Georgene Faulkner

rdf:langString Georgene Faulkner

rdf:langString Georgene Faulkner

rdf:langString Georgene Faulkner (1873 – 1958) was an American children's book author and storyteller of the early twentieth century. In her career, she was known and promoted as "the Story Lady." A native Chicagoan, she attended the School of Education of the University of Chicago, then at the forefront of educational reform. When her sister Elizabeth Faulkner started the Faulkner School for Girls in 1909, Georgene was in charge of the kindergarten. She was an accomplished storyteller; she dressed up as Mrs. Santa Claus to tell Christmas stories to children. She also practiced her craft with adult audiences: she traveled to Europe to entertain American troops during World War I. Beginning in 1922, Georgene Faulkner began broadcasting on Chicago radio stations; on stations WMAQ and WGN she had programs titled "The Story Lady" and "Air Castle." She also wrote on children's topics for the Chicago Tribune. Over the space of four decades she wrote or edited a range of children's books. Several of her works were illustrated by Frederick Richardson. In the final phase of her career she addressed the problem of racial prejudice, in the books Melindy's Medal (with John Becker, 1945) and Melindy's Happy Summer (1949).