About the author

Barbara Vance was born in Colorado and lives in Dallas, Texas. She is the author and illustrator of the award-winning poetry collection, Suzie Bitner Was Afraid of the Drain. She has a B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. in literature and storytelling. After teaching for many years at a university, she founded her own company, Vance Studios, where she walks thousands of writers through the story-creation process. Suzie Bitner Was Afraid of the Drain has 124 poems in it, which Barbara wrote while earning her B.A. and M.A. degrees. Many of the poems are inspired by her childhood: she did have worms for pets, at peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches every day, shared a room with her older sister, and treasured the unique aspects of the changing seasons. Her second book, Merry Christmas, Snert!, was released in 2014. When she is not working on another poem, you can find her curled up with a book (usually poetry or nonfiction) riding her bicycle, or on a long walk.- barbaravance.com/about/