Francine Falk-Allen

Francine Falk-Allen grew up in northern California, where she still lives. She had polio in 1951 and has lived her life as a disabled person efforting to be a “normie.” Falk-Allen was originally an art major and later completed her BA in Managerial Accounting, running her own business for over 30 years. She has always sought creative outlets, such as painting, singing, and writing. She began doing extensive family genealogy research in 1999, and has traced both her maternal and paternal ancestors back to the 1600s. Her two books, Not a Poster Child: Living Well with a Disability—A Memoir and No Spring Chicken: Stories and Advice from a Wild Handicapper on Aging, and Disability, have received the Kirkus star for excellence and won other awards. Her third book is A Wolff in the Family, a riveting early 20th century saga set in the western United States and based on scandalous family history. Francine facilitates a writing group and volunteers on her town’s Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Committee. She loves the outdoors, swimming, gardening, movies, well-written literature, being with friends, and sharing British tea and a little champagne now and then. She resides in San Rafael, California, with her husband, Richard Falk.