Gwen Strauss
Gwen Strauss (born 1963) is an American author living in France, and currently the Director of the Artist Residence Program at the Dora Maar House in Ménerbes (France). Strauss is the author of five books, including "Ruth and the Greenbook" (2010), six anthologies, numerous short essays and fictions, and poetry. "Ruth and the Greenbook" (2010) has been awarded numerous prizes. Her latest book, "The Nine" (2021), is about the true story of a group of women who survived the worst of Nazi Germany. Early life. Strauss was born in Haiti, and spent her early childhood in Haiti and  Malaysia. She was educated at Hampshire College (BA) and Wheelock College (MS). She has travelled extensively and in 1985 she studied Japanese language and culture at Friends World College in Kyoto. Career. In 1988-2202 Strauss was a freelance writer based primarily in France, writing on a wide range of topics such as taking a train to Uzbekistan, honor killing in Afghanistan, and family circuses in post-Cold-War Europe. At Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah, Georgia Strauss was an Adjunct Professor in 2002, teaching english composition, and a Design Press Editor from 2002 to 2005. From 2005 to  2007 Strauss was Director of the Lacoste Campus (Lacoste, France) of the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). From 2007 to 2020 Strauss was Director of the Brown Foundation Fellowship Program at the Dora Maar House in Ménerbes (France), and since 2020 she has been the Executive Director of the Dora Maar Cultural Center (Dora Maar House and Hotel de Tingry, Nancy B. Negley Foundation). Personal life. Strauss is divorced, and lives in Provence with her three children.