Anna Marie Quindlen

Ms. Anna Marie Quindlen is an accomplished American author known for six bestselling novels (Rise and Shine, Blessings, Object Lessons, One True Thing, Black and Blue, and Every Last One), and her nonfictions works such as A Short Guide to a Happy Life. Many of her novels are stories relatable to her experiences growing up and self-help books. Additionally, she is an occasional opinion columnist for The New York Times, where she began her career at the age of 18 as a copy girl. From 1981-1994, Quindlen was a columnist for the paper and became only the third woman in the paper's history to write a regular column for its influential Op-Ed page when she began the nationally syndicated "Public and Private", which won the 1992 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary. In 1995, Quindlen decided to leave the Times to write as a novelist full time. Two of her works have been turned into productions and films. She is the recipient of the Clarion Award, Amelia Earhart Award, Columbia University Medal of Excellence, Poynter Fellowship in Journalism at Yale, Victoria Fellow in Contemporary Issues at Rutgers University, and Honorary Doctorate at the Pennsylvania State University.