Yahoo Lifestyle Jenny Han, Madeleine L'Engle, Kristen Arnett And 14 More Authors Who Were Librarians First
Celebrate National Library Week with these librarians-turned-authors — then check out some of their books to keep the party going at home
Phillip Faraone/Getty; Marvin Joseph; Maria Rada
Jenny Han, Kyle Lukoff and Kristen Arnett.Authors canonically love librarians, and many of them even took a turn at the desk themselves — or continue working there as their "day jobs"!
Whether it's research-based nonfiction, children's lit, coming-of-age novels, steamy romances or heart-thumping thrillers, so many of our most beloved books came from authors who spent considerable time in libraries. Centers of knowledge, libraries continue to be an invaluable resource to communities and writers alike.
To celebrate National Library Week, PEOPLE enlisted the help of the American Library Association to highlight 17 authors who were (or still are!) librarians.
Jenny Han
Amazon
The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han.Best known for her The Summer I Turned Pretty series and To All the Boys I've Loved Before, Han got her start as a children's librarian. Han's books are surrounded by themes of love and the Asian American experience, and a number of her works have been adapted for television and film.
Madeleine L'Engle
Author of the celebrated classic A Wrinkle in Time — which also ranks as one of the most banned books of all time — L'Engle served as a volunteer librarian and the Diocesan House of the Episcopal Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. The author died at age 88 in 2007.
Kristen Arnett
Riverhead Books
The New York Times bestselling author of Mostly Dead Things, With Teeth and most recently, Stop Me If You've Heard This One, Arnett earned a masters degree in Library and Information Science from Florida State University and was a librarian at Rollins College at Barry University's law school. Her books, which have received widespread acclaim since her literary debut in 2019, address themes of queerness, self discovery and complex family dynamics.
Related: Kristen Arnett Isn't Clowning Around with New Novel Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One (Exclusive)
Beverly Cleary
The beloved author of the Ramona series was a children's librarian in Yakima, Wash. and a post librarian at the U.S. Army Hospital. Named a Living Legend by the Library of Congress, Cleary was inspired early in life to write "funny stories about the neighborhood and the sort of children she knew" — which became her popular characters Ramona Quimby, Henry Huggins and Ellen Tebbits. She died in 2021 at age 104.
Joanna Cole
The great mind behind Ms. Frizzle and The Magic School Bus books first worked as a librarian, elementary school teacher and children's book editor. Her passion for science and learning — and communicating new things in an accessible way — brought about the iconic, eccentric teacher that kids around the world hold dear.
Cicely Lewis
A YA author that addresses themes of activism for police violence, mass incarceration, the repeal of DACA and representation, Cicely Lewis is also a school librarian. Her books Mass Incarceration, Black Men and the Fight for Justice and Resistance to Slavery: From Escape to Everyday Rebellion are a part of her joint effort with Lerner Publishing Group to "Read Woke Books."
Kyle Lukoff
"Before becoming a full-time writer, Kyle worked at five bookstores, in four libraries, for three schools, as two genders, through one intersection: people, and books," his author bio reads. Lukoff, a Newbery Honor-winning author, combines lively illustrations and moving stories to bring young readers valuable life lessons.
Alex London
Superspecial Outbreak, The 39 Clues by Alex London.
Before contributing two titles to the 39 Clues series, the versatile London was a young adult librarian for the New York Public Library, as well as a film agent assistant, snorkel salesman, journalist and human rights researcher. Specializing in books for middle grade and young adult readers, London has received a long list of awards and recognition for his 30+ titles.
Related: The Best Kids Books of 2024: Great Reads Including Books on Wicked and Taylor Swift
Audre Lorde
Serving as a librarian in the New York public schools during the 1960s, Lorde forged a long career as a poet whose work addresses issues surrounding race, gender, class and sexuality. She's best known for her numerous poetry collections and works of personal nonfiction, including A Burst of Light and The Cancer Journals.
Tessa Dare
Dare, "a librarian by training and a booklover by heart," writes Regency-era romances with themes accessible to a modern reader's concerns. In 2012, Dare's A Night to Surrender won the Romance Writers of America RITA award for Best Regency Historical Romance.
Related: Carley Fortune, Jasmine Guillory, Elle Kennedy and More Reveal Their Top Romance Reads (Exclusive)
Janet Skeslien Charles
An author of books about those who love books, Janet Skeslien Charles was a librarian at the American Library in Paris from 2010-2012 and has spent years researching in libraries around the world. Her New York Times bestselling books The Paris Library and Miss Morgan's Book Brigade precede her upcoming novel, The Parisian Chapter, which is inspired by her time at the ALP.
M.E. Hillard
Inspired by her own history as a librarian, Hilliard's four-book Greer Hogan mystery series makes the case for librarians as natural detectives. Hilliard, who holds a Master of Library Science degree, incorporates her persisting loves of small towns, big cities, fashion and mysteries into her books.
Kelly Jensen
A former teen librarian at a number of public libraries, Jensen also worked at the "swanky" Texas Legislative Library before pursuing a career as a writer and editor. Jensen's books — including (Don't) Call Me Crazy: 33 Voices Explore Our Radical Anatomy — tackle the sometimes-challenging topics of body image, feminism and mental health.
Maisy Card
Author of the American Book Award winner These Ghosts Are Family, Card is also a public librarian and a fiction editor, and her writing has appeared in The Paris Review Daily, AGNI, Guernica, Glamour and The New York Times.
The Brothers Grimm
Prior to penning some of the best-known fairy tales and fables of all time, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm began their careers in libraries. In 1808, Jacob was the private librarian of King Jerome of Westphalia, and Wilhelm worked at the Elector's library in Kassel as a secretary in 1814, and two years later Jacob joined him. Surrounded by books, the brothers then shifted their career interests from law to literature.
Vaunda Micheaux Nelson
Serving previously as a bookseller, teacher, newspaper reporter and children's librarian, Nelson writes children's literature, middle grade books and nonfiction accounts, Her book, Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshal, earned the 2010 Coretta Scott King Author Award.
Lucia M. Gonzalez
Gonzalez is a author-librarian who especially caters to young readers. Among her vast repertoire of books inspired by her childhood in Cuba, she's penned three children's books — including 1996 Pura Belpré Childrens Literature Honor Medal winner The Bossy Gallito.
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