Vonnie Winslow Crist

 Vonnie Winslow Crist is an illustrator, writer, and storyteller. She was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and attended Perry Hall Elementary, Parkville Junior High, and Perry Hall High. In addition, as a young person she spent her Saturdays going to Maryland Institute College of Art's classes for children & teens.

Vonnie earned a Bachelor of Science in Art & Education from Towson University (when it was still called Towson State College). She attended several writing classes at Goucher College, and then, returned to school to earn a Master of Science in Professional Writing from Towson University.

Over the years, she's taught Art for the Community Services Division of Catonsville & Essex Community Colleges; illustrated magazines & books; written book, movie, video, & restaurant reviews and a kids' column for area newspapers; taught Poetry for 10 years for the Maryland State Arts Council's Artists-in-Education Program; told stories using puppets; written lots of poetry & prose; and drawn & painted hundreds of pictures.

   Currently, Vonnie is teaching creative writing courses for Harford Community College, writing the "Writers Block" column for Harford's Heart Magazine www.harfordsheart.com , illustrating for The Vegetarian Journal www.vrg.org , contributing to Faerie Magazine www.faeriemagazine.com , editing The Gunpowder Review www.gunpowderpenwomen.com , drawing illustrations, and writing poems, stories, & books. 

   NEW: You can read Vonnie's blog at: vonniewinslowcrist.wordpress.com

 This is an old article, but it gives you a glimpse into my thoughts about my first children's book:

 Author-Illustrator Profile: Vonnie Winslow Crist

  VRG Update, Vol. 2, Issue 2, Summer 1995, Brad Scott, editor.

   Vonnie Winslow Crist, the newest author published by The Vegetarian Resource Group was born and raised in the Baltimore metropolitan area. She currently resides in Harford County, Maryland, with her husband and their three children. It was her experiences working with children as a teacher, camp counselor, Girl Scout aide, nursery and elementary room-mother, Cub Scout den mother, and church youth group advisor that inspired her to write Leprechaun Cake and Other Tales -- A Vegetarian Story-Cookbook.

   Vonnie has always been an advocate of spending quality time with children doing fun and educational activities. "What better way," says Ms. Crist, "to get to know a young person than to make something together? In the case of cooking, you can reinforce reading skills, mathematics (in the measuring of ingredients), and healthy cooking choices." But she feel the most important part of preparing recipes with children, is the comfortable level of communication you can establish. Vonnie believes cooking can be fun, so she reminds adults to laugh at your mistakes, praise the child's efforts, and make your time together memorable.

   When writing the stories that accompany the recipes, Ms. Crist relied on her life-long interest in folk and fairytales. "I wanted to being the magic and surprises of those stories that began: 'Once upon a time' or 'A long time ago' into the present. Children need joy, and I've always felt reading magical stories can help bring them that joy. I wanted the stories to convey a message in addition to being entertaining," she continues. "Friendship between people of different ethnic backgrounds, the freedom to be individuals, and non-violent food choices are part of the message I chose to write about."

   Vonnie has tried to make that message a part of her life. Never a wearer-of-fur or much of a meat-eater, she is slowly giving up all animal products. Currently, she works for The Vegetarian Resource Group as an illustrator, designer, and typesetter, but her first contact with the VRG was as a poet. Her poem, "The Eggery," was published about 10 years ago in a former newsletter of the VRG called The Baltimore Vegetarian.

   Her award-winning poems, often on environmental, non-violent, and political themes, have appeared in many publications in Canada, Great Britain, Italy, and the United States. Her award-winning fiction has also been published both in the U.S. and abroad. Vonnie's most recent awards include first and honorable mention in the Mobile (Alabama) National League of American Pen Women (NLAPW) and Mobile Press & Authors' Club 1995 National Fiction Competition and first in the Poets of the Palm Beaches (Florida) 1995 National Poetry Contest.

   "I count myself lucky," Vonnie explains, "to have as friends and business associates people of various ethnic and religious backgrounds. It's made me a better person. I hope by using a multi-ethnic neighborhood as my stories' setting, children will become interested in knowing more about cultures different from their own." She remembers the valuable lessons learned when hosting a Native American exchange student during her junior year in high school. To help her own children understand people from different cultures, the Crist family has hosted young people from England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales in the last five years. She says, "We hope to host more students for short-term visits in the future."

   An artist since childhood, Vonnie has chosen to illustrate books and magazines that don't conflict with her personal beliefs. "Working with the VRG on Leprechan Cake and Other Tales, and doing illustrations for The Vegetarian Journal, and typesetting and designing other vegetarian projects has been a wonderful experience. Maybe a few readers will make better life-choices because of my efforts," she explains. 

Organizations I belong to include:

  Society of Childrens Book Writers & Illustrators: www.scbwi.org

  MD/DE/WV Society of Childrens Book Writers & Illustrators: www.mcdaniel.edu/scbwi

  Gunpowder Branch, NLAPW: www.gunpowderpenwomen.com

  National League of American Pen Women: www.americanpenwomen.org

  Harford Poetry & Literary Society: www.harfordpoetrysociety.org

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  For the curious, here's a picture of me at Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs, Colorado with my husband, daughter, and grandson.