St. Louis Authors

Marian O'Shea Wernicke’s new novel is out this week.

In "The Last Children of Mill Creek," Vivian Gibson describes the lives of herself, her parents and siblings in their Mill Creek home in the 1950s. The predominantly Black neighborhood, which encompassed parts of midtown and downtown St. Louis, was demolished in 1959 as part of an urban renewal campaign. The Missouri Library Association has named Gibson author of the year.

Thirty years ago this summer, an act of random violence stole William Johnson’s eyesight, and the lives of two of his colleagues, during a business trip to Atlanta. Johnson describes what happened — and how he adapted to his new reality after his return home to St. Louis — in his new memoir.

As a 9-year-old, John O’Leary nearly died. He was playing in his garage in St. Louis when he accidentally set off an explosion. He was left with…

In 1959, the city of St. Louis demolished more than 5,500 housing units in the Mill Creek Valley neighborhood, which stretched from St. Louis University…

Scott Phillips may be the most acclaimed novelist living in St. Louis today. Best known as the author of “The Ice Harvest,” he’s won the California Book…

In September 1924, a shipment from Shanghai unloaded on the docks of Los Angeles brought some unwanted visitors to “the healthy city” – as it was dubbed –…

The construction of the Eads Bridge a century and a half ago almost made St. Louis one of the most important cities in the country. The steel combined…