Author Margaret Price celebrated her fifth birthday at the Old Lafayette Hotel -
just down the street from Smiley Pete’s corner at Limestone and Main. She is an Honors graduate from Northwestern University and the University of Kentucky College of Law where she served on the Law Journal editorial staff. Price’s commitment to children’s advocacy led to her play DOVE & DANDELION which toured nationally before being presented to US Senators on Capitol Hill. The hard-hitting play (also a screenplay) was produced and won Honors in the Louisville Film Festival. An equally compelling story, based on a case involving an Appalachian child, led to film studies in London at a BBC-University of California/Berkeley program and to writing the script, LIKE AN APPALACHIAN WIND COME SPRING which won the Minneapolis-St. Paul Screenlabs Festival. While studying screenplay writing at the American Film Institute in Los Angeles, Price sold scripts for film and television and joined the Writer’s Guild. Another award-winning screenplay, LOOKING FOR MRS. SANTA CLAUS (produced by Practical Paradox Productions at the Blue Bear Theatre in San Francisco, 2003) was recently published as a book. Price has published stories in the popular Chocolate series. Most recently, Price wrote MAASAI ANGEL, a book with illustrations by internationally known artist Sue Stolberger. Her play, Belle Brezing, presented at the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, will appear at the Lost Studio Theatre in Los Angeles (Summer, 2008). Price dedicates Smiley Pete to her faithful golden retriever Tucker who is (no doubt) catching tennis balls and hanging out with Smiley Pete.
Julie Chelsea Swim, illustrator, is a fifteen year old sophomore at Sayre School
in Lexington, Kentucky. She recently contributed her artistic talents to the Maasai
Angel project – to benefit African orphans. Julie enjoyed drawing Smiley Pete’s
magnificent treats (hot dogs, popcorn, cupcakes, etc.) in her Aunt Marilyn’s
kitchen and also at home in the company of Chelsea, her chocolate lab.
(Music and Lyrics, Smiley Pete)
Lisa Palas is a singer and award-winning songwriter born and raised in Central
Kentucky. Her songs have been recorded by Alabama, Reba McEntire, Randy Travis,
Kris Kristofferson and others. She has written songs for feature films and scored
musicals for children’s theatre.
