Gary Paulsen Home Page

Gary Paulsen

photo: C.E. Mitchell

"I tell kids to read like a wolf.
Read when they tell you not to read.
Read what they tell you not to read."

Biography

He was born on May 17, 1939 in Minnesota

He had to be self-supporting from the age of fifteen, due his parents' alcoholism.

He credits his love of reading to a public librarian who signed him up for a library card.

His wife Ruth has illustrated some of his books.

He has run the Iditarod ( 1,200 mile Alaskan dogsled race) twice.

He writes for 18 to 20 hours a day.

He has written more than 100 books, 200 magazine articles and short stories, and several plays.

He uses his own life experiences as the basis for many of his books.

Jobs Held

farm and ranch hand	trapper
carnival worker	magazine editor
engineer	soldier
construction worker	sailor
truck driver	satellite technician for an aerospace firm

Hobbies

dog sledding (given up since heart attack)	sailing
motorcycling	hunting/trapping

Links
Much of the information on this site was obtained from the following links:

How to Contact Gary Paulsen

Gary Paulsen
c/o Children's Publicity
1540 Broadway
New York, NY 10036

Gary Paulsen
Route 1, Box 2640
La Luz, New Mexico 88337

"Young adults are among the hardest age groups to impress and entertain, and Gary Paulsen does just that." Brandon, age 14

"...it was so realistic...how Brian had to make his own weapons and tools." Madison, age 12 (referring to Hatchet)