Musical artist ELIZABETH SWADOS is the author of twelve children's books, four novels, two collections of poetry, a collection of short non-fiction, and two books on creating musical theater for young people. Perhaps best known for her Broadway and international hit Runaways, she has composed, written, and directed theater for over thirty years. Her works for theater include the Obie Award-winning Trilogy and Alice at the Palace. Swados also teaches full time in the drama department of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts and has taught at The New School's Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts as a visiting artist. Her articles have been published in the New York Times, New York Times Magazine, and Vogue. Her other accolades include three Obie Awards, a Guggenheim Fellowship, Ford Fellowship, Helen Hayes Award, Lila Acheson Wallace award, and a Special International PEN Citation.