Marilyn Singer
Linda Gallop
Marilyn Singer is the author of more than one hundred books for children and young adults. Marilyn received a BA in English from the Queens College, City University of New York and an MA in communications from New York University. After teaching high school English for several years, she began writing. Her work has won several awards including the ALA Notable Children’s Book Award, a Texas Bluebonnet Award nomination, and the 2015 NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry. She lives in Brooklyn, New York with her family.
Interview
What was your favorite book when you were a child?
Fairy tales, poetry, All-of-a-Kind Family, Alice in Wonderland
What’s your favorite line from a book?
“We are such stuff
As dreams are made on, and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep.”—The Tempest by William ShakespeareWho are your top three favorite authors or illustrators?
Shakespeare, Dylan Thomas, Gerard Manley Hopkins
Why did you want to become an author or illustrator?
I’ve written poetry since I was a child. It always gave me pleasure. As I got older, I began to write prose as well. I enjoy research and basing non-fiction on that—often with a lyrical bent. But I also like to make up things out of my head, hence fictional picture books, short stories and novels. Versatility is important to me—I dislike being bored!
Do you have any advice for future authors or illustrators?
Read, observe, don’t procrastinate—write and rewrite.
