It was one of the first teen novels to feature lesbian characters in a positive light. It was critically acclaimed but attracted controversy because of its lesbian characters, Annie and Liza, who fall in love. Garden is best known for Annie on My Mind, published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux in 1982. She has also written non-fiction, mystery and fantasy for children and young adults. She later visited and gave talks at schools and libraries, teaching children about writing. She moved on to be an editor at Houghton Mifflin CO in Boston, MA between 19. By 1970, Garden had risen to associate editor.

Garden began her writing career as an assistant editor in Scholastic Magazine in New York, NY. This includes freelance editorial work for various publishers. Through school and for several years after college, Garden worked in theater, supplementing the work with odd jobs in offices. (1962) from Columbia University School of Dramatic Arts. She was an only child who 'took refuge in books, in writing, and in telling long stories to myself and sometimes acting them out.' She earned a B.F.A. Īnnie On My Mind was awarded the Lee Lynch Classic Award by the Golden Crown Literary Society in 2014, cited as one of the most important classics in lesbian literature. She received the 2003 Margaret Edwards Award from the American Library Association recognizing her lifetime contribution in writing for teens, citing Annie alone. Nancy Garden (– June 23, 2014) was an American writer of fiction for children and young adults, best known for the lesbian novel Annie on My Mind.

Nancy garden books