Donna Woolfolk Cross

In 1977 Cross was approached by a fellow English Professor at Onondaga Community College in upstate New York about co-writing a nonfiction language book entitled "Speaking of Words." Cross would continue to write an additional three books on the use of language in our society. Johnny Carson found her work so entertaining, he invited her to appear five times on "The Tonight Show."

Most recently, however,.Cross has been placed in the media spotlight as a result of her first fiction work, "Pope Joan." The product of seven years of research and writing, "Pope Joan" is a novel based on the life of one of the most fascinating, extraordinary women in Western history. A controversial figure of historical record who, disguised as a man, rose to rule Christianity in the 9th century as the first and only woman to sit on the throne of St. Peter. While the novel is an engaging read, rich with all of the elements of fine historical drama, it also raises important questions about institution, hierarchy, faith and feminism not only in a distant time, but also in a modern context. As Russ Tarby reported in the "New York Times", "'Pope Joan' forces readers to gaze upon the whole history of Western Civilization with an entirely fresh pair of eyes."

"Pope Joan" is currently in its 4th printing and is a selection of the Literary Guild and DoubleDay Book Clubs. It is an international bestseller, translated into fourteen different languages. In Germany, "Pope Joan" has been #1 on the bestseller list for over 10 months. It is #2 on the list of long-term German bestsellers. There has even been a special bottling of wine in its honor: "Die Papstin" ("She-Pope") wine, whose label features the book cover for "Pope Joan."

Film rights for "Pope Joan" were recently purchased by Fine Line Cinema and shooting is scheduled to begin in fall/winter 1999. Produced by Harry Ufland, the screenplay was also written by Donna Woolfolk Cross.

Raised in New York City, Cross graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and is currently Professor of English and Director of the Writing Center at Onondago Community College in upstate New York.