{{short description|American writer}} {{infobox writer |name=Gloria Skurzynski |birth_name=Gloria Joan Skurzynski |birth_date={{birth date and age|1930|7|6}} |birth_place=[[Duquesne, Pennsylvania]], U.S. |occupation=Writer |alma_mater=[[Carlow University|Mount Mercy College]] |genres={{flatlist| *[[Fiction]] *[[non-fiction]] }} |notable_works=''[[Good-bye, Billy Radish]]'' (1992) |spouse={{marriage|Edward Joseph Skurzynski|1951}} |children=5 |parents=Aylmer Kearney Flister<br>Serena Decker Flister }} '''Gloria Joan Skurzynski''' (born July 6, 1930) is an American writer of books for young people, including both fiction and non-fiction.
==Early life and education== Gloria Joan Flister Skurzynski was born in [[Duquesne, Pennsylvania|Duquesne]], [[Pennsylvania]] in 1930 to Aylmer Kearney Flister and Serena Decker Flister. Her father worked at a [[steel mill]], while her mother worked as a [[Telegraphist|telegraph operator]]. She grew up during the [[Great Depression]]. She was educated at [[Carlow University]] in 1948, which at that time was known as Mount Mercy College. She disliked school, however, and dropped out to work as a statistical clerk at the U.S. Steel in Pittsburgh from 1950 to 1952.<ref name="findingaidPitts" /> She met Edward Joseph Skurzynski while working there, and they were married in December 1951.<ref name="penn center for book">{{cite web|title=Skurzynski, Gloria (Joan)|url=http://pabook2.libraries.psu.edu/palitmap/bios/Skurzynski__Gloria.html|website=Pennsylvania Center for the Book|accessdate=3 June 2016}}{{Dead link|date=June 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> They went on to have five children, and later moved to [[Salt Lake City]], [[Utah]]. Skurzynski and her husband Edward currently reside in [[Boise, Idaho]].<ref name="findingaidPitts">{{Cite archival metadata |author = Alison Sennett |title = Gloria Skurzynski Papers |url = http://digital.library.pitt.edu/cgi-bin/f/findaid/findaid-idx?c=ascead;cc=ascead;q1=skurzynski;rgn=main;view=text;didno=US-PPiU-sc201302 |repository = ULS Special Collections Department |location = Pittsburgh, PA |date = 2014 |accessdate = June 3, 2016 }}</ref>
==Career== Skurzynski is the author of more than sixty books written for young readers. She became friends with [[Phyllis McGinley]], poet who won a [[Pulitzer Prize]] in 1965. Through their correspondence, McGinley convinced Skurzynski to try professional writing. Skyrzynski's first professional writing attempt was rejected 58 times before her first publication made it into ''[[Teen Magazine]].''<ref name="findingaidPitts" /> Skurzynski was also published in ''School and Library Journal'' magazines.<ref name="penn center for book" /> It was reported that she was inspired by one of her daughter's poems in 1966 to become a free-lance writer.<ref name="SLTribune">{{cite news|title=Magic Pumpkin a delightful children's book|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/10144494/?terms=Gloria%2BSkurzynski|accessdate=3 June 2016|agency=The Salt Lake Tribune|date=17 Oct 1971}}</ref>
In 1979, she became a professional writer,<ref name="UofPitts">{{cite web|title=Gloria Skurzynski Papers|url=http://digital.library.pitt.edu/cgi-bin/f/findaid/findaid-idx?c=ascead&type=simple&q1=skurzynski&rgn=Entire+Finding+Aid&size=25|website=University Library System|publisher=University of Pittsburgh|accessdate=3 June 2016}}</ref> and shifted her focus to children's novels. Four Winds Press published her first children's novel, ''What Happened in Hamelin?'' in 1979.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Skurzynski|first1=Gloria|title=What happened in Hamelin|date=1979|publisher=Four Winds Press|location=New York|isbn=9780590076258|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/whathappenedinha00skur}}</ref> She is also the author of ''The Tempering'' (1983) and ''[[Good-bye, Billy Radish]]'' (1992).<ref name="findingaidPitts" />
In her writing, Skurzynski draws on her life experiences, including her father's stories and her own childhood in Pittsburgh.<ref name="findingaidPitts" /> Many of her books include themes about national parks, [[astronomy]], and animals.<ref name="BYUfindingaid">{{Cite archival metadata |author = H. Christine Swindler |title = Gloria Skurzynski papers |url = http://archives.lib.byu.edu/repositories/14/resources/11234 |repository = L. Tom Perry Special Collections |location = Provo, UT |date = 2013 |accessdate = June 3, 2016 }}</ref>
Skurzynski is also the author of several non-fiction books. These include ''Bionic Parts for People: The Real Story of Artificial Organs and Replacement Parts'' which was published in 1978, and ''Are We Alone?: Scientists Search for Life in Space'' which was published in 2004. More recently, she collaborated with her daughter, [[Alane Ferguson]] to write a series of books for [[National Geographic Society]] called ''Mysteries in Our National Parks.''<ref name="findingaidPitts" /> To write these books, Skurzynski did most of the technical research on the subjects, while her daughter wrote the dialogue.<ref name="penn center for book" />
Before becoming a professional writer, Skurzynski was involved with the [[Girl Scouts of the USA]]. She wrote a play for them to perform in 1964 entitled ''The Golden Chain''.<ref name="cumberland news">{{cite news|title=Pageant Features Thinking Day|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/18330027/?terms=Gloria%2BSkurzynski|accessdate=3 June 2016|agency=The Cumberland News|date=28 Feb 1964}}</ref>
==Awards== Skurzynski received an Outstanding Science Trade Book for Children award from the [[National Science Teachers Association]] (NSTA) in 1991. Later more of her books have received the same award. Her book ''Good-bye, Billy Radish'' was named the Best Book of the Year by the School Library Journal and was also awarded a Judy Lopez Memorial Book by the [[Women's National Book Association]]. In 2002, Skurzynski received two Golden Spur Awards from the Western Writers of America for ''Rockbuster''.<ref name="gloria books">{{cite web|title=Awards|url=http://gloriabooks.com/awards.html|website=GloriaBooks.com|accessdate=3 June 2016|archive-date=10 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310130737/http://gloriabooks.com/awards.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> She was also awarded a Science Writing Award from the [[American Institute of Physics]], as well as a [[Golden Kite Award]].<ref name="findingaidPitts" /> She was also the recipient of a Christopher Award from the Western Writers of America.<ref name="simon & Schu">{{cite web|title=Gloria Skurzynski|url=http://authors.simonandschuster.com/Gloria-Skurzynski/1054566|publisher=Simon & Schuster|accessdate=3 June 2016}}</ref>
==Selected works==
===''Mysteries in Our National Parks''=== {{columns-list|colwidth=650px| *''Mysteries In Our National Parks: Ghost Horses: A Mystery in Zion National Park'' (2007) *''Mysteries in Our National Parks: Wolf Stalker: A Mystery in Yellowstone National Park'' (2007) *''Mysteries in Our National Parks: Night of the Black Bear: A Mystery in Great Smoky Mountains National Park'' (2007) *''Mysteries in Our National Parks: Cliff-Hanger: A Mystery in Mesa Verde National Park'' (2007) *''Mysteries in Our National Parks: The Hunted: A Mystery in Glacier National Park'' (2007) *''Mysteries in Our National Parks: Deadly Waters: A Mystery in Everglades National Park'' (2007) *''Mysteries in Our National Parks: Over The Edge'' (2008) *''Mysteries in Our National Parks: Valley of Death: A Mystery in Death Valley National Park'' (2008) *''Mysteries in Our National Parks: Escape From Fear: A Mystery in Virgin Islands National Park'' (2008) *''Mysteries in Our National Parks: Buried Alive: A Mystery in Denali National Park'' (2008) *''Mysteries in Our National Parks: Out of the Deep: A Mystery in Acadia National Park'' (2008) }}
===''The Virtual War Chronologs''=== *''Virtual War'' (1997) *''The Clones'' (2002) *''The Revolt'' (2005) *''The Choice'' (2006)
===Others=== {{columns-list|colwidth=250px| *''The Magic Pumpkin'' (1971) *''The Remarkable Journey of Gustavus Bell'' (1973) *''The Poltergeist of Jason Morey'' (1975) *''In a Bottle with a Cork on Top'' (1976) *''Two Fools and a Faker: Three Lebanese Folk Tales'' (1977) *''Bionic Parts for People: The Real Story of Artificial Organs and Replacement Parts'' (1978) *''Martin by Himself'' (1979) *''Honest Andrew'' (1980) *''Safeguarding the Land: Women at Work in Parks, Forests, and Rangelands'' (1981) *''Manwolf'' (1981) *''Swept in the Wave of Terror'' (1985) *''The Minstrel In The Tower '' (1988) *''Robots: Your High-Tech World'' (1990) *''Almost the Real Thing: Simulation in Your High-Tech World'' (1991) *''Here Comes the Mail'' (1992) *''Get the Message: Telecommunications in Your High-Tech World'' (1993) *''Lost in the Devil's Desert'' (1982) *''Know the Score'' (1994) *''Zero Gravity'' (1994) *''Trapped in the Slickrock Canyon'' (1994) *''Caitlin's Big Idea'' (1995) *''Cyberstorm'' (1995) *''Waves'' (1996) *''[[Good-bye, Billy Radish]]'' (1996) *''Mystery Of The Fire In The Sky'' (1997) *''Wolf Stalker: National Park's Mystery #1'' (1998) *''Discover Mars'' (1998) *''Cliff-Hanger'' (1998) *''Spider's Voice'' (1999) *''Rage Of Fire'' (1999) *''Deadly Waters'' (1999) *''On Time'' (2000) *''The Hunted'' (2000) *''Ghost Horses'' (2000) *''The Tempering'' (2000) *''Rockbuster'' (2001) *''Escape From Fear'' (2002) *''Out Of The Deep'' (2002) *''Running Scared'' (2002) *''Are We Alone? Scientists Search for Life in Space'' (2004) *''Sweat and Blood: A History of U.S. Labor Unions'' (2008) *''This Is Rocket Science: True Stories of the Risk-taking Scientists who Figure Out Ways to Explore Beyond Earth'' (2010)<ref name="Jacket Flap">{{cite web|title=About Gloria Skurzynski|url=http://www.jacketflap.com/gloria-skurzynski/56802|website=Jacket Flap|accessdate=3 June 2016}}</ref> }}
==References== {{Reflist|30em}}
==Further reading== *''Contemporary Authors Online''. The Gale Group, 2007. PEN (Permanent Entry Number): 0000091922.
==External links== {{Portal |Children's literature}} * {{official website }} * {{LCAuth|n79045103|Gloria Skurzynski|63|}}
===Archival materials=== * [http://digital.library.pitt.edu/cgi-bin/f/findaid/findaid-idx?c=ascead;cc=ascead;q1=skurzynski;rgn=main;view=text;didno=US-PPiU-sc201302 The Gloria Skurzynski papers] at the University of Pittsburgh * [http://archives.lib.byu.edu/repositories/14/resources/11234 Gloria Skurzynski papers, MSS 2330] at [[L. Tom Perry Special Collections]], [[Harold B. Lee Library]], [[Brigham Young University]] *[http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv00512 Gloria Skurzynski Papers, 2002-2010, MSS 304] at Special Collections and Archives, [[Boise State University]] {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Skurzynski, Gloria}} [[Category:1930 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:American children's writers]] [[Category:Carlow University alumni]] [[Category:Writers from Pittsburgh]] [[Category:20th-century American novelists]] [[Category:21st-century American novelists]] [[Category:American women children's writers]] [[Category:American women science writers]] [[Category:20th-century American women novelists]] [[Category:21st-century American women novelists]] [[Category:Novelists from Pennsylvania]] [[Category:21st-century American non-fiction writers]] [[Category:20th-century American science writers]]