Barbara Olenyik Morrow is the author of seven books, most focusing on Indiana history. Her books have featured Hoosiers who achieved fame far beyond the state - notables such as college basketball coaching legend John Wooden, early 20th-century nature writer and photographer Gene Stratton-Porter, and 19th-century abolitionist and Underground Railroad leader Levi Coffin. Most recently, Barbara turned her attention to two ordinary Hoosiers who served in World War II. She highlighted the wartime letters of a soldier and a Red Cross worker who, like so many of their generation, vigorously defended freedom.
Born in St. Louis, Barbara is an “adopted” Hoosier. She moved many years ago to the small town of Auburn, tucked away in Indiana’s northeast corner. Her first exposure to the state came when she attended Indiana University in Bloomington, where she received a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in journalism. She worked for newspapers for many years as a reporter in Bloomington, Louisville, KY, and Fort Wayne, IN. In 1986, while working at The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, she was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for editorial writing.
Though drawn to biographies and works of nonfiction, Barbara also enjoys fiction. She especially liked reading rhyming stories to her four sons when they were young – so much so that she eventually wrote Mr. Mosquito Put On His Tuxedo, a spirited read-aloud picture book for children that was republished in 2022.
When not writing, Barbara enjoys giving presentations about the subjects featured in her books. She and her husband also like to travel and to visit their grandchildren across the United States.