Barbara Meade was born in Washington, D.C., and is a graduate of Sidwell Friends School and Vassar College, with an MA in Literature from American University.  Since 1984 she has been co-owner of Politics and Prose Bookstore, in Washington, DC, with Carla Cohen, who died in October 2010.  Politics and Prose has recently been sold to Sidwell parents Bradley Graham and Lissa Muscatine, but Barbara continues there part-time, working on the floor, hosting author events, and writing reviews for the www.politics-prose.com.