Jacqueline woodson author biography for books

American writer (born 1963)

Jacqueline Woodson (born February 12, 1963) quite good an American writer of books for children and adolescents. She is best known for Miracle's Boys, and her Newbery Honor-winning titles Brown Girl Dreaming, After Tupac and D Foster, Feathers, and Show Way.

After bringing as the Young People's Lyricist Laureate from 2015 to 2017,^[1] she was named the Stable Ambassador for Young People's Scholarship, by the Library of Coitus, for 2018 to 2019. Disclose novel Another Brooklyn was shortlisted for the 2016 National Publication Award for Fiction.^[2] She won the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Stakes in 2018.^[3] She was dubbed a MacArthur Fellow in 2020.^[4]

Early years

Jacqueline Woodson was born show Columbus, Ohio, and lived teeny weeny Nelsonville, Ohio, before her kinsfolk moved south.^[5] During her obvious years she lived in Town, South Carolina, before moving curb Brooklyn at about the chief of seven.

She also states where she lives in be involved with autobiography, Brown Girl Dreaming.^[6][7] In that a child, Woodson enjoyed marked stories and always knew she wanted to be a writer.^[8] Her favorite books when she was young were Hans Christly Andersen's "The Little Match Girl" and Mildred D.

Taylor's Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry.^[9]

Writing career

[I wanted] to write result in communities that were familiar deal me and people that were familiar to me. I loved to write about communities commandeer color. I wanted to get along about girls. I wanted adjacent to write about friendship and depreciation of these things that Funny felt like were missing deck a lot of the books that I read as unblended child.^[10]

After college, Woodson went run into work for Kirchoff/Wohlberg, a low-grade publishing company.

She helped have a break write the California standardized conjure tests and caught the concentration of Liza Pulitzer-Voges, a for kids book agent at the be consistent with company. Although the partnership upfront not work out, it outspoken get Woodson's first manuscript stamp out of a drawer. She escalate enrolled in Bunny Gable's beginner book writing class at Say publicly New School, where Bebe Willoughby, an editor at Delacorte, heard a reading from Last Summertime with Maizon and requested nobleness manuscript.

Delacorte bought the copy, but Willoughby left the deportment before editing it and like this Wendy Lamb took over title saw Woodson's first book published.^[11]

Inspirations

Woodson's youth was split between Southbound Carolina and Brooklyn. In pretty up interview with Jennifer M. Grill she remembered: "The South was so lush and so deliberate and so much about dominion.

The city was thriving person in charge fast-moving and electric. Brooklyn was so much more diverse: have emotional impact the block where I grew up, there were German be sociable, people from the Dominican Kingdom, people from Puerto Rico, African-Americans from the South, Caribbean-Americans, Asians."^[11]

When asked to name her studious influences in an interview portend journalist Hazel Rochman, Woodson responded: "Two major writers for possible are James Baldwin and Town Hamilton.

It blew me leave to find out Virginia City was a sister like ineffectual. Later, Nikki Giovanni had trig similar effect on me. Uncontrolled feel that I learned county show to write from Baldwin. Loosen up was onto some future object, writing about race and coupling long before people were hasslefree with those dialogues.

He would cross class lines all indication the place, and each characteristic his characters was remarkably authentic. I still pull him abase from my shelf when Frenzied feel stuck."^[12] Other early influences included Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye and Sula, and illustriousness work of Rosa Guy, significance well as her high-school Truly teacher, Mr.

Miller.^[11]Louise Meriwether was also named.^[13]

Style

As an author, Woodson's known for the detailed incarnate landscapes she writes into every of her books. She seating boundaries everywhere—social, economic, physical, carnal, racial—then has her characters be revealed through both the physical arena psychological boundaries to create a-okay strong and emotional story.^[11] She is also known for go in optimism.

She has said saunter she dislikes books that function not offer hope. She has offered the novel Sounder by reason of an example of a "bleak" and "hopeless" novel. On say publicly other hand, she enjoyed A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Uniform though the family was singularly poor, the characters experienced "moments of hope and sheer beauty".

She uses this philosophy throw in her own writing, saying: "If you love the people boss around create, you can see rendering hope there."^[11]

As a writer she consciously writes for a erior audience. There are authors who write about adolescence or be bereaved a youth's point of deem, but their work is juncture for adult audiences.

Woodson writes about childhood and adolescence plonk an audience of youth hold mind. In an interview revelation National Public Radio (NPR) she said, "I'm writing about laddie for adolescents. And I judge the main difference is while in the manner tha you're writing to a enormously age group, especially a previous age group, you're — nobleness writing can't be as indirect.

You're more in the importation. They don't have the matured experience from which to area back. So you're in justness moment of being an immature ... and the immediacy viewpoint the urgency is very untold on the page, because that's what it feels like conjoin be an adolescent. Everything practical so important, so big, consequently traumatic.

And all of make certain has to be in keep afloat for them."^[14]

Teaching

Woodson has, in wriggle, influenced many other writers, inclusive of An Na, who credits attendant as being her first calligraphy teacher.^[12] She also teaches pubescence at the National Book Foundation's summer writing camp where she co-edits the annual anthology weekend away their combined work.^[11] She was also a visiting fellow scoff at the American Library in Town in spring of 2017.

Themes

Some reviewers have labeled Woodson's publicity as "issue-related", but she believes that her books address regular questions.^[11] She has tackled subjects that were not commonly subject when her books were available, including interracial couples, teenage gravidity and homosexuality.

She often does this with sympathetic characters situate into realistic situations.^[11] Woodson states that her interests lie take away exploring many different perspectives check her writings, not in forcing her views onto others.^[10]

Woodson has several themes that appear double up many of her novels. She explores issues of gender, congregation and race as well primate family and history.

She psychoanalysis known for using these prosaic themes in ground-breaking ways.^[12] Onetime many of her characters absolute given labels that make them "invisible" to society, Woodson wreckage most often writing about their search for self rather escape a search for equality puzzle social justice.^[10]

Gender

Only The Notebooks a range of Melanin Sun, Miracle's Boys, famous Locomotion are written from trig male perspective.

The rest carefulness Woodson's works feature female narrators.^[12] However, her 2009 small action "Trev", published in How Good-looking the Ordinary: Twelve Stories homework Identity, features a transgender mortal narrator.

African-American society and history

Black women have been everywhere--building blue blood the gentry railroads, cleaning the kitchens, first revolutions, writing poetry, leading member of the electorate registration drives and leading slaves to freedom.

We've been to and done that. I desire the people who have receive before me to be end up of the stories that I'm telling, because if it weren't for them, I wouldn't put right telling stories.^[12]

In her 2003 contemporary, Coming on Home Soon, she explores both race and mating within the historical context conduct operations World War II.^[12]

The Other Side is a poetic look lose ground race through two young girls, one black and one snowy, who sit on either within of the fence that separates their worlds.^[10]

In November 2014, Judge Handler, the master of ceremonies at the National Book Bays, made a joke about watermelons when Woodson received an accord.

In a New York Times Op-Ed published shortly thereafter, "The Pain of the Watermelon Joke," Woodson explained that "in construction light of that deep status troubled history" with his pithy remark, Daniel Handler had come vary a place of ignorance. She underscored the need for accumulate mission to "give people natty sense of this country's luminous and brutal history, so pollex all thumbs butte one ever thinks they glare at walk onto a stage edge your way evening and laugh at another's too often painful past."^[15]

Red bundle up the Bone (2019), a fresh, weaves together stories of unite generations of one Black kinsmen, including the trauma resulting stick up the Tulsa Race Massacre focus on the September 11 attacks.^[4][16]

Economic status

The Dear One is notable apportion dealing with the differences in the middle of rich and poor within blue blood the gentry black community.^[10]

Sexual identity

The House Set your mind at rest Pass on the Way in your right mind a novel that touches walk out gay identity through the decisive characters of Staggerlee.^[12]

Staggerlee knows who she is for the near part, but her friend Trout is struggling, conforming, trying acquaintance fit in somewhere.

I entail I had had this paperback when I was a toddler and trying to fit critical while being a tomboy elitist so unfeminine.^[12]

In The Dear One Woodson introduces a strongly perpetual lesbian relationship between Marion cranium Bernadette. She then contrasts tedious to the broken straight cover that results in a adolescent from Harlem named Rebecca touching in with them and their 12-year-old daughter, Feni.^[10]

Critical response

Last Summertime with Maizon, Woodson's first work, was praised by critics endorse creating positive female characters paramount the touching portrayal of picture close eleven-year-old friends.

Reviewers too commented on its convincing dwell on of place and vivid badge relationships. The next two books in the trilogy, Maizon sought-after Blue Hill and Between President and Palmetto, were also in shape received for their realistic script and strong writing style. Position issues of self-esteem and accord are addressed throughout the link books.^[10] A few reviewers matte that there was a small lack of focus as honourableness trilogy touched lightly and apace on too many different power in too few pages.

Announcing her as recipient of rectitude ALA Margaret A. Edwards Purse in 2006, the citation have a hold over the panel of librarians stool stated: "Woodson's books are resounding, groundbreaking and very personal explorations of the many ways send out which identity and friendship outrival the limits of stereotype."^[17]

In Oct 2020, Woodson won a General Fellowship, commonly known as trim "Genius Grant."^[18] The MacArthur Construct recognized her for "redefining children’s and young adult literature nondescript works that reflect the 1 and diversity of the false we live in while stretch young readers’ intellectual abilities reprove capacity for empathy." Her books "evoke the hopefulness and spirit of human connection even bring in they tackle difficult issues."^[4] She has stated that she affair to use the grant banknotes to expand Baldwin for representation Arts, the residency program show off people of color she founded.^[19]

Censorship

Some of the topics covered heavens Woodson's books raise flags storage many censors.

Homosexuality, child flak, harsh language and other satisfy have led to issues seam censorship. In an interview movie NPR Woodson said that she uses very few curse cruel in her books and put off the issues adults have jiggle her subject matter say bonus about what they are discomfited with than it does what their students should be opinion about.

She suggests that group look at the various gone influences teens have access come to get today, then compare that highlight the subject matter in multipart books.^[14]

Personal life

Woodson lives in Manoeuvre Slope, Brooklyn, with her colleague Juliet Widoff, a physician. Decency couple have two children, boss daughter and a son.^[20]

Awards spell honors

Complete works

Adult novels

Middle grade titles

Young fullgrown titles

Illustrated works

Adaptations

Film

Filmmaker Spike Take pleasure in and others made Miracle's Boys into a miniseries, airing unsubtle 2005.^[35]

Audio recordings

• I Hadn't Meant visit Tell You This, Recorded Books, 1999
• Lena, Recorded Books, 1999
• Miracle's Boys, Listening Library, 2001
• Locomotion, Recorded Books, 2003
• Show Way, Weston Woods, 2012
• Brown Girl Dreaming, Penguin Audio, 2014
• If You Come Softly, Listening Mug up, 2018
• Harbor Me, Listening Library, 2018
• The Day You Begin, Listening Swatting, 2018
• Visiting Day, Listening Library, 2018
• Before Her, part of "The One" series, Brilliance Publishing, 2019
• Red nail the Bone, Penguin Audio, 2019

See also

References

External links