Bethany Hegedus

BETHANY HEGEDUS is an award-winning author of picture books and middle-grade novels, including Grandfather Gandhi and Alabama Spitfire. A former educator, she teaches widely and enjoys mentoring young writers. Hegedus is owner and creative director of the Writing Barn, a writing workshop and retreat center. She lives with her family in Austin, Texas.

Books by This Author

Rise! From Caged Bird to Poetry of the People, Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou holding a book and an open cage. A bird is flying away.
Illustrated by: Tonya Engel
Age Level: Middle Grade (9-14)

Writer, activist, trolley car conductor, dancer, mother, and humanitarian Maya Angelou's life was marked by transformation and perseverance. In this comprehensive picture-book biography geared towards older readers, Bethany Hegedus lyrically traces Maya's life from her early days in Stamps, Arkansas through her work as a freedom fighter to her triumphant rise as a poet of the people.