Jon Scieszka

Year:
1976
Majors:
English, Biology (Pre-Medicine concentration)
Graduate/Professional School:
M.A., Columbia University
Residence:
Brooklyn, N.Y.
Career:
Award-winning children's author; titles include The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales, Math Curse. Founder of Guys Read.

Albion prepared Jon.

As a pre-med student, Jon spent a lot of time in the biology lab, but he also began to explore his flair for writing. He was particularly inspired by a course on myths, dreams, and fairy tales, where he discovered how he could use the structure of fairy tales to create his own stories. One of his first was inspired by an assignment for a comparative anatomy class: with “Ode to a Trout Skull” and other pieces, he started to hone his style.

In 2008, Jon was named the Library of Congress’s first-ever National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. A former teacher turned best-selling author, he’s sold over 11 million copies of his books worldwide, including The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales, The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, Math Curse, and the Time Warp Trio series.

At Albion, I got a true, deep, and rich liberal arts education.

Take It Further: A Q&A with Jon about his latest book, Frank Einstein and the Antimatter Motor; English; Biology; Pre-Medicine