Keith McGowan is the Thurber House Children’s Writer in Residence for 2010

Keith McGowanThurber House is pleased to announce the selection of Keith McGowan as our 2010 Children’s Writer in Residence.  His first book, The Witch’s Guide to Cooking with Children, is a modern retelling of the Grimm fairy tale Hansel and Gretel with shades of Roald Dahl and Lemony Snicket mixed in.  It received recommendations from the New Yorker Online and the Indie booksellers along with many wonderful reviews.

Keith has taught for most of his life, though writing was a passion as well.  In Chicago, he ran two writing workshops for homeschooled kids ages nine to thirteen.  In Cambridge, MA, he ran similar classes for an afterschool program.  He was a volunteer teacher at a free school in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and developed curriculum for a nonprofit in Chicago that helps prepare low-income students for college.  He and his wife live in Vienna, Austria.

During his July to August stay in the third floor apartment at Thurber House, he will be working on his next book, teaching at the Thurber Summer Camp, and appearing around town.   

For more information about Keith, visit his Web site at www.keithbooks.com.

Cover to Cover Booksigning

Keith will be signing his book, The Witch's Guide to Cooking with Children at Cover to Cover on Saturday, August 7 at 1 p.m.

Background of the Thurber Writer in Residency Program

Since 2001, the Thurber House has offered children's book writers a month-long retreat in the furnished third-floor apartment of Thurber House. Each resident spends up to ten hours per week teaching children the joys of writing in both a community-based agency and as part of the Thurber House Summer Writing Camp for children. He or she also receives a stipend and has plenty of time to write in the apartment where the bed fell on James Thurber's father. Past recipients are Deborah Wiles (01), Kathryn Hewitt (02), Natasha Tarpley (03), Laurie Miller Hornik (04), Shelley Pearsall (05), Sam Swope (06), Lisa Yee (07), Alan Silberberg (08), Hope Anita Smith (09).


2008 Recipient Alan Silberberg amuses Thurber Board President Louise Jones and former Board President Kitty Morton Epler at his welcoming reception. Lisa Yee, the 2007 recipient, gladly signs autographs for campers after her presentation at the Thurber Summer Writing Camp.

 

Thurber House would like to thank JP Morgan Chase Foundation for their continuous sponsorship of this program.