Tilden Atwell was born in Annapolis, Maryland, and had a happy childhood fishing, swimming, and crabbing in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. He was educated in public schools and the University of Maryland. At the university, he attended three classes in creative writing with the renowned creative writing teacher Dr. Rudd Fleming, who told Tilden he had a genius for economy of image and that his writing was heading in the direction of poetry. "All of my life has been books, reading, teaching, and writing," says Tilden. "I spent seven years the US Air Force, mostly in Europe and Iceland, and wrote letters, security bulletins, manuals, and nearly became a military historian." After the air force, there was teaching and then school library work with lots of book talks, teaching reference skills, and selecting books for reading pleasure and books to back up the school curriculum. Tilden spent thirty-two years as an educator and loved his job of selecting and promoting books. He married another teacher, Shirley H. Atwell, who shared his passion for books and reading. They have a daughter, Anne, who is also a writer. They still live in Annapolis, Maryland, and are still reading, writing, and talking about books.
