![]() ![]() However, Skurzynski’s first attempt at professional writing was rejected 58 times before it was eventually accepted for publication in Teen Magazine. Following this experience, Skurzynski shifted to freelance writing in 1966 – possibly inspired by a poem her daughter Alane had written – and became a full-time professional writer in 1979, at which time she also switched from writing poetry and shorter pieces to full-length nonfiction and children’ novels. ![]() Skurzynski began writing with the encouragement of Pulitzer-winning poet Phyllis McGinley, a friend whose correspondence convinced Skurzynski that her work deserved attention and publication. While working there, she met Edward Joseph Skurzynski, and they were married in 1951, had five children together, and moved first to Salt Lake City, Utah, then later to Boise, Idaho. Skurzynski initially attended Carlow University (then Mount Mercy College, a Catholic women’s school), but dropped out in 1950 due to the restrictive environment and went to work as a statistical clerk for U.S. ![]() ![]() Since the steel industry held steady, Skurzynski’s family managed to ease through the Great Depression, but Skurzynski still saw neighbors and relative suffer from the recession while she was growing up. Her father, Aylmer Kearney Flister, worked at a local steel mill, while her mother, Serena Decker Flister, worked as a telegraph operator. American author Gloria Joan Skurzynski was born on July 6, 1930, in Duquesne, Pennsylvania. ![]()
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