Donna Woolfolk Cross (born 1947) is an American

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...

and the author of the novel '' Pope Joan'', about a female Catholic Pope from 853 to 855. She is the daughter of Dorothy Woolfolk, a pioneering woman in the

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of ''Action Comics'' ...

industry, and of novelist

William Woolfolk William Woolfolk (June 25, 1917 – July 20, 2003) was an American writer known for his range of writing output, having achieved success in the areas of comic books, novels, and television screenwriting. A graduate of New York University, Woolfolk ...

Biography

Donna Woolfolk Cross received her

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

in English from the University of Pennsylvania in 1969, graduating

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...

. She worked as an editorial assistant for the

London, England London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major s ...

publishing Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...

company W.H. Allen and Company, then returned to the U.S. to work for the

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

advertising agency An advertising agency, often referred to as a creative agency or an ad agency, is a business dedicated to creating, planning, and handling advertising and sometimes other forms of promotion and marketing for its clients. An ad agency is generally ...

Young & Rubicam. She returned to college to earn a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in Literature and Writing from

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

. She later became a full-time author, and has published four

non-fiction book Nonfiction, or non-fiction, is any document or media content that attempts, in good faith, to provide information (and sometimes opinions) grounded only in facts and real life, rather than in imagination. Nonfiction is often associated with b ...

s and one novel.

Bibliography

Non-fiction

*''Word Abuse: How the Words We Use Use Us'' (1979) *''Daddy's Little Girl: The Unspoken Bargain Between Fathers and Their Daughters'' (1983) (with William Woolfolk) *''Mediaspeak: How Television Makes Up Your Mind'' (1984) *''Speaking of Words: A Language Reader'' (1986) (with James MacKillop)

Novels

*''Pope Joan'' (1996) This novel based on Emmanuel Roidis (28/7/1836 – 7/1/1904) fiction novel written in 1866 with original name "Medieval Study". For this novel Roidis was condemned from both orthodox and catholic church and went to court.

References

Official ''Pope Joan'' site: Author biography
*''The New York Times'' (May 28, 2001): "Authors Go Directly to Reader With Marketing". by Pamela Licalzi O'Connell

External links

ReadGroupGuides.com: Author Interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cross, Donna Woolfolk 1947 births 20th-century American women writers Living people 21st-century American women writers