Donna Woolfolk Cross graduated cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, from the University of Pennsylvania in 1969 with a B.A. in English.  She moved to London, England, after graduation, and worked as an editorial assistant for a small publishing house on Fleet Street, W.H. Allen and Company.  Upon her return to the United States, Cross worked at Young and Rubicam, a Madison Avenue advertising firm, before going on to graduate school at UCLA where she earned a master's degree in Literature and Writing in 1972.

In 1973, Cross moved with her husband to upstate New York where she began teaching writing in a college English Department.  Now writing is her fulltime career.

She is the author of two books on language, Word Abuse: How the Words We Use Use Us and Mediaspeak: How Television Makes Up Your Mind. She is the coauthor of Speaking of Words and Daddy's Little Girl.  The product of seven years of research and writing, Pope Joan is her first novel.  She is now at work on a new novel set in 17th century France.

If you would like to learn more about Donna and her thoughts on Pope Joan, link here to read about her special offer to chat with reading groups.