Denise Kiernan (born July 31, 1968) is an American journalist, producer and author who lives in

Asheville, North Carolina Asheville ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Buncombe County, North Carolina. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the state's 11th-most populous cit ...

. She has authored several history titles, including ''Signing Their Lives Away'', ''Signing Their Rights Away'' and ''The Girls of Atomic City''.

Education

Kiernan graduated from the

North Carolina School of the Arts The University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) is an arts school in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It grants high school, undergraduate, and graduate degrees. Founded in 1963 as the North Carolina School of the Arts by then-Governo ...

with an emphasis in music. She earned a BA degree from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

in 1991 and an MA from the

Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development The New York University Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development (commonly referred to as Steinhardt) is the secondary liberal arts and education school of New York University. It is one of the only schools in the world of i ...

in 2002.

Biography

Kiernan started out in journalism, and as a freelance writer, her work appeared in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...

'', ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'', and

Ms. Magazine ''Ms.'' is an American feminist magazine co-founded in 1971 by journalist and social/political activist Gloria Steinem. It was the first national American feminist magazine. The original editors were Letty Cottin Pogrebin, Mary Thom, Patricia Ca ...

amongst other publications. She served as the head writer for ''

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'' (often informally called ''Millionaire'') is an international television game show franchise of British origin, created by David Briggs, Mike Whitehill and Steven Knight. In its format, currently owned and ...

'' during its first season. She has produced pieces for ESPN and MSNBC. Additionally, she has authored several popular history titles and has ghost written books for athletes, entrepreneurs and actresses. Her most recent book, ''The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II'', traces the story of the women who worked on the

Manhattan Project The Manhattan Project was a research and development undertaking during World War II that produced the first nuclear weapons. It was led by the United States with the support of the United Kingdom and Canada. From 1942 to 1946, the project w ...

, unknowingly helping to create the fuel for the world's first atomic bomb. ''The Girls of Atomic City'' became a ''New York Times'' best seller in its first week of publication.

Personal life

Kiernan is married to author, historian and journalist Joseph D'Agnese, with whom she co-authored several books including ''Signing Their Lives Away'', ''Signing Their Rights Away'' and ''Stuff Every American Should Know''.

Books

* ''The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II'' (Touchstone, 2013) * ''Stuff Every American Should Know'' (Quirk Books, 2012) co-authored with Joseph D'Agnese * ''Signing Their Rights Away'' (Quirk Books, 2011) co-authored with Joseph D'Agnese * ''The Money Book for Freelancers, Part-Timers, and the Self-Employed'' (Three Rivers Press, 2010) co-authored with Joseph D'Agnese * ''Signing Their Lives Away'' (Quirk Books, 2009) co-authored with Joseph D'Agnese * ''The Indiana Jones Handbook'' (Quirk Books, 2008) co-authored with Joseph D'Agnese * ''The Last Castle'' (Touchstone, 2017)

References

External links

* * *
Denise Kiernan
on

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

*
Girls of Atomic City on PBS NewsHour

Denise Kiernan on MSNBC's Morning JoeDenise Kiernan on Voices of the Manhattan Project
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kiernan, Denise 1968 births Living people American women writers Writers from Asheville, North Carolina Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development alumni 21st-century American women