Gregory Maguire

Gregory Maguire is best known as the author of Wicked, the multi-million copy bestseller that inspired the much loved Broadway musical. Among his other adult novels are Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, an adaptation of the Cinderella story; Mirror Mirror, a retelling of Snow White set in Renaissance Tuscany; After Alice, an invention on Lewis Carroll’s immortal childhood; and Son of a Witch, a sequel to Wicked.

In addition, Maguire has written about two dozen children’s books, including Egg & Spoon, a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Title currently in development by Universal Studios as an original musical film, and Matchless, illustrated by the author, a re-illumination of Andersen’s “The Little Match Girl.”

A long-time occasional reviewer for the New York Times Sunday Book Review and other journals, Gregory Maguire is widely respected as a critic and as an advocate of books for the young. Maguire helped found and, for a quarter-century, co-directed Children’s Literature New England, an educational charity intended to focus attention on the significance of literature in the lives of children. He was also a cofounder of Wondermore (formerly the Foundation for Children’s Books).

Though his adult novels have sold over ten million copies, Maguire’s devotion to children and their needs has continued to engage him in writing for children and in promoting literacy efforts around the world. A popular speaker, he has appeared in museums and theaters across the nation as well as countless grade schools, high schools, and colleges. He and his husband, the painter Andy Newman, have three adopted children and live in New England and in France.