Luella Agnes Owen

Travel back to the late 1800s to learn more about the true adventures of Luella Agnes Owen—a female pioneer in the study of caves. Luella had to overcome many obstacles to reach her goal of becoming a scientist, but she succeeded. She became one of the world’s leading authorities on caves at a time when such a career was unusual for a woman.

Billie Holladay Skelley of Joplin, MO

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Billie Holladay Skelley is a retired registered nurse who received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Wisconsin. In Madison, she worked as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in cardiovascular and thoracic surgery, taught in the nursing program, and helped develop the nursing curriculum at Clarke College in Iowa. Since her retirement, Billie has focused on writing efforts and is a member of the Missouri Writers’ Guild, the Oklahoma Writers’ Federation, Inc., the Joplin Writers’ Guild, the Ozarks Writers League, and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. An award-winning author, her work has appeared in American Journal of Nursing, Heart and Lung, Missouri Nurse, PreMedLife Magazine, Intima: A Journal of Narrative Medicine, Today’s Caregiver Magazine, Show Me the Ozarks, GAMbit, NSS News, Me, as a Child Poetry Series, My Mane Memories, Almanac for Farmers & City Folk, Ninety-Nines, Space Review, American Aviation Historical Society Journal, VietNow National Magazine, Stories of Joplin, Kentucky Explorer, God & Nature Magazine, Crowder Quill, Safe to Chew, Sasee, Harvard Magazine, Well Versed, and Proud to Be: Writing by American Warriors.