Vanessa diffenbaugh biography

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American novelist

Vanessa Diffenbaugh (born ) is the American author of the novel The Language of Flowers and the nonfiction A Victorian Flower Dictionary.

Biography

Diffenbaugh was born in San Francisco and raised in Chico, California. After studying creative writing and education at Stanford, she went on to teach art and writing to youth in low-income communities.

During her time at Stanford, she began mentoring two sisters. The sisters were placed into Diffenbaugh's custody at age 23, but unable to care for them surrendered them to the foster care system. The experience inspired Diffenbaugh and her husband to become foster care parents in In , she founded of the Camellia Network, a nonprofit organization intended to create a nationwide movement to support youth transitioning from foster care. In , the network was acquired by the non-profit Youth Villages.

Her book, The Language of Flowers, stayed 69 weeks on the New York Times’ best-seller list and was translated into 42 languages. The novel follows the fraught life of Victoria Jones, who by the age of 18, had lived in 32 foster homes, and becomes a flower arranger. The novel was inspired by a flower dictionary, a type of Victorian-era book which defines what different types of flowers mean. She also published a new non-fiction A Victorian Flower Dictionary to accompany the novel. In , it was announced there will be a film adaptation of the novel starring Nick Robinson and Kiersey Clemons.

In , Diffenbaugh and her family moved to Monterey, California from Cambridge, Massachusetts.

In , Diffenbaugh published her second novel, We Never Asked for Wings.

Bibliography

• The Language of Flowers ()
• A Victorian Flower Dictionary: The Language of Flowers Companion ()
• We Never Asked for Wings ()

Vanessa Diffenbaugh Biography

Vanessa Diffenbaugh was born in San Francisco and raised in Chico, California. After studying creative writing and education at Stanford University, Vanessa taught art and writing to youth in low-income communities. To write The Language of Flowers, Vanessa Diffenbaugh found inspiration in her own experience as a foster mother. She and her husband, PK, have three children and live in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Books by this author

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Interview

Vanessa Diffenbaugh explains how her experience as a foster parent inspired her first novel, The Language of Flowers, which vividly portrays an unforgettable woman whose gift for flowers helps her change the lives of others.

Vanessa Diffenbaugh explains how her experience as a foster parent inspired her first novel, The Language of Flowers, which vividly portrays an unforgettable woman whose gift for flowers helps her change the lives of others.

Full Interview

An interview with Vanessa Diffenbaugh

Vanessa Diffenbaugh explains how her experience as a foster parent inspired her first novel, The Language of Flowers, which vividly portrays an unforgettable woman whose gift for flowers helps her change the lives of others.

Vanessa Diffenbaugh explains how her experience as a foster parent inspired her first novel, The Language of Flowers, which vividly portrays an unforgettable woman whose gift for flowers helps her change the lives of others.

Unless otherwise stated, this interview was conducted at the time the book was first published, and is reproduced with permission of the publisher. This interview may not be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the copyright holder.

Books by this Author

Books by Vanessa Diffenbaugh at BookBrowse