Denny Taylor is Professor Emeritus of Literacy Studies at Hofstra University and founder of Garn Press. She began teaching in 1968 in the East End of London; there were 43 children in her first kindergarten class. She has been continuously engaged in ethnographic literacy research since 1977 and was inducted into the Reading Hall of Fame in 2004. She has written thirteen books and published 40 articles and chapters on literacy in family, school and community settings.



Dr. Taylor regards art, literature and science inseparable. She is a lifelong activist and scholar committed to nurturing the imagination and human spirit.

Dr. Taylor is also the director of the International Center for Everybody’s Child at Hofstra University, which provides assistance to teachers and children in the aftermath of catastrophic events, supports international educational projects, and maintains an international network of teachers, doctors, social workers, and mental health professionals who can assist teachers working with children in crisis. Her ethnographic research focuses on the impact of catastrophic events on the lives of children and the social response of the educational community to mass trauma. Her field work includes research in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza. She provided first response support in the Gulf Region in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. One of her most recent publications, The Kate Middleton Elementary School: Portraits of Hope and Courage, published by Scholastic, provides support for teachers who are first responders following a catastrophic event.