Barbara Gail Rowes

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Barbara Gail Rowes
Born	(1946-05-15) May 15, 1946 Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Author, journalist, critic
Education	B.A. New York University; M.A. Johns Hopkins University; PhD SUNY Buffalo

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Barbara Gail Rowes (1946-) is an American author, journalist, and dance critic whose work has appeared in major North American newspapers and magazines. Educated at New York University, Johns Hopkins University, and the State University of New York at Buffalo, she began her career as a dance critic for The Globe and Mail before contributing feature writing and cultural commentary to The Washington Post and later serving as a contract writer for People magazine.

Rowes is the author of several nonfiction books published by major houses, including The Book of Quotes (1979), which received coverage in The New York Times, and Grace Slick: The Biography (1980). Her writing frequently explores popular culture, the performing arts, and the expressive possibilities of dance.

Early life and education

Rowes was born in Brooklyn, New York, the daughter of Bernard and Emily Rowes. She attended Cornell University from 1964 to 1966 before completing a B.A. at New York University in 1968. She earned an M.A. from Johns Hopkins University in 1969 and a PhD in English from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1973.

Career

Rowes began her professional career as a dance critic for the Toronto Globe & Mail from 1969 to 1972, writing on Canadian performers and companies. She briefly taught English as an assistant professor at California State College, Bakersfield, during the 1972–73 academic year.

She worked as a feature writer for the Washington Post between 1969 and 1971, contributing articles on culture and social issues, including "She's Not Dumb, Just Tired," published on July 26, 1970. She later served as a dance and music critic for the Los Angeles Times from 1972 to 1974. Beginning in 1976, Rowes became a contract writer for People magazine, contributing profiles, cultural commentary, and arts coverage.

Writing and themes

Rowes authored several non-fiction books in the 1970s and 1980s, ranging from popular reference works to a full-length biography of singer Grace Slick. She described the central focus of her writing as "the popularization of Western culture," linking her academic background in Renaissance literature to contemporary cultural analysis. Her criticism frequently emphasized the physical and expressive dimensions of dance, which she regarded as a uniquely demanding and transcendent art form.

Reception

Rowes's work received national attention in the late 1970s. In a 1979 New York Times Book Review column, critic Herbert Mitgang highlighted her reference work The Book of Quotes, describing it as "an amusing book of modern quotations" and noting its thematic range across categories such as "Macho," “Shrinks," “Sexual Politics," and "Watergate."

Selected journalism

Rowes's reporting and criticism appeared in major North American newspapers during the 1960s and 1970s. Her bylines include:

• Rowes, Barbara. “She's Not Dumb, Just Tired.” The Washington Post. July 26, 1970.
• Rowes, Barbara. “Canadian Ballerina Strong in Her 40s.” The Globe and Mail. September 24, 1970.
• Mitgang, Herbert. “Book Ends.” The New York Times. June 17, 1979. (Discusses Rowes's book The Book of Quotes.)

Works

Books

• Rowes, Barbara. Rock Stars. New York: Scholastic Book Services, 1976.
• Rowes, Barbara. The Book of Quotes. New York: E. P. Dutton, 1979. ISBN 978-0-525-47551-8 Search this book on ..
• Rowes, Barbara, with Georgette Klinger. Georgette Klinger's Skin Care. New York: William Morrow, 1979. ISBN 978-0-688-03451-1 Search this book on ..
• Rowes, Barbara. Grace Slick: The Biography. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1980. ISBN 978-0-385-15748-0 Search this book on ..

References

This article "Barbara Gail Rowes" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Barbara Gail Rowes. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

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