Alleen Pace Nilsen

American literary scholar, linguist, and one of the pioneers of both humor studies and children's literature studies. She is Professor Emeritus in the Department of English at Arizona State University, where she was previously the director of the English Education Program. Together with her husband Don Nilsen, she co-founded the International Society for Humor Studies. In 1980, Nilsen and Kenneth L. Donelson co-authored Literature for Today's Young Adults, which became a seminal textbook for teachers and librarians and has seen nine editions so far. In the 1980s, Nilsen was also co-editor of the English Journal for the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), a president of The Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of NCTE (ALAN), and a founding editor of ALAN Review. Between 1967 and 1969, Nilsen lived in Afghanistan, where she accompanied her husband Don Nilsen on an international development mission. Based on these experiences, the couple created a website, Afghanistan for Kid, which aims to educate American children and their parents about the country. Link to Wikipedia biography