Olivia is the second of 10, that’s right 10, children. She began writing stories when she realized that the tales she wanted to tell took up more than her allotted time at the dinner table. Despite the fact that she was reprimanded by her second-grade teacher (Ms. Wolfe, obviously) for taking too many artistic liberties in her report on Joan of Arc, she has continued to write and imagine.

Her first novel, Notes on a Near-Life Experience, was the recipient of the Delacorte Prize and was published by the Delacorte Press in 2007. She is the author of two picture books, published by Pearson Education, and her short fiction has appeared in Painted Bride Quarterly.

Olivia received an MFA from New York University’s Creative Writing Program in 2005. She has been on the faculty of the Expository Writing Program at NYU since 2002, and has been a teaching artist with Teachers & Writers since 2004. Olivia has also taught creative writing at Sarah Lawrence College, NYU, and NYU’s London Study Abroad Program.