Marianne Monson (1975) is an American author of

women's history Women's history is the study of the role that women have played in history and the methods required to do so. It includes the study of the history of the growth of woman's rights throughout recorded history, personal achievement over a period of ...

and

children's books A child (plural, : children) is a human being between the stages of childbirth, birth and puberty, or between the Development of the human body, developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers ...

; and a teacher (currently at

Clatsop Community College Clatsop Community College (CCC) is a public community college with facilities in Astoria and Seaside, Oregon. The college's service area includes Clatsop County, portions of Columbia and Tillamook counties and Pacific and Wahkiakum counties i ...

near her home in

Astoria, Oregon Astoria is a port city and the seat of Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1811, Astoria is the oldest city in the state and was the first permanent American settlement west of the Rocky Mountains. The county is the northwest corne ...

). She is the founder of a literary nonprofit
The Writer's Guild
She earned a BA in Honors English from

BYU Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day S ...

, a Masters in Creative Writing from

Vermont College Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA) is a private graduate-level art school in Montpelier, Vermont. It offers Master's degrees in low-residency and residential programs. Its faculty includes Pulitzer Prize finalists, National Book Award winners, ...

and a Masters in English pedagogy from

Pacific University Pacific University is a private university in Forest Grove, Oregon. Founded in 1849 as the Tualatin Academy, the original Forest Grove campus is west of Portland. The university maintains three other campuses in Eugene, Hillsboro, and Wood ...

. Monson was Managing Editor at Beyond Words Publishing, where she edited a number of best-selling titles. She has also taught English and creative writing at

Portland Community College Portland Community College (PCC) is a public community college in Portland, Oregon. It is the largest post-secondary institution in the state and serves residents in the five-county area of Multnomah, Washington, Yamhill, Clackamas, and Colu ...

and at BYU-Hawaii. She has written and published several books for adults and children as well as historical articles in

Rain Magazine RAIN is an appropriate technology, environmental, and community-organizing journal that began in Portland, Oregon in 1974. From its mission statement: "RAIN began publication in 1974, as a networking tool among community groups in Portland, Ore ...

, Coast Weekend, Our Coast; she has also published in the ''

Ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

'' and ''

Friend Friendship is a relationship of mutual affection between people. It is a stronger form of interpersonal bond than an "acquaintance" or an "association", such as a classmate, neighbor, coworker, or colleague. In some cultures, the concept of ...

'' LDS magazines (her faith). Among the twelve books Monson has written and published are the "Enchanted Tunnels" series of children's fiction books for

LDS LDS may refer to: Organizations * LDS Hospital, Salt Lake City, Utah, US Religion * Latter Day Saint movement (LDS movement), a collection of independent church groups **The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the largest group within th ...

children and others, and "The Water is Wide" (2010,

Deseret Book Deseret Book () is an American publishing company headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, that also operates a chain of bookstores throughout the western United States. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Deseret Management Corporation (DMC), the ...

) which concerned an ancestor who emigrated to Utah but did not join the LDS church. In the "Enchanted Tunnels" children's books; "Pioneer Puzzle", "Escape From Egypt", "Journey To Jerusalem", and "Wandering In The Wilderness" (all 2010 by

); she uses the names of her two children (Nathan and Aria) for the protagonists' names. With Michelle Roehm McCann and David Hohn, Monson wrote "Finding Fairies: Secrets for Attracting Little People from Around the World" (2004, Whitecap Books, Limited), and edited the "Girls Know Best" series (1999, three volumes,

Beyond Words Publishing Beyond Words Publishing is a book publishing company located in Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1983, the company was unprofitable in its early years, though its works were award-winning. The privately owned company focuses on non-fict ...

). Monson is best known for her women's history books, including nonfiction titles "Frontier Grit: the Unlikely True Stories of Pioneer Women" (2016) and "Women of the Blue & Gray: Mothers, Medics, Soldiers, Spies of the Civil War" (Shadow Mountain Press, 2018). Her historical fiction novel about the life of

Martha Hughes Cannon Martha Maria "Mattie" Hughes Cannon (July 1, 1857 – July 10, 1932) was a Utah State Senator, physician, Utah women's rights advocate, suffragist, polygamous wife, and a Welsh-born immigrant to the United States. Her family immigrated to the U ...

, "Her Quiet Revolution: A Novel of Martha Hughes Cannon, Frontier Doctor and First Female State Senator" was released in Spring 2020 in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of US women's suffrage. Monson's latest novel "The Opera Sisters" was published in September 2022.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Monson, Marianne Living people 1975 births American children's writers Writers from Boston American Latter Day Saint writers Pacific University alumni Brigham Young University alumni Vermont College of Fine Arts alumni Portland Community College faculty Latter Day Saints from Massachusetts Latter Day Saints from Vermont Latter Day Saints from Oregon Mormon feminists American feminist writers