Karen Cushman was born in Chicago, Illinois. She entered Stanford University on a scholarship in 1959 and graduated with degrees in Greek and English. She later earned master’s degrees in human behavior and museum studies. For eleven years she was an adjunct professor in the Museum Studies Department at John F. Kennedy University before resigning in 1996 to write full-time. She lives on Vashon Island, Washington with her husband, Philip. (source: http://karencushman.com/about/bio.html & http://www.arnenixoncenter.org/findin...)