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Gary Paulson

Gary Paulson knows all of the rules of writing, and he is brilliant each time he breaks the rules. He is truly an outdoor adventurer who races in the Iditarod. His life experiences in the wilderness of Canada and Alaska appear on the pages of his books th

Gary Paulson knows all of the rules of writing, and he is brilliant each time he breaks the rules. He is truly an outdoor adventurer who races in the Iditarod. His life experiences in the wilderness of Canada and Alaska appear on the pages of his books th

Travels From Travels From:
New Mexico, USA
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Gary Paulson Biography

Born May 17, 1939, Gary Paulsen is one of America's most popular writers for young people. Although he was never a dedicated student, Paulsen developed a passion for reading at an early age. After a librarian gave him a book to read — along with his own library card — he was hooked. He began spending hours alone in the basement of his apartment building, reading one book after another.

Running away from home at the age of 14 and traveling with a carnival, Paulsen acquired a taste for adventure. A youthful summer of rigorous chores on a farm; jobs as an engineer, construction worker, ranch hand, truck driver, and sailor; and two rounds of the 1,180-mile Alaskan dog sled race, the Iditarod; have provided ample material from which he creates his powerful stories.

Paulsen's realization that he would become a writer came suddenly when he was working as a satellite technician for an aerospace firm in California. One night he walked off the job, never to return. He spent the next year in Hollywood as a magazine proofreader, working on his own writing every night. Then he left California and drove to northern Minnesota where he rented a cabin on a lake; by the end of the winter, he had completed his first novel.

Living in the remote Minnesota woods, Paulsen eventually turned to the sport of dog racing, and entered the 1983 Iditarod. In 1985, after running the Iditarod for the second time, he suffered an attack of angina and was forced to give up his dogs.

"I started to focus on writing the same energies and efforts that I was using with dogs. So we're talking 18-, 19-, 20-hour days completely committed to work. Totally, viciously, obsessively committed to work, the way I'd run dogs....I still work that way, completely, all the time. I just work. I don't drink, I don't fool around, I'm just this way....The end result is there's a lot of books out there."

It is Paulsen's overwhelming belief in young people that drives him to write. His intense desire to tap deeply into the human spirit and to encourage readers to observe and care about the world around them has brought him both enormous popularity with young people and critical acclaim from the children's book community.

Paulsen is a master storyteller who has written more than 175 books and some 200 articles and short stories for children and adults.

He is one of the most important writers of young adult literature today and three of his novels — Hatchet, Dogsong, and The Winter Room — were Newbery Honor Books.

His books frequently appear on the best books lists of the American Library Association.

Paulsen has received many letters from readers (as many as 200 a day) telling him they felt Brian Robeson's story in Hatchet was left unfinished by his early rescue, before the winter came and made things really tough.

They wanted to know what would happen if Brian were not rescued, if he had to survive in the winter. Paulsen says, "Since my life has been one of survival in winter — running two Iditarods, hunting and trapping as a boy and young man — the challenge became interesting, and so I researched and wrote Brian's Winter, showing what could and perhaps would have happened had Brian not been rescued."

Paulsen and his wife, Ruth Wright Paulsen, an artist who has illustrated several of his books, divide their time between a home in New Mexico and a boat in the Pacific.

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Speaker profile last updated by AAE Talent Team on 12/11/2023.

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  • What topics does Gary Paulson speak about?

    Gary Paulson is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Animals & Wildlife, Authors, Conservation, Earth Day, Education, Environment, Motivational.
  • Where does Gary Paulson travel from?

    Gary Paulson generally travels from New Mexico, USA, but can be booked for private corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. For more details, please contact an AAE Booking agent.
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Gary Paulson is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics . The estimated speaking fee range to book Gary Paulson for your event is available upon request. Gary Paulson generally travels from NM, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Sharon Creech, Jon Bergmann, David R. Dow, Mary Pope Osborne and Lois Lowry. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Gary Paulson for an upcoming live or virtual event.

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