'A magical moment when words begin to pour'

 

“The values transmitted through oral history are many - courage, selflessness, the ability to endure, and to do so with humor and grace. I got those values listening to my dad's stories about the Depression and how their family survived. It gave me courage that I, too, could survive hard times.” – Ann Turner

 

Born in Northampton, MA on this date in 1945, Turner has authored 44 novels, picture books and poetry collections for children and Young Adults in a career that actually began when she was a student at Bates College.

 

While there she won first prize in the Atlantic Monthly’s college creative writing contest, sparking an interest in writing that never left.    An education major, she tried her hand at teaching but ultimately was drawn back to her dream of writing.   Her first novel A Hunter Comes Home was an American Library Association “Notable Children's Book” and her first picture book, Dakota Dugout, received the same honor.  Since then she has won dozens of awards in every category in which she writes.   

 

Among her multiple award-winning books are Abe Lincoln Remembers and Through Moon and Stars and Night Skies.  Her most recent YA novel is Father of Lies, a suspense-filled (and bestselling) retelling of the Salem Witch Trials from the perspective of a 14-year-old girl.

 

“There is the magical moment when words begin to pour out onto the page — words which surprise and confound even me,” Turner said of her writing successes.  “I am as interested in seeing what happens to my characters as any reader; that is why I tell kids that writers write for the same reason readers read - to find out the end of the story.”