Joan MacCracken

Dr. Joan MacCracken, a retired pediatrician who specialized in pediatric endocrinology, practiced in Bangor, Maine, for twenty-three years. Since childhood, she has enjoyed telling and writing stories.

Her first book, The Sun, the Rain and the Insulin: Growing Up with Diabetes, published in 1996, described a special family camp, Camp Kee-to-Kin, which operated for thirteen years. In 2005 she created the book Trisba and Sula, A Miskitu Folktale from Nicaragua, which was awarded Best Bilingual Children’s Book of 2006 by Skipping Stones magazine. MacCracken also edited and published Cracked Marbles, a collection of Maine stories by the late Dr. Tom Palmer of Bangor. For eight years, from 2008-2015, she produced Brooksville’s small town quarterly newsletter, The Brooksville Breeze, and in 2016, Tiffin Press of Maine published, All Around the Town: The Best of the Brooksville Breeze.

MacCracken’s community involvement with the At Home Downeast project stimulated her to think about the folks who prefer to remain in their homes, “aging in place.” Her successful debut novel, The Winter House, was published in 2013, a delightful story of four older women deciding to live together for the winter months. The book has encouraged many women to think about their later years and ponder new alternatives for their living arrangements. Cohabitation allows housemates to support one another, provide safety and companionship, and prevent loneliness and boredom.

In 2020 she completed her latest book, One Hen, Two Ducks: A fun challenge for all ages. This beautifully illustrated book brings smiles and laughs, as participants try their hand at memorizing ten objects. The book was published to honor the 100th anniversary of her father’s birth and as a fundraiser for Alzheimer’s research.

She and her husband retired to the coast of Maine and share many special times with their five grandchildren. She continues to write.