Charles Ghigna (/'gɪnˈjə/) (born August 25, 1946), known also as Father Goose, is an American poet and author of children's and adults' books. He has written more than 5,000 poems and 100 books. Ghigna was born in Bayside, Queens. His parents relocated to Fort Myers,

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

when he was five. Ghigna graduated from

Florida Atlantic University Florida Atlantic University (Florida Atlantic or FAU) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Boca Raton, Florida, United States. The university is a member of the State University System of Florida and has s ...

with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in 1968 and a

Master of Education The Master of Education (MEd or M.Ed. or Ed.M.; Latin ''Magister Educationis'' or ''Educationis Magister'') is a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. This degree in education often includes the following majors: curriculum an ...

degree in 1970. In 1974, he became a poet-in-residence and started teaching creative writing at the Alabama School of Fine Arts (ASFA). He subsequently worked on the children's television show ''Cabbages and Kings'' and in 1979 taught creative writing at

Samford University Samford University is a Private university, private Christian university in Homewood, Alabama, United States. It was founded by Baptist Church, Baptists in 1841 as Howard College and located until 1887 in Marion, Alabama. It is governed by an in ...

. Ghigna's first book of poetry, ''Returning to Earth'', was published in 1989. He published his first children's poetry books in 1992, before leaving ASFA the following year and taking up writing for children full-time. Ghigna lives in Homewood, Alabama with his wife, the author Debra Ghigna. Their son, Chip Ghigna, is an artist.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ghigna, Charles 1946 births American children's writers American male poets Florida Atlantic University alumni Writers from Birmingham, Alabama Living people People from Bayside, Queens People from Homewood, Alabama American children's poets Poets from Alabama 20th-century American poets 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American poets 21st-century American male writers Poets from New York City Writers from Queens, New York