Angela Vlachos Ruth

Angela Vlachos Ruth found her voice as a children's author with the birth of her grandchildren and a new desire to share the family's "Greekness" in the form of stories from Yiayia. Angela grew up in the Chicago area and was a student at Homer Greek School. She is also an alumni of the inaugural summer of Ionian Village youth camp in Greece's Western Peloponnese. These experiences, coupled with the influence of her own parents, aunts, uncles and yiayias, instilled a deep pride in the Greek family that is amalgamated in the characters within her books. An Evening with Yiayia and Dina and the Doll with the Roller Skates instill a strong sense of belonging and esteem through the experiences of Athanasios and Dina. As a bonus, Angela has found that all children feel a sense of friendship with the characters and a curiosity and enjoyment of the Greek culture as she has read her books throughout schools and cultures.