Susan Taft Quinn (born 1940) is an American writer of non-fiction books and articles. She is a recipient of the PEN New England Award.

Life

Born in 1940, Susan Quinn grew up in Chillicothe, Ohio, and graduated from Oberlin College. She began her writing career as a newspaper reporter on a suburban daily outside of Cleveland, Ohio, following two years as an apprentice actor at the

Cleveland Play House Cleveland Play House (CPH) is a professional regional theater company located in Cleveland, Ohio. It was founded in 1915 and built its own noted theater complex in 1927. Currently the company performs at the Allen Theatre in Playhouse Square whe ...

, a professional repertory company. In 1967, she published her first book under her married name of Susan Jacobs: a nonfiction account of the making of a Broadway play called ''On Stage'' (Alfred A. Knopf). In 1972, after moving to Boston, she became a regular contributor to an alternative Cambridge weekly, ''

The Real Paper ''The Real Paper'' was a Boston-area alternative weekly newspaper with a circulation in the tens of thousands. It ran from August 2, 1972, to June 18, 1981, often devoting space to counterculture and alternative politics of the early 1970s. The o ...

'', then a contributor and staff writer on
Boston Magazine
'. In 1979, she won the Penney-Missouri magazine award for an investigative article for ''Boston Magazine'' on dangerous cargo transported through the city, and the Golden Hammer Award from the

National Association of Home Builders The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) is one of the largest trade associations in the United States, representing the interests of home builders, developers, contractors, and associated businesses. NAHB is headquartered in Washington, ...

for an investigative article on home inspections. She has written articles for many publications, including the
New York Times Magazine
', the
Atlantic Monthly
', and
Ms Magazine
'. Since 1987 Quinn has published three books on scientific and medical subjects and two dealing with artistic, social, and political issues. Her biography of

Marie Curie Marie Salomea Skłodowska–Curie ( , , ; born Maria Salomea Skłodowska, ; 7 November 1867 – 4 July 1934) was a Polish and naturalized-French physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. She was the first ...

was translated into eight languages and was awarded the

Grand prix des lectrices de Elle The Grand prix des lectrices de Elle is a French literary prize awarded by readers of ''Elle'' magazine. History Unlike other literary prizes that have professionals for their juries and selection committees, the Grand prix des lectrices de Elle i ...

in 1997
Along with other works by Quinn, this biography has been reissued in eBook form
by

Plunkett Lake Press Plunkett Lake Press is a publishing company based in Lexington, Massachusetts. It was founded by Patrick Mehr in 2010. PLP e-publishes classics of non-fiction: biographies, memoirs and texts of historical interest with a focus on Central Europe, su ...

. She has served as the chair of PEN New England, a branch of the writers’ organization International PEN. She lives as Susan Quinn Jacobs in Brookline, Massachusetts.

Awards and honors

*1988 L.L. Winship/PEN New England Award, ''A Mind of Her Own: The Life of Karen Horney''

Books

*''A Mind of Her Own; The Life of Karen Horney'' (Simon and Schuster, Addison-Wesley and Perseus, 1987)
published as an eBook
by

. *''

: A Life'' (Perseus, 1995)
published as an eBook
by

*''Human Trials: Scientists, Investors and Patients in the Quest for a Cure'' (Perseus, 2001) *''Furious Improvisation: How the WPA and a Cast of Thousands Made High Art out of Desperate Times'' (Walker, 2008) *''Eleanor and Hick: The Love Affair That Shaped a First Lady'' (Penguin Random House, 2016) {{DEFAULTSORT:Quinn, Susan 1940 births Living people Writers from Ohio People from Brookline, Massachusetts Oberlin College alumni