Elaine Alphin
Caroline Arnold
Marsha Arnold
Bob Barner
Larry Brimner
Erik Brooks
Susan Casey
Shirley Climo
Judy Cox
Jo Harper
Barbara Kerley
Helen Ketteman
Kirby Larson
Donna Jo Napoli
Mary Nethery
Dorothy Patent
Ann Whitford Paul
P.J. Petersen
Michael Elsohn Ross
Robert San Souci
Pam Service
Sherry Shahan
Ginger Wadsworth
Lee Wardlaw
Natasha Wing |
 Jo Harper
Web page: http://home.earthlink.net/~joharper
Jo Harper grew up near Lockney, Texas. Her family was one of the first of three families to settle in the Texas Panhandle, and the ambiance of West Texas is a powerful influence in her work. She grew up riding horses, eating jalapeño peppers, and spinning whoppers. She also spent a lot of time reading and grew up to be an English teacher, storyteller, and finally a children's book author. She says writing for children is the best career of all, and fer first love is picture books.
Jo Harper received her MA and BA degrees from Texas Tech University and attended graduate school at Penn State University. She received a National Endowment for the Humanities Award to study the fusion of visual and verbal art at Columbia University. Her earliest teaching was in the public schools in Plainview, Texas. This was followed by an instructorship at A & I Kingsville. Then she taught at Rockingham Community College in Wentworth, North Carolina and laster as Assistant Professor of English and Spanish at Armstrong State University in Savannah, Georgia. She returned to Texas, was a lecturer at the University of Houston, and launched a late career as children's book author and professional storyteller, emphasizing school presentations.
Her family was one of the first three families to settle in the Texas Panhandle, and the ambiance of West Texas is a powerful influence in her work. The other influence is Mexico. When she was eighteen, she made her first trip to Mexico City, and Mexican culture, particularly indigenous culture, remained a life-long interest and subject of research as has Texas History.
Her book, Prairie Dog Pioneers, won the Willa Cather Award in 1999 as best book about a girl in the American West, and Delfino's Journey won the Western Heritage Award as the best juvenile book of 2001.
Other titles are:
- Finding Daddy
- Jalapeño Hal
- Mayor Jalapeño Hal
- The Legend of Mexicatl
- Ollie Jolly, Rodeo Clown
- Deaf Smith
- Bigfoot Wallace
- Outrageous, Bodacious Boliver Boggs
- Caves and Cowboys
- Pals, Potions and Pisies
- and the upcoming Mier Men.
These may be seen on her Web page.
She lives in Houston with her family.
|
