Ready to Wear: A History of the Footwear and Garment Industries in St. Louis, Missouri 

Valerie Battle Kienzle, Author, Reedy Press

Valerie Battle Kienzle is a native of Nashville, Tennessee. She is a graduate of the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism in Columbia, Missouri. She spent the last thirty-five years employed in various writing-related positions–newspaper reporter, corporate public affairs manager, advertising account representative, school district communications writer, freelance writer and author. She has written two books for Arcadia Publishing: St. Charles (2012) and Columbia (2014); and one book for Reedy Press: What’s With St. Louis? (2016). Valerie is a member of the Missouri Writers Guild, the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI), the State Historical Society of Missouri and the St. Charles (MO) County Historical Society. Her interests include reading (history, non-fiction), music (all genres), gardening, travel and genealogical research. An animal lover, she and her husband share their St. Louis-area home with a dog and a cat.