Award-winning, Best-selling Author of the Wicked Years Novels
Gregory Maguire is the author of the best-selling Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, the basis for the Tony Award-winning Broadway and international hit musical of the same name. He is also the author of the best-sellers After Alice, a novel based on Lewis Carroll’s 150-year-old classic, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland; as well as Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, Lost, Mirror Mirror, and the other Wicked Years novels that include A Lion Among Men, Son of a Witch, and the final novel in the series, Out of Oz. A popular keynote speaker, Maguire has lectured at universities, libraries, education/teachers conferences, and arts and culture institutions in the U.S. and abroad.
Maguire has been the recipient of several awards and fellowships. His fellowship residencies include: Blue Mountain Center, New York; the Hambidge Center, Georgia; The Virginia Center for the Creative Arts; and the Bread Loaf Writers Conference, Vermont. In addition to writing, Maguire is a national figure in children’s literature education. From 1979 to 1986, he was a professor and associate director of the Center for the Study of Children’s Literature at Simmons College. Since 1986 he has been co-director and founding board member of Children’s Literature New England, Inc., a nonprofit that focuses attention on the significance of literature in the lives of children.
Maguire’s other books include The Next Queen of Heaven, a farcical and imaginative novel set on the eve of Y2K, and Making Mischief: A Maurice Sendak Appreciation, a visual tribute to the art of legendary Maurice Sendak.Maguire has also written several children’s novels including The Hamlet Chronicles, a seven-book series that includes Seven Spiders Spinning, Six Haunted Hairdos, Five Alien Elves, Four Stupid Cupids, Three Rotten Eggs, A Couple of April Fools, and One Final Firecracker. Though he is best known as a fantasy writer, he has also written picture books, science fiction, and realistic and historic fiction.
Maguire received his Ph.D. in English and American Literature from Tufts University. He divides his time with his family between Massachusetts and Vermont.
Praise for Gregory Maguire’s Lectures
“Gregory Maguire’s combined talents of both writing and performance are unparalleled. He captivated our audience of 300, and the range of emotion during his reading ranged from laugh out loud humor during his reading from Leaping Beauty to breathless anticipation and wonder during his reading from Wicked. We could not have been more pleased with his appearance.”
— Maria Lockheardt, Executive Director of Worcester Public Library Foundation
“Both entertaining and thought-provoking, Gregory Maguire’s talk inspired my honor students and their guests to reflect on the place of narrative and literature in contemporary culture and in their own lives.”
— Mary Dockray-Miller, Ph.D., Associate Professor of English, Lesley University
“In the last two years I have been responsible for organizing the Writer’s series at the library; Gregory Maguire’s program was by far the best. His high energy, wit and deep thoughts about his work gained the awe and respect of the audience. It was also a treat to see an audience consisting of all ages enjoying themselves together.”
— Andrea Herman, Head of Adult Services, Crandall Public Library
“On behalf of the Chester County Library Trust, we would highly recommend Gregory Maguire as a speaker. Gregory Maguire was absolutely fantastic. He was gracious and accommodating to our guests during and after our event. He truly held the audience’s attention with humor and entertaining stories.”
— Diane Gring, Public Relations, Chester County Library & District Center
“Gregory Maguire’s appearance in the Hazelwood School District was nothing short of inspirational. In his remarks to students he shared his life story in a way that encouraged young people to write, to dream and to set high goals. His use of humor and his warm response to the students’ questions made the presentation one they will never forget. Gregory Maguire has earned my highest praise: he is a wonderful teacher.”
— Dr. Chris L. Wright, Superintendent, Hazelwood School District
“Gregory gave a performance rather than a mere talk. He was funny, charming and delightful. I was amazed at how warm and gracious he was in spite of a hard travel schedule. He was very kind and generous with his fans. We filled 500 seats and I heard some had to be turned away.”
— Beth Petrucci, Adult Services Librarian, Pima County Public Libraries
“Many of our conference attendees felt this conference was the best in 21 years, and much of this was due to Gregory Maguire’s highly creative presentation.”
— Jack Chambers, Florida State College at Jacksonville
