Irene Bennett Brown is an American author of children's, young adult and adult fiction. Brown was born in
Topeka, Kansas
Topeka ( ; Kansa language, Kansa: ; iow, Dópikˀe, script=Latn or ) is the Capital (political), capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the County seat, seat of Shawnee County, Kansas, Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the ...
and when she was nine years old, moved with her family from Kansas to the
Willamette Valley
The Willamette Valley ( ) is a long valley in Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The Willamette River flows the entire length of the valley and is surrounded by mountains on three sides: the Cascade Range to the east, ...
in
Oregon
Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
.
Brown's fourth book, ''To Rainbow Valley'', became the first one to sell and be published in 1969. It was re-released as an Easy Reader book in 2001.
Brown has her own publishing company, Riveredge Books, which has published and re-issued several of her books. Brown is a member of
Western Writers of America
Western Writers of America (WWA), founded 1953, promotes literature, both fictional and nonfictional, pertaining to the American West. Although its founders wrote traditional Western fiction, the more than 600 current members also include historian ...
and is a founding member of Women Writing the West. She continues to live in Oregon with her husband, Bob.
Works
;Children's and young adult books
*''To Rainbow Valley'' (1969 and 2000)
*''Skitterbrain'' (1978)
*''Run from a Scarecrow'' (1978)
*''Willow Whip'' (1979)
*''Morning Glory Afternoon'' (1981)
*''Before the Lark'' (1982)
*''Just Another Gorgeous Guy'' (1984)
*''Answer Me, Answer Me'' (1985)
*''I Loved You, Logan McGee'' (1987)
;Adult novels
*''The Plainswoman'' (1994)
*Women of Paragon Springs Series
**''Long Road Turning'' (2000)
**''Blue Horizons'' (2001)
**''No Other Place'' (2002)
**''Reap the South Wind'' (2002)
*''Haven'' (2003)
*''The Bargain'' (2007)
Awards and recognition
*
Western Writers of America
Western Writers of America (WWA), founded 1953, promotes literature, both fictional and nonfictional, pertaining to the American West. Although its founders wrote traditional Western fiction, the more than 600 current members also include historian ...
Spur Award
Spur Awards are literary prizes awarded annually by the Western Writers of America (WWA). The purpose of the Spur Awards is to honor writers for distinguished writing about the American West. The Spur awards began in 1953, the same year the WWA wa ...
Juvenile 1982 – Before the Lark
*
Mark Twain Award nomination 1984-85 – Before the Lark
*Evelyn Sibley Lampman Award 1988
*Western Writers of America Spur Award finalist – The Plainswoman
References
*Mark Twain Award (https://web.archive.org/web/20090430115709/http://www.maslonline.org/awards/books/MarkTwain/)
*Western Writers of America (https://web.archive.org/web/20050901053348/http://www.westernwriters.org/)
*Evelyn Sibley Lampman Award
http://www.olaweb.org/mc/page.do?sitePageId=61735)
Writers from Oregon
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
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