Fern Schumer Chapman

Critically acclaimed Chicago-based writer Fern Schumer Chapman has written several award-winning books. Her memoir, Motherland — a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection, a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award, and a BookSense76 pick — is a popular choice for book clubs. Her two other books, Is It Night or Day? and Like Finding My Twin, are used in middle school classrooms. In 2004, the Illinois Association of Teachers of English (IATE) named Chapman the “Illinois Author of the Year.” Twice, Oprah Winfrey shows have featured her books. The Junior Library Guild named her two most recent books, Stumbling on History and Three Stars in the Night Sky, as August 2017 and August 2018 selections. She gives dozens of presentations each year at schools and events.

As a journalist and reporter, her work has appeared in many publications including the Chicago Tribune, Forbes, The Washington Post, U.S. News & World Report, Fortune, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a master’s degree from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, she has taught magazine writing and other seminars at both Northwestern and Lake Forest College.