Gary Schmidt

Gary Schmidt was born in a small town on Long Island called Hicksville. Various parts of The Wednesday Wars are autobiographical and based on his experience growing up in Hicksville, New York: his seventh grade teacher had pet rats, his teacher stressed the importance of diagramming sentences, and Gary wasn't considered particularly smart. He only began to thrive in school when a concerned teacher stepped in and fostered a love of reading. Schmidt attended Gordon College, where he earned an English degree in 1979. He then earned a master's degree and a PhD in medieval literature in 1985. After this, he began working as a professor of English at Calvin College, where he teaches creative writing and children's literature classes. He married his wife, fellow author Anne Stickney Schmidt, in 1979, and the two had six children. They also co-wrote a book about prayer, religion, and writing. Anne died in 2013. Two of Schmidt's novels, Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy and The Wednesday Wars, won the Newbery Honor, which recognizes exceptional children's literature. In addition to teaching at Calvin College, Schmidt also teaches writing courses in prisons and detention centers. His experiences doing so inspired his 2015 novel, Orbiting Jupiter.