Joyce Ray

Joyce Ray was born in Portland, Maine and spends her time between Dunbarton, New Hampshire and Oakland, Maine. She studied English at the University of Maine in Orono and University College of Rutgers and holds an MFA in Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Ray's award-winning YA historical novel, Feathers & Trumpets, A Story of Hildegard of Bingen, imagines the life of the 12th century German mystic and abbess, now Saint Hildegard and Doctor of the Church. In researching the book, Ray traveled to Disibodenberg and the Abtei St. Hildegard in Eibingen.

Ray co-authored Women of the Pine Tree State: 25 Maine Women You Should Know and contributed to other titles in the America's Notable Women series. Ray says, "As an educator, I fell in love with children's books. My writing focuses on books for children and young adults because I feel stories have the potential to be more than enjoyment for these age groups; they help young readers make meaning and find their own ways of being in an often challenging world." She writes in the following genres: poetry, picture book, fiction and non-fiction for YA and Middle grade.