Barbara Wersba came to be a writer after an earlier career on the stage. Born August 19, 1932, in Chicago, to Robert and Lucy Jo Wersba, she was an only child who escaped loneliness by writing stories and dreaming about working the theater. The family was living in San Mateo, California, when eleven-year-old Barbara Wersba joined a community theater group. She began with backstage tasks, such as fetching coffee and running errands, but soon rose through the ranks and made her stage debut. After her parents divorced, Wersba and her mother moved to New York, where she immersed herself in Broadway theater, and spent time visiting the city's museums, bookstores, and many arts venues. While still a teenager she studied acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse and dance with Martha Graham.

After graduating with a degree in drama from Bard College, Wersba moved back to New York...