YOU'RE

NEVER ALONE

WITH A BOOK

YOU'RE

NEVER ALONE

WITH A BOOK

MY BIOGRAPHY

I started my first career as a ballerina dancing with the National Ballet, New York City Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, and the Danny Diamond Dance Theatre. I also served as alignist and choreographer for the U.S Figure Skating Team in preparation for the Pan American Games (1973), and for the 1976 Olympic Gymnastics team. In 1980 I became too ill with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA) to continue dancing. Because I had done a lot of children’s theatre and children’s dance, and I have always enjoyed children’s literature, I turned to writing children’s books for my creative outlet.

But my writing career actually began much earlier than 1980. When I was a young girl, I had two older brothers who took great joy in teasing me.

When I was in the fourth grade, I began keeping journals of the silly things they would say and do. Then I began adding things my pets did. Finally, I began to write down everything I saw and heard every day.

LECTURE SERIES

Children’s book author Audrey Penn has been visiting schools in the Washington, D.C. area since 1982. Her lecture series became a national education series in 1989.

This highly acclaimed program has brought Ms. Penn – as author, lecturer, and educator – into the lives of thousands of children from kindergarten through college.

In addition to her work in public and private schools, Ms. Penn is a participating author and lecturer at the Kennedy Center’s Very Special Arts Festival, and the Reading is Fundamental program, as well as their spin-off reading and writing programs.

In 1996, she was invited to read several of her stories as part of President Bill Clinton’s pre-inauguration festivities. Ms. Penn has also coordinated children’s programs for libraries, hospitals, outdoor education, and numerous children’s book conferences.

GAMES

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. How old were you when you started writing?

I was in the fourth grade when I began keeping journals. It was one of these journals that I rewrote as an adult that became my first children’s book Happy Apple Told Me

2. Did you always want to be a writer?

I always loved to write, but I wanted to be on the stage as either an actress or a ballerina. I got to do both.

3. What’s your favorite part about being an author?

I love the fact that I get to work with kids. A lot of times, I get my ideas from talking to children when I visit schools. I try out all of my books on kids before they become published. But I also love to edit and rewrite. After the real work is done and the story is written, I love to go over it a hundred times to make sure every word is just the perfect word for the situation.

BLOG

The Dream of Writing in Solitude

This week, I began chapter three of my fourth, and final novel of the Blackbeard Mysteries. I began chapter two, two years ago. I started out great guns, then, I got stuck on a single, short sentence. One of my characters said something and I had no idea what he meant. I had a choice. […]

Snail Mail

Audrey Penn
The Writing Penn
P.O. Box 1 Olney, MD 20830

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