Charles Ghigna (born August 25, 1946), known also as Father Goose is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

poet and author of children's and adults' books. He has written more than 5,000 poems and 100 books. Ghigna was born in

Bayside, Queens Bayside is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It is bounded by Whitestone to the northwest, the Long Island Sound and Little Neck Bay to the northeast, Douglaston to the east, Oakland Gardens to the south, and Fresh Meado ...

. His parents relocated to

Fort Myers Fort Myers (or Ft. Myers) is a city in southwestern Florida and the county seat and commercial center of Lee County, Florida, United States. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 92,245 in 20 ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

when he was five. Ghigna graduated from

Florida Atlantic University Florida Atlantic University (Florida Atlantic or FAU) is a public research university with its main campus in Boca Raton, Florida, and satellite campuses in Dania Beach, Davie, Fort Lauderdale, Jupiter, and Fort Pierce. FAU belongs to the 12-ca ...

with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

in 1968 and a

Master of Education The Master of Education (MEd or M.Ed. or Ed.M.; Latin ''Magister Educationis'' or ''Educationis Magister'') is a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. This degree in education often includes the following majors: curriculum a ...

degree in 1970. In 1974, he became a poet-in-residence and started teaching creative writing at the

Alabama School of Fine Arts The Alabama School of Fine Arts (ASFA) is a public, tuition-free partially boarding state middle and high school located in downtown Birmingham, Alabama, United States. It provides an intensive specialty-focused education in the arts, math, and sci ...

(ASFA). He subsequently worked on the children's television show ''Cabbages and Kings'' and in 1979 taught creative writing at Samford University. Ghigna's first book of poetry, ''Returning to Earth'', was published in 1989. He published his first children's poetry books in 1992, before leaving ASFA the following year and taking up writing for children full-time. Ghigna lives in

Homewood, Alabama Homewood is a city in southeastern Jefferson County, Alabama, United States. It is a suburb of Birmingham, located on the other side of Red Mountain due south of the city center. As of the 2010 census its population was 25,167, and in 2019 th ...

with his wife, the author Debra Ghigna. Their son, Chip Ghigna, is an artist.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ghigna, Charles 1946 births American children's writers American male poets Florida State University alumni Writers from Birmingham, Alabama Living people People from Bayside, Queens People from Homewood, Alabama Children's poets