Tucson Festival of Books

Claudia Rowe

National Book Award finalist, Claudia Rowe has been writing about places where youth and government clash since the early 1990s. She is the recipient of a Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism and multiple honors for investigative reporting. Her work has twice been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize, and she is currently a member of The Seattle Times editorial board. Rowe's latest book, "Wards of the State," explores the often ugly world of foster care. In 2018, her true crime memoir, "The Spider and the Fly," won the Washington State Book Award.

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Awards: Washington State Book Award for Memoir, 2018

Scheduled events:

National Book Foundation Presents: Truth-Seeking, Truth Telling

Join these 2025 National Book Award nonfiction honorees Caleb Gayle, Julia Ioffe and Claudia Rowe for for readings and a conversation about how a background in journalism informs their approach to storytelling. The moderated will be Ruth Dickey, Executive Director of the National Book Foundation.

Integrated Learning Center Room 130 (Seats 143, Wheelchair accessible)

Sat, Mar 14, 11:30 am - 12:25 pm
National Book Awards
Signing area: Sales & Signing Area - Integrated Learning Center (following presentation)

Panelists: Caleb Gayle, Julia Ioffe, Claudia Rowe
Moderator: Ruth Dickey
Sponsors: Session made possible courtesy of Sara Cohen, The Neymeyer Family

The Long Shadow of Foster Care

National Book Award finalist Claudia Rowe comes to Tucson with a scathing indictment of American foster care. How did an idea filled with good intentions go so terribly wrong? Sadly, it’s a long story.

Arizona Daily Star Stage (Seats 250)

Sat, Mar 14, 2:30 pm - 3:25 pm
Current Issues / Politics / Social Science
Signing area: Signing - Arizona Daily Star (following presentation)

Panelist: Claudia Rowe
Moderator: David McCumber
Sponsor: Session made possible courtesy of Arizona Daily Star

Books:

Wards of the State

The Long Shadow of American Foster Care
Current Issues / Politics / Social Science
Abrams, Incorporated
May 2025
ISBN 9781419763151
304 pages
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The Spider and the Fly

A Writer, a Murderer, and a Story of Obsession
True Crime
HarperCollins
November 2017
ISBN 9780062416131
288 pages
Buy now