Pearl Atkins Schwartz was born of immigrant parents and raised in a mixed ethnic New York City neighborhood where she was inspired by the intriguing characters and rich material su...view morePearl Atkins Schwartz was born of immigrant parents and raised in a mixed ethnic New York City neighborhood where she was inspired by the intriguing characters and rich material surrounding her. She was educated at Queens College and the New School for Social Research in New York City. Her short stories have been published in various periodicals, and her story Wing-Tips, won second prize in the 1999 Writers Digest competition. Pearl is working on a second collection of short stories. She has also written two children?s books, and a novel.view less