Lexau, Joan M.

American children's author from St. Paul, Minnesota. She was awarded the Charlie May Simon Book Award in 1971.

Joan M. Lexau was born in St. Paul, MN. She took special courses at the College of St. Thomas and College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, MN., and at the New School for Social Research. Her career began as an editorial secretary, then as an advertising production manager and freelance correspondent, and she later did production-liaison work with Harper and Row Publishers from 1957-1961. After the publication of her first book Olaf Reads in 1961, she became a fulltime freelance writer, mostly for young people. Most of her writings were published under her name, however, from 1963-1973, four titles were published under the pseudonym Joan L. Nodset. She contributed multiple children's stories to magazines and periodicals. For many years she maintained a tradition of returning to St. Paul every year for the Minnesota State Fair.Source: Something About the Author Vol.36:129-134.

Joan M. Lexau grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota. She worked in several periodical publishing offices, including the Catholic Digest in St. Paul, Catholic News (NYC), Religious News Service (NYC), as a free-lance correspondent, and did production-liaison work for Harper & Row for children's books. In 1961, she began working as a free-lance writer, concentrating on children's books. She has received the Child Study Association Children's Books Award (1962), and the Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award (1971). Some of her work has appeared under the pseudonyms "Joan L. Nodset" or "Marie Seth."