Anne Stanton has worked professionally as a musician, environmental scientist, and copy-editor. She has composed piano music, published scientific journal articles and loves reading biographies—especially those from the nineteenth century. These varied activities lead her to produce An Upstream Battle: John Parker’s Personal War on Slavery, a creative work of nonfiction intended for middle school readers. An Upstream Battle presents several stories from the life of John Parker, an African American businessman who helped hundreds of runaway slaves achieve freedom on the north side of the Ohio River. This book enables young readers to learn about a critical period of American history in an engaging, informative way.

An Upstream Battle, Stanton’s first full-length book, was born out of a desire to share the inspiring story of John Parker’s life with her own children, so they would know the truth of how African Americans fought slavery.

Anne lives in Michigan with her husband Eric, and has raised two children who are turning into very interesting people in their own right.