Baker's Secret (Kiernan) - Author Bio

Author Bio
• Birth—ca. 1960
• Where—Newtonville, New York, USA
• Education—B.A., Middlebury College; M..A. Johns Hopkins; M.F.A. Iowa Writers' Workshop
• Awards—George Polk Award; Scripps Howard Award (both for journalism)
• Currently—lives in Charlotte, Vermont


Stephen P. Kiernan is a journalist and author of five books: two nonfiction and three novels. He was born in Newtonville, New York, the sixth of seven children. He received his B.A. in 1982 from Middlebury College, his M.A. from Johns Hopkins University, and his M.F.A. from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop.

Kiernan has worked for more that 20 years as a journalist for the Burlington Free Press, Boston Globe, and AARP, among others. Those years have garnered him 40 awards, including the Gerald Loeb Award for financial journalism, the George Polk Award for medical reporting, and the Associated Press Managing Editors’ Freedom of Information Award. Stephan has also taught at Middlebury College and the New England Young Writer’s conference.

In much of his journalism and his nonfiction books Kiernan has become an advocate for health care, including hospice, palliative care, and advanced directives. His 2006 book, Last Rights: Rescuing the End of Life from the Medical System, was written in the hopes of changing how people faced mortality. His 2010 work, Authentic Patriotism: Restoring America's Founding Ideals Through Selfless Action, championed the benefits, personal and societal, of greater civic engagement.

Keiernan turned to fiction in 2013 with The Curiosity. In 2015 he released The Hummingbird, and in 2017, The Baker's Secret. In addition to his writing, he has also performed on the guitar for many years. In addition to recording 3 CDs of solo instrumentals, he has composed music for dance, the stage, documentaries and TV specials. He lives in Charlotte, Vermont, with his two sons.