Biography
Barbara Anne Wanchisen has been a railroad ticket agent, a tenured professor of psychology, a lobbyist on Capitol Hill, and a board director at a prestigious non-profit science organization. Born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, the second of two children raised by parents of Eastern European descent, she was taught the value of a strong work ethic, common sense, and the pursuit of education.
Barb developed an interest in reading and writing at an early age, and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and Philosophy, and a Master of Arts in English, focused on studying classic literature. She then took a sharp turn in another direction, conducting basic research in the behavioral sciences, and earned a Ph.D. in Psychology. After many years of writing scholarly papers and grant/contract proposals, Barb felt drawn back to writing in her own voice.
She has published essays on a variety of topics and is actively pursuing other writing projects with gusto. She has also written a memoir of a time when she struggled to make room in her life for the caretaking of others and is actively engaged in finding a publisher.
Barb lives in Washington, DC without cats, plants or other dependents. She is an avid traveler and is fascinated and inspired by people wherever she goes.