About Shannon

From a communal farm, to an ashram, to an adobe hut and a typical American suburban ranch house, author Shannon Honeybloom has inhabited homes of all shapes and sizes.   In her new book Making a Family Home (SteinerBooks, January 2010, $20.00, 978-0-88010-702-0), Honeybloom helps readers figure out how to turn their own shelter into a warm, comforting environment, one that enriches the whole family. Before having her first baby, Honeybloom dove into how-to guides and parenting magazines in search of the perfect “nesting” elements.  A former educator, she knew that a child’s personal development began at home.

“But I was overwhelmed,” said Honeybloom. “And I’m not the only one. Many parents I know are overwhelmed by the wealth of information about parenting and children. Wherever we go, stores urge us to fill our homes with all manner of useful and not-useful objects, baby gadgets and high-tech toys. So for inspiration, I turned memories of my grandmother and mother, and the homes they created.”  Honeybloom found that her family’s time-honored home practices helped her create the peaceful sanctuary she was looking for.

Today, she is a blogger, writer, and speaker on good, green, and slow living, and wrote Making a Family Home for those craving a more nurturing shelter. Honeybloom received her B.A. in Classics from the University of Florida in 1992. Shortly after, she worked as a Peace Corps volunteer in Niger, West Africa for two years as an educator in a clinic for women and children. There, she focused on preventative healthcare and nutrition for pregnant women and babies.  In 1995, Honeybloom moved to New York City, earning her M.A. in Literary Cultures from New York University in 2000 and her M.S. in Early Childhood Education from Sunbridge College in Chestnut Ridge, New York. It was during graduate school that she first began studying the many facets of “home,” and drew on both her research and personal experiences to create her forthcoming book.

A Waldorf graduate, the daughter of Waldorf teachers, and a fourth generation educator, Honeybloom also brings her knowledge of the classroom and childhood development into her work. She lives in Austin, Tex. with her husband and three children.