Kem Knapp Sawyer

Kem Knapp Sawyer is a freelance writer and author of children’s books. Among them are biographies of Nelson Mandela, Mohandas Gandhi, Anne Frank, and Eleanor Roosevelt. Visit www.kemsawyer.com.

Her articles and book reviews have appeared in The Washington Post, the St. Louis Post Dispatch, Scholastic News, Cobblestone, and The Five Owls. She is also a contributor to the Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness Travel Guides. She often writes on issues related to social justice: Her books include Refugees: Seeking a Safe Haven, The Underground Railroad in American History, Freedom Calls: Journey of a Slave Girl, Lucretia Mott: Friend of Justice, and Harriet Tubman. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and the Children's Book Guild.

A graduate of Yale University, Kem majored in English and French. She was a teacher for many years—she has taught writing in the BFA program at the Corcoran College of Art + Design, English and drama in high school, and creative dramatics in elementary schools. She was also the editor of The Learning Center Newsletter.