American writer Gregory Maguire was BOTD in 1954. Born in Albany, New York, his mother died in childbirth, and he was entrusted to the care of an aunt, who deposited him in an orphanage, returning to live with his father when he was two. He studied at the State University of New York and Simmons College, completing a doctorate in the history of children’s literature at Tufts University. He published his first novel, The Lightning Time, in 1978, and became a successful author of children’s and young adult literature. He is best known for his 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, an origin story to The Wizard of Oz providing a sympathetic backstory to the green-skinned witch Elphaba who becomes the villainess of Oz. A modest bestseller, it was adapted into the 2003 musical Wicked, with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. After premiering in San Francisco, the musical took Broadway by storm, winning three Tony Awards and a Grammy Award, and making a star of Idina Menzel as Elphaba. As a result of the musical’s success, Maguire’s novel spent 26 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, followed by a series of sequels and prequel novels set in the Oz universe. One of the most successful musicals of all time, Wicked continues to play on Broadway, the West End and in productions around the world. In 2024, it was adapted into a successful two-part film, starring Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba. The book, stage musical and film have attracted a dedicated LGBTQ following, claiming kinship with Elphaba’s outsider status and struggle for self-acceptance amid a prejudiced society. Maguire’s other works include Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, a retelling of the Cinderella fairy tale through the eyes of one of the villainous ugly sisters, and Mirror, Mirror, a revisionist retelling of Snow White. He has been in a relationship with painter Andy Newman since 1999, with whom he has two adopted children. They live in Concord, Massachusetts.