Gemma Cannon

Gemma Cannon, a graduate from Holy Cross College and Columbia University School of Social Work, received the Nautilus Book Award in the category of Death & Dying/ Grief & Loss for "Voices of the Night".

In her award-winning book, she combines wisdom from Longfellow with lessons from her social work clients. They taught her that, whether homeless in Times Square or a world-class poet and writer, we're not always fortunate, and we all need inner strength and hope to survive a crisis.

She lives with her family near Longfellow's boyhood home in Portland, Maine, "the beautiful city by the sea."