Payan, Gregory

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Payan, Gregory

PERSONAL: Male.

ADDRESSES: Agent—c/o Author Mail, Rosen Publishing Group, Inc., 29 E. 21st St. New York, NY 10010.

CAREER: Callaway Gulf Media Ventures, New York, NY, photo editor; Rosen Publishing, New York, NY, photo editor.

AWARDS, HONORS: Third-place award for Magazine Picture Editing for a Magazine Sports Feature Story, Best of Photojournalism, 2004, for "Portraits of Sacrifice," in Sports Illustrated Kids/Teen Edition.

WRITINGS:

JUVENILE NONFICTION

(With Alexander Guelke) Life on a Submarine, Children's Press (New York, NY), 2000.

Chemical and Biological Weapons: Anthrax and Sarin, Children's Press (New York, NY), 2000.

Fast-Attack Submarine: The Seawolf Class, Children's Press (New York, NY), 2000.

Essential Snowmobiling for Teens, Franklin Watts (New York, NY), 2000.

Marquis de Lafayette: French Hero of the American Revolution, PowerPlus Books (New York, NY), 2002.

(With Casey Gallagher) Chronic Wasting Disease, Rosen Publishing Group (New York, NY), 2004.

The Federalists and Anti-Federalists: How and Why Political Parties Were Formed in Young America, Rosen Publishing Group (New York, NY), 2004.

SIDELIGHTS: Gregory Payan is both a writer of nonfiction children's books and an award-winning photo editor. In writing for teens and juveniles, he has concentrated on military subjects, outdoor activities, and American history. His Life on a Submarine is part of the Children's Press series "On Duty," intended to give young readers a look at the "glamorous and not-so-glamorous aspects of life" in the armed forces, according to Booklist critic Heather Hepler. Payan's title provides an overview of the workings of a nuclear submarine, and the rigorous training and life on board of submariners. Hepler went on to comment that the series is "useful … for younger or reluctant readers."

Writing for the Children's Press series "High-Tech Military Weapons," Payan looks at submarines as attack weapons in his Fast-Attack Submarine: The Seawolf Class. For the same series, he also wrote Chemical and Biological Weapons: Anthrax and Sarin. While the "emphasis is on terrorism," Kay Weisman observed in Book Links, Payan also goes on to explain the effects of biological weapons such as sarin and anthrax on humans when they are exposed to the materials.

From military topics, Payan turns to outdoor activities with his Essential Snowmobiling for Teens, a book that offers a basic introduction to the activity, such as the proper clothing to wear, driving techniques, and snowmobile basics. Michael McCullough, writing in School Library Journal, commented that Payan's book also "has interesting facts about the invention of the snowmobile."

Historical topics take center stage in two further titles from Payan. Marquis de Lafayette: French Hero of the American Revolution is geared toward middle-grade readers and focuses on the Frenchman who became one of the heroes of the battle for American independence, but who also "faced many tribulations after returning to France," as Booklist critic Carolyn Phelan noted. Payan explores the roots of American government in The Federalists and Anti-Federalists: How and Why Political Parties Were Formed in Young America. Again aimed at middle-grader readers, Payan's text "presents its material in a concise and easy-to-read format," wrote Todd Morning in a Booklist review. However, Morning also felt that "the information is often so concise that it barely rises above the level of a student report." In sum, though, Morning found the book a "brief but effective summary."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Book Links, October-November, 2002, Kay Weisman, review of Chemical and Biological Weapons: Anthrax and Sarin, p. 26.

Booklist, February 1, 2001, Heather Hepler, review of Life on a Submarine, p. 1047; October 15, 2001, Carolyn Phelan, review of Marquis de Lafayette: French Hero of the American Revolution, p. 414; June 1, 2004, Todd Morning, review of The Federalists and Anti-Federalists: How and Why Political Parties Were Formed in Young America, p. 1724.

School Library Journal, February, 2001, Michael McCullough, review of Essential Snowmobiling for Teens, p. 134.