Laurie Woodward is an American author and retired educator. She writes in the genres of fantasy, science fiction, and children’s literature. Woodward is best known for the fantasy series The Artania Chronicles and the time travel thriller Time Murmurations (2025). Her work as a peace consultant earned awards for promoting conflict resolution in schools, and she was a co-writer of Dean and JoJo: The Dolphin Legacy.
Laurie Woodward was born and raised in California. She attended San Diego State University from 1984 to 1986, where she completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Work. After graduation, she began a long career as a teacher in Title One schools on the Central Coast of California.
For three decades, she taught children from immigrant families, low-income households, and diverse cultural backgrounds. Her work extended beyond the classroom when she developed peace education projects to address bullying and to help students manage conflicts. “I want children to see the magic inside them,” she explained. “I want to empower them.”
Woodward coached students as mediators and ambassadors for peace, and helped design lessons that were later shared worldwide. In 2010, she collaborated with dolphin naturalist Dean Bernal to create the anti-bullying DVD Resolutions. Filming took place at Taylor Elementary, where students signed contracts to become Dolphin Ambassadors for Peace. In 2011, she co-authored a curriculum called "Be the Sea," which introduced strategies for promoting compassion and conflict resolution in classrooms.
Woodward co-wrote Dean and JoJo: The Dolphin Legacy, a biography featured in the IMAX film Dolphins, Robin Williams’ In the Wild, and on Animal Planet. Her first novel for children, Forest Secrets (2007), told the story of a girl who befriends a tree creature and must save a threatened forest.
She later created The Artania Chronicles, a fantasy series that began with The Pharaoh’s Cry (2012). Sequels included The Kidnapped Smile (2013), Persistence of Memory (2015), and Dragon Sky (2018). These novels follow children who travel into a world where paintings and sculptures come to life, carrying messages about courage and creativity.
Her coming-of-age novel Finding Joy (2016) addressed themes of personal discovery, while her poetry and short fiction appeared in anthologies such as Hudson View and Shifting Sands.
In 2025, she published Time Murmurations, a science fiction thriller about ornithologist Renata Aguillon, who is pulled into a dangerous struggle across shifting timelines. Woodward described her approach: “I want people to see their wonder. That magical part, when nurtured, births amazing things. Films. Paintings. Stories. Song.”
Her work gained recognition with awards from L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future Contest. The biography Dean and JoJo: The Dolphin Legacy brought her further attention, linking her name to international conservation efforts. In addition, her Artania series was optioned for film adaptation in 2025.
Photo credit: LinkedIn
Laurie Woodward was born and raised in California. She attended San Diego State University from 1984 to 1986, where she completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Work. After graduation, she began a long career as a teacher in Title One schools on the Central Coast of California.
For three decades, she taught children from immigrant families, low-income households, and diverse cultural backgrounds. Her work extended beyond the classroom when she developed peace education projects to address bullying and to help students manage conflicts. “I want children to see the magic inside them,” she explained. “I want to empower them.”
Woodward coached students as mediators and ambassadors for peace, and helped design lessons that were later shared worldwide. In 2010, she collaborated with dolphin naturalist Dean Bernal to create the anti-bullying DVD Resolutions. Filming took place at Taylor Elementary, where students signed contracts to become Dolphin Ambassadors for Peace. In 2011, she co-authored a curriculum called "Be the Sea," which introduced strategies for promoting compassion and conflict resolution in classrooms.
Woodward co-wrote Dean and JoJo: The Dolphin Legacy, a biography featured in the IMAX film Dolphins, Robin Williams’ In the Wild, and on Animal Planet. Her first novel for children, Forest Secrets (2007), told the story of a girl who befriends a tree creature and must save a threatened forest.
She later created The Artania Chronicles, a fantasy series that began with The Pharaoh’s Cry (2012). Sequels included The Kidnapped Smile (2013), Persistence of Memory (2015), and Dragon Sky (2018). These novels follow children who travel into a world where paintings and sculptures come to life, carrying messages about courage and creativity.
Her coming-of-age novel Finding Joy (2016) addressed themes of personal discovery, while her poetry and short fiction appeared in anthologies such as Hudson View and Shifting Sands.
In 2025, she published Time Murmurations, a science fiction thriller about ornithologist Renata Aguillon, who is pulled into a dangerous struggle across shifting timelines. Woodward described her approach: “I want people to see their wonder. That magical part, when nurtured, births amazing things. Films. Paintings. Stories. Song.”
Her work gained recognition with awards from L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future Contest. The biography Dean and JoJo: The Dolphin Legacy brought her further attention, linking her name to international conservation efforts. In addition, her Artania series was optioned for film adaptation in 2025.
Photo credit: LinkedIn
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