Bonnie Stepenoff
Bonnie Stepenoff teaches history and historic preservation at Southeast Missouri State University. Her recent book Big Spring Autumn (Truman State University Press, 2008) interweaves reflections on the Ozarks with memories of growing up in the northeastern Pennsylvania hills. She is the author of four other books, including St. Louis' Dead End Kids: Homeless Boys and People who Tried to Help Them, 1860-1960, forthcoming from the University of Missouri Press. Many of her articles have been published in historical journals. Her poetry appears regularly in Frogpond, The Heron's Nest, Modern Haiku, Bellowing Ark, and other literary magazines. She received the Ph.D. in history from the University of Missouri in 1992. In 2002, she spent a semester in the Ozark National Scenic Riverways, doing research on the old state park at Big Spring and its Depression-era architecture. She currently serves as a member of the Missouri Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.