Connie Ann Kirk

Connie Ann Kirk
Occupation	Writer
Nationality	American
Genre	Nonfiction, Biography, Essays, References, Children's Literature
Subject	British and American literature, Motor Sport, Fiction
Notable works	Emily Dickinson: A Biography Taken By Speed Sky Dancers

Connie Ann Kirk is an American author. Her books cover a range of subjects including a collection of essays on motor sport history, concise literary biographies for students, bio-critical literary studies, and references. She has also written a fiction picture book for children. Her articles, both in print and online, address topics in literature, poetry, popular culture, history, education, art, television, science, sports, and film.

Personal life

Kirk was born and raised in upstate New York.

She received a Ph.D. in English Literature and Creative writing from Binghamton University.

Career

Published works

Among Kirk's first published books include several titles for Greenwood Press's series of concise biographies for students. One of these, which became a bestseller for the press, was a biography of British author J. K. Rowling. A reviewer at the School Library Journal wrote that "the scholarly writing style and evaluative content make this volume useful to high school students studying Rowling and her work."

That book has been translated into Japanese, Chinese, and Estonian.

In 2004, Kirk's children's picture book -- Sky Dancers—was published by Lee & Low Books. Sky Dancers is about the Mohawk skyscraper builders in 1930s New York City and was selected by The Children's Book Committee at Bank Street College of Education for their Best Children's Books of the Year and by Rutgers University's EconKids program as one of their "Top 5 Books on Human Resources."

Kirk developed an interest in poet Emily Dickinson during her doctoral studies at Binghamton. She has presented her scholarly work on the poet internationally, including at Oxford University. In addition, several of her articles related to the poet appear in academic journals and scholarly books. Her book on Emily Dickinson grew out of her dissertation.

By 2011, Kirk's writing on a variety of subjects for a large website (now defunct) made her eligible for a time to be a credentialed member of the media for the Formula One, IndyCar, and NASCAR professional racing series, as well as for various historic motor racing events, such as the Goodwood Revival in the U.K.. Her 2017 book, a collection of essays in tribute to selected fallen heroes of motor racing, arose out of that experience.

Books

• Kirk, Connie Ann (2002). The Mohawks of North America. First Peoples. Minneapolis: Lerner Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-8225-4853-9.
• Kirk, Connie Ann (2003). "Chapter 15 - Writing Their Way Home: American Writers and Baseball". In Rielly, Edward J (ed.). Baseball and American Culture: Across the Diamond. New York: Haworth Press. pp. 173–181. ISBN 978-0-7890-1485-6. Retrieved December 28, 2009. {{cite book}}: External link in |chapterurl= (help); Unknown parameter |authormask= ignored (|author-mask= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |chapterurl= ignored (|chapter-url= suggested) (help)
• Kirk, Connie Ann (2003). J. K. Rowling: A Biography. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0-313-32205-1. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |authormask= ignored (|author-mask= suggested) (help)
• Kirk, Connie Ann (2004). Emily Dickinson: A Biography. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0-313-32206-8. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |authormask= ignored (|author-mask= suggested) (help)
• Kirk, Connie Ann (2004). Mark Twain: A Biography. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0-313-33025-4. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |authormask= ignored (|author-mask= suggested) (help)
• Kirk, Connie Ann (2004). Sylvia Plath: A Biography. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0-313-33214-2. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |authormask= ignored (|author-mask= suggested) (help)
• Kirk, Connie Ann (2004). Sky Dancers. illus. by Christy Hale. New York: Lee & Low Books. ISBN 978-1-58430-162-2. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |authormask= ignored (|author-mask= suggested) (help)
• Kirk, Connie Ann (2005). Companion to American Children's Picture Books. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0-313-32287-7. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |authormask= ignored (|author-mask= suggested) (help)
• Kirk, Connie Ann (2006). A Student's Guide to Robert Frost. Understanding Literature. Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow Publishers. ISBN 978-0-7660-2434-2. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |authormask= ignored (|author-mask= suggested) (help)
• Kirk, Connie Ann (2008). A Student's Guide to Jane Austen. Understanding Literature. Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow Publishers. ISBN 978-0-7660-2439-7. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |authormask= ignored (|author-mask= suggested) (help)
• Kirk, Connie Ann (2008). Critical Companion to Flannery O'Connor. New York: Facts on File. ISBN 978-0-8160-6417-5. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |authormask= ignored (|author-mask= suggested) (help)
• Kirk, Connie Ann (2016). Reading and Interpreting the Works of Robert Frost. Berkeley Heights, New Jersey: Enslow Publishers. ISBN 978-0766073500. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |authormask= ignored (|author-mask= suggested) (help)
• Kirk, Connie Ann (2016). Reading and Interpreting the Works of Jane Austen. Berkeley Heights, New Jersey: Enslow Publishers. ISBN 978-0766079113. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |authormask= ignored (|author-mask= suggested) (help)
• Kirk, Connie Ann (2017). Taken by Speed: Fallen Heroes of Motor Sport and Their Legacies. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman and Littlefield. ISBN 978-1442277618. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |authormask= ignored (|author-mask= suggested) (help)

Other works

In addition to her published writing in print and online, Kirk has moderated a number of online discussion groups including the Classics, Shakespeare, and Harry Potter forums for the former Barnes & Noble Book Club at BN.com. She also developed and taught a course in Emily Dickinson's life and poetry that offered continuing education credit at the former Barnes & Noble University, also at BN.com.