Barbara Corrado Pope fell in love with the art, landscapes and people of Provence while teaching French, womens and religious history to American students in Avignon. Among the many places she led lecture-tours were Aix-en-Provence, where she followed in Cézannes footsteps, from the hidden depths of the Bibémus Quarry to his sunny studio at Les Lauves on the outskirts of town.

She has a PhD in the Social and Intellectual History of Europe from Columbia University and has taught history and womens studies in places as diverse as Hungary, Tuscany, the University of New Mexico, and Harvard Divinity School. Her longest stint was at the University of Oregon, where she was the founding director of womens studies.Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Barbara resides in Eugene, Oregon, where she is actively pursing a second career as a novelist.