winning children's book illustrator. Her work includes titles such as No Dogs Allowed, The Awful Aardvarks Shop for School, and Where Does Joe Go? She lives in Vermont with her husband, son, daughter, dog, cat, rabbit, and chickens--all of whom have appeared in her books. Learn more about Tracey and her work at www.traceycampbellpearson.com. (Author/Illustrator)
Verandah Porche
Verandah Porche's performances, workshops, school and community residencies, and collaborative told poetry projects invite participants to explore their own range of voices and to craft life into poetry. She has written two books of poetry: The Body's Symmetry and Glancing Off. Current projects include Voices of the Uninsured, a series of poems on health care written with Vermonters, and Retrieving Stories, Weaving Lives, with elders in Guilford, Vermont, her home town. (Writer-in-Residence)
Mary Lyn Ray
Mary Lyn Ray is a conservationist and author of several picture books for children, including The Basket Moon, All Aboard!, Red Rubber Boot Day, Pumpkins: A Story for a Field, and Welcome, Brown Bird. Her writing often focuses on humankind's relationship with nature. Ray has made New Hampshire her home since 1973 and currently lives in South Danbury. (Author/Illustrator)
Jan Reynolds
Jan Reynolds is a writer and photographer who just can't get far enough away from it all. Always on the go, Jan brings her real-life adventures alive in the form of books for kids. She is author of the Vanishing Culture Series, which includes Mongolia, Sahara, Far North, Himalaya, and Down Under. Learn more about at www.janreynolds.com. (Author/Illustrator, Writer-in-Residence)
Ted Scheu
A former elementary school teacher, Ted Scheu is author of I Froze My Mother and Other Seriously Funny Family Poems and I Tickled My Teachers. He loves to perform his work, get kids giggling, and to teach writing to children through hands-on poetry workshops. He lives in Middlebury, Vermont. Learn more about Ted Scheu that poetry guy at www.poetryguy.com. (Writer-in-Residence)
Leda Schubert
Leda Schubert has written several books for children including Ballet of the Elephants, Here Comes Darrell, Winnie Plays Ball, and Winnie All Day Long. Leda currently teaches at Vermont College of the Fine Arts. She lives in Plainfield, Vermont with her husband and dog. Learn more about her work at www.ledaschubert.com. (Author/Illustrator, Writer-in-Residence)
Steve Schuch
Steve Schuch is an accomplished singer/songwriter, guitarist, author, and storyteller. Steve's latest book, A Symphony of Whales, received a Parents' Choice Award and a New York Times Best Illustrated Book of the Year Award. A former Audubon naturalist, Steve lives in New Hampshire with his wife and various creatures. Learn more about Steve at www.nightheron.com. (Author/Illustrator)
John Stadler
John Stadler has written and illustrated more than 20 books for children, including Big and Little, Take Me Out to the Ballgame, Hooray for Snail!, Catilda, and Animal Cafe. He was raised in a home where books were considered as necessary as food (he likes them especially with mustard and sauerkraut). John lives in Lyme, New Hampshire. For more information visit www.johnstadler.com. (Author/Illustrator)
Tanya Lee Stone
Tanya Lee Stone is a former editor and an award-winning author who has written nearly 90 books for young readers. Her most recent young adult novel, A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl, was named a 2008 International Reading Association Choice and her book Elizabeth Leads the Way: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the Right to Vote was named a Top 10 Youth Biography by Booklist. Other recent titles include Amelia Earhart and Up Close: Ella Fitzgerald. Be sure to look for Tanya's new books coming out soon Sandy's Circus: A Story About Alexander Calder and Almost Astronauts: The True Story of the Mercury 13 Women. Visit Tanya's website at www.tanyastone.com. (Author/Illustrator, Writer-in-Residence)
Dianalee Velie
Poet and teacher Dianalee Velie is the author of three books of poetry: Glass House, First Edition, and The Many Roads to Paradise. Her award-winning poetry and short stories have been published in hundreds of literary journals. A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College, she has taught at universities and colleges and in private workshops throughout the Northeast, and at rural schools in Vermont and New Hampshire. Dianalee also has her MAW (Masters of Arts in Writing) from Manhattanville College in NY. She lives in Newbury, New Hampshire. (Writer-in-Residence)
