C. Joan Baker

C. Joan Baker was born and raised in North St. Louis City, MO. Her curiosity and willingness to dive deeply into new interests were the common denominators that launched a successful business career and her first book, Chasing Picasso.

She broke the glass ceiling on more than one occasion and jokingly claimed she has the emotional scars to prove it. Her thirty-year gig that included research and writing proved to be an asset when she exchanged her corporate suit for fuzzy slippers and P.J.s (her most productive writing attire.)

Though she thought her first book would be business-focused, her curiosity led her to an old, forgotten story of a stolen Picasso oil painting from the Saint Louis Art Museum. The more she dug into the period, the more she realized she knew very little about the history of the city that she and her family have called home for multiple generations.