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Known by many as the teacher who dances on his desk, author Eugene M. Gagliano (pronounced Galiano) is a retired elementary teacher with a great sense of humor.
He and his wife Carol, who have four children, seven grandchildren, and one great grandchild, live near the base of the Big Horn Mountains in Wyoming.
Gene enjoys reading and writing, traveling, hiking, acrylic painting, singing tenor in the community choir, and spending hours flower and vegetable gardening.
Gene’s author presentations are entertaining, informative, and inspirational. He has presented at 184 schools, at IRA, teacher, SCBWI, and library conferences, and for libraries and festivals in Wyoming, Colorado, Missouri, South Dakota, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Texas and Hawaii.
Gene is a graduate of the Institute of Children’s Literature, and is on the Wyoming Arts Council Artists Roster. He is also the Wyoming State Poet Laureate Emeritus.
Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Wyoming Writers, Wyoming Poets, Johnson County’s Arts and Humanities Council, Friends of the Library, and the Wyoming Arts Council
Gene’s book Dee and the Mammoth illustrated by Zachary Pullen, won the 2010-2011 Wyoming State Historical Society Award for Best Fiction.
*Dee and the Mammoth represented the state of Wyoming at the National Book Festival in Washington, D.C in 2011.
His other books include C is for Cowboy, a Wyoming Alphabet; Four Wheels West, a Wyoming number Book (a former Western Writer’s Spur Award nominee); V is for Venus Flytrap, a Plant Alphabet; My Teacher Dances on the Desk (winner of the 2010 Delaware Diamonds Book List Children’s Choice Award); Secret of the Black Widow (a former Wyoming Indian Paintbrush Award nominee); The Magic Box; Falling Stars; Inside the Clown; Booger; Little Wyoming; Angel’s Landing; Is It True? (2017 children’s humorous poetry book); Snap (2019) 2nd place 2019 Evvy Award winner and Wedge of Fear (2018) 3nd place 2019 Evvy Award winner.
He has two hard covers, beautifully illustrated in color poetry books, A Wyoming State of Mind (2021) and More Than Four Seasons (2022).
His book Is It True? was selected as the state of Wyoming’s Best Read for 2018 for the National Book Festival in Washington, DC. Gene’s latest children’s poetry book What Did You Say? (2021) is the sequel to Is It True?.
Little Hawaii and My Veggie Friends (illustrated by Gene), are his most recent books, along with Secret of the Black Widow (his first middle grade historical fiction book) being rereleased with its new sequel Ice Cave Mystery.
Gene has a new contract, for My Fruity Friends (a sequel).
An adult poetry hardcover book with color photos titled Sunrise to Sunset has just been released.