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 The PEN New England Award (previously L. L. Winship/PEN New England Award and Laurence L. & Thomas Winship/PEN New England Award) is awarded annually by PEN New England (today PEN America Boston) to honor a New England author or book with a New Engl ...

Life

Born in 1940, Susan Quinn grew up in

Chillicothe, Ohio Chillicothe ( ) is a city in Ross County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The population was 22,059 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located along the Scioto River 45 miles (72 km) south of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus, ...

, and graduated from

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1833, it is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational lib ...

. She began her writing career as a newspaper reporter on a suburban daily outside of

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

, 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 ...

, 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 ...

'', 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, D ...

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 Maria Salomea Skłodowska-Curie (; ; 7 November 1867 – 4 July 1934), known simply as Marie Curie ( ; ), was a Polish and naturalised-French physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. She was List of female ...

required seven years of study and was helped by a fellowship from the Guggenheim foundation.Acknowledgments chapter at the end of ''Marie Curie: A Life'' It 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. She has served as the chair of PEN New England, a branch of the writers’ organization

International PEN PEN International (known as International PEN until 2010) is a worldwide association of writers, founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere. The association has autonomous Internati ...

. She lives as Susan Quinn Jacobs in

Brookline, Massachusetts Brookline () is an affluent town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, and part of the Greater Boston, Boston metropolitan area. An exclave of Norfolk County, Brookline borders six of Boston's neighborhoods: Brighton, Boston, Brighton ...

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 Karen Horney (; ; ; 16 September 1885 – 4 December 1952) was a German psychoanalyst who practiced in the United States during her later career. Her theories questioned some traditional Freudian views. This was particularly true of her theories ...

'' (Simon and Schuster, Addison-Wesley and Perseus, 1987)
published as an eBook
by Plunkett Lake Press. *''

: A Life'' (Perseus, 1995)
published as an eBook
by Plunkett Lake Press *''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)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Quinn, Susan 1940 births Living people Writers from Ohio Writers from Brookline, Massachusetts Oberlin College alumni