Cathyrn Falwell

Childhood
Although I consider myself a “Mainer” now, I’m actually from “away”—as they say here. I was born in Kansas City, Kansas, and moved often as a child. By the time I started high school, I had lived in four more states: Missouri, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Connecticut. I loved to draw and paint and make things when I was a kid, and I also loved to read. My mother said that in the second grade, I announced that I wanted to make children’s books when I grew up.

Education and Career
As a college student at the University of Connecticut, I majored in printmaking and received my BFA in Art in 1975. After graduating, I taught school in New Hampshire before moving back to Connecticut. I worked as an art director and graphic designer for an award-winning firm for several years, and then opened my own business in Hartford.

In 1979, I married Peter Mirkin. After our two sons were born, I finally decided to pursue the children’s book field. My first picture book, “Where’s Nicky?” was published by Clarion Books in 1991. Five years and many books later, we moved to Frog Song Pond in Gorham, Maine.

Family
Our children, Alex and Nick (shown at left), are college students now. They are both very creative in art, music, and writing. Alex is majoring in song writing and music composition, and Nick is an industrial design major. We have a dog, Bailey (He’s in the rowboat on the home page of this site) and a cat, Star, who keep me company when I work in my studio.

Other interests
I love making picture books, but I also enjoy traveling, hiking, sewing, painting and reading. I volunteer with youth theatre productions, work with community and social action groups, and speak at literacy conferences and workshops. Visiting schools and libraries to present programs gives me a great opportunity to meet children and share my enthusiasm about books, creativity, and imagination.

Of course, I still love to draw and paint and make things, and I also still love to read!

Enjoy,
Cathryn Falwell