Donna M. Gershten grew up in North Carolina, has since lived in Mexico and Colorado, and now divides her time between Denver and Huerfano County.  She holds a M.F.A. in fiction from Warren Wilson College and was a 1999 recipient of the Colorado Council on the Arts Literature Fellowship.  Kissing the Virgin's Mouth, her first novel, was awarded Barbara Kingsolver's Bellwether Prize for socially or politically engaged fiction and was published by HarperCollins.  Donna believes that the creative process can be a springboard to the world, and she encourages a writer's heart in students so that they might deepen their understanding of themselves and others.  With humor, enthusiasm, and a sense of wonder, Donna creates a stimulating, safe atmosphere for exploration and for learning.