1964— Comedian, actor Sykes, Wanda, photograph. Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images. Wanda Sykes has been doing standup comedy since the late 1980s. Known for her sharp, edgy wit, she has become a regular on Comedy Central and HBO as both a writer and a performer. In 2003 she starred in Fox Television's short-lived Wanda at Large, and in 2004 she debuted in Wanda Does It on Comedy…
Luis Tapia: 1950—: Sculptor. Nobel Prize winner and Mexican poet Octavio Paz wrote, "No matter how terrible and powerful the reasons for leaving their countries, the Hispanics have not broken their ties with their places of origin." Like Los Angeles, Miami, and New York, New Mexico is an American center of Hispanic population. But unlike those booming metropolises, New Mex…
1968– Monarch King Mswati III is one of the last absolute monarchs in the world, and the last in Africa. He rules over Swaziland, the second smallest country on the continent with a population of just over one million. The kingdom has the world's highest prevalence of HIV and AIDS with 40 percent of the population suffering from the disease. Despite the plight of the country's…
Born 1951, in Bryn Mawr, PA; Ruth SwainEducation: Vassar College, A.B., 1973. Politics: Liberal. Religion: Episcopalian. Hobbies and other interests: Books, history, travel, baking, theater. Writer and educator. Worked at book stores in New York, NY, and Philadelphia, PA, 1973–80; appraiser of antique jewelry, 1980–85; nursery school teacher, beginning 1989. Volunteer for schools, al…
Nationality: Canadian. Born: Midland, Ontario, 1945. Education: Havergal College, early 1960s; McGill University, B.A. 1967. Career: Writer and performer in theatre, 1970s; creative writing teacher, York University, Toronto. Coming from a career in journalism and presently teaching at York University in Toronto, Canadian writer Susan Swan has produced three novels and two volumes of short pieces …
Nationality: British. Born: London, 1949. Education: Dulwich College, 1960-67; Queens' College, Cambridge, 1967-70, B.A., M.A.; York University, 1970-73. Lives in London. Awards: Geoffrey Faber Memorial prize, 1983; Guardian Fiction prize, 1983; Royal Society of Literature Winifred Holtby award, 1984; Premio Grinzane Cavour (Italy), 1987; Prix du meilleur livre étranger (France), 1994;…
Nationality: American. Born: Oakland, California, 1952. Education: San Jose State University, California, B.A. in linguistics and English, 1973, M.A. in linguistics, 1974; University of California, Berkley, 1974-76. Career: Specialist in language development, Alameda County Association for Mentally Retarded, Oakland, 1976-80; project director, MORE Project, San Francisco, 1980-81; reporter, managi…
1971– Basketball player Swoopes, Sheryl, photograph. • Louis DeLuca/Sports_NS/Dallas Morning News/Corbis. Her name rhymes with "hoops." Her talent has been compared with that of Michael Jordan. Even more importantly, she has earned the ultimate endorsement contract most athletes only dream about—a line of footwear named in her honor. Sheryl Swoopes has reached th…
1949(?)– Journalist Talley, Andre Leon, photograph. Evan Agostini/Getty Images. Long known to readers of Vogue magazine's American edition, André Leon Talley is one of the fashion industry's most influential stylesetters. Famous among fashionistas for his flamboyant, often custom-made outfits that accentuate his six-feet, seveninch frame, as well as by his booming barit…
Nationality: Irish. Born: Ireland, 1955. Career: Journalist and columnist for the Dublin Sunday Independent, beginning in 1985; essayist for Esquire (London), and London Review of Books. Awards: Irish Times—Aer Lingus International Fiction Prize, 1991; Encore Prize for best second novel published in Britain, 1992; E. M. Forster Award (American Academy of Arts and Letters), 1995. Agent: c/o …
Miguel Tejada: 1976—: Baseball player. Baseball sensation Miguel Tejada, named the American League's Most Valuable Player in 2002, traveled an obstacle filled road to athletic stardom. The youngest of eight children, Tejada grew up in the slums of Bani in the Dominican Republic, where opportunities to succeed were few. His prospects became even more bleak when at the age of thir…
Born 1955, in OH; Ethnicity: "African American." Education: Case Western Reserve University, B.A. (English), 1980; Cleveland State University, M.A. (English), 1991. Hobbies and other interests: Reading, kite-making, museums, botanical gardens, zoos. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Lee &Low Books, 95 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016. Writer and placement officer. University of M…
Art critics hail Spanish painter Antoni Tàpies as his country's greatest living artist. Since the 1950s Tàpies has been creating large, emotionally resonant abstract works that owe much to the cultural heritage of his native Catalonia. "Tàpies is one of a number of post World War II European artists who, in their attempt at breaking through the constraints of cub…
Born 1964, in Spokane, WA; Ethnicity: "Asian." Education: Attended Boise State University. Hobbies and other interests: Competitive climbing, including rock climbing, winter climbing, and Himalayan alpine climbing. Blue Star International, marketing director, 1996-97; Texture Media, Inc., Denver, CO, content strategist, 2000-03. Also worked at Summit Canyon Mountaineering, Glenwood S…
Born 1953, in Boulder, CO; Education: Attended Grinnell College, 1971-73; Iowa State University, B.S., 1976. Politics: Democrat. Hobbies and other interests: Running, reading, gardening, traveling, cooking. Writer. Marshalltown Public Schools, Marshalltown, IA, teacher of fifth and sixth grade, 1976-77; Ames Public Schools, Ames, IA, teacher of fifth grade, 1977-81; Los Alamos National Laboratory,…
(Steve Swinburne) Born 1952, in London, England; Education: Castleton State College, B.A. Hobbies and other interests: Gardening, bird watching, canoeing. Writer. Has also worked as a park ranger for National Park Service. Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, Children's Book Insider. Guide to Cumberland Island National Seashore, illustrated by Casey French Alexander, …
Born 1939, in Bradford, England; Education: Huddersfield Polytechnic, teaching certificate, 1972; Bradford University, M.A., 1988. Politics: "Ecology." Hobbies and other interests: Reading (almost anything), walking, travel, watching films. Agent—Jennifer Luithlen, "The Rowans," 88 Holmfield Rd., Leicester LE2 1SB, England. Telegraph and Argus, Bradford, Yorkshir…
Accent is on last syllable of surname; born 0022;Sometimes Democrat, mostly independent." Religion: Jewish. Hobbies and other interests: Visual and performing arts; taking painting classes; volunteering at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Author, 1982—; speaker and writing instructor. Previously Leo Burnett Co., Inc., New York, NY, production assistant/casting director for Search for …
Born 1932, in New York, NY; Education: Cooper Union, B.F.A., 1953. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Viking, Penguin Putnam, 375 Hudson St., New York, NY 10014. Illustrator. CBS Records, New York, NY, graphic designer, 1956–57; New York Times, New York, NY, designer, 1957–58; William Douglas McAdams, New York, NY, art director, 1958–60; freelance illustrator, 1960–63, 1970&…
(Mark Christopher Teague) Born 1963, in La Mesa, CA; Education: University of California, Santa Cruz, B.A., 1985. Politics: Democrat. Religion: Christian. Hobbies and other interests: Soccer, running. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Scholastic, 555 Broadway, New York, NY 10012. Freelance illustrator and writer, 1989–. Authors Guild, Authors League of America. Christopher Award, 2003, for Dear…
1963- Journalist Syler, Rene, photograph. CBS/Landov. In 2002 René Syler became the first African-American woman to host a network morning news program as coanchor for The Early Show on CBS. Syler deftly handled news stories and conducted interviews with both celebrities and political heavy-weights, and she won a top journalism honor for her 2003 series on breast-cancer awareness after her …
Surname is pronounced "zeck-er-es"; born 1933, in Bridgeport, CT; Education: Pratt Institute, certificate, 1954. Illustrator and writer. Artwork has appeared on calendars and greeting cards. Long Ago (collection of calendar art), McGraw Hill (New York, NY), 1976. A Child's First Book of Poems, Golden Books (New York, NY), 1981, published as Cyndy Szekeres' ABC, Golden B…
Cyndy Szekeres contributed the following autobiographical essay to SATA: I am Cyndy. I do not know why, but I am different because I do not think and see things like anybody else, but that's all right. I realized this at the age of five. Even so, unwanted differences separated me from my peers. My playmate, not by choice, by geography, was the girl next door. I didn't really enjoy he…
Born 0027;s name Tammy; Education: Studied commercial art at Des Moines Area Community College, Ankey. Agent—Linda Pratt, Sheldon Fogelman Literary Agency, 10 East 40th St., New York, NY 10016. Commercial artist and illustrator of children's books. Publication designer in Des Moines, IA; graphics reporter for Austin American-Statesman. Society of Children's Books Writers and …
Born 2002; Education: Bates College, B.A., 1997. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Candlewick Press, 2067 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02140. Author and illustrator. Worked part-time for Tavares Design Associates, 1997-2000. Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Seal Award, and Massachusetts Book Award Honor, both 2000, both for Zachary's Ball. Zachary's Ball, Candlewick Press (Cambridge,…
Born 1957, in Nigata, Japan. Education: Attended Nihon Josei-dai (Japan Women's University); attended Gekiga Sonjuko (manga school); studied with Kazuo Koike. Agent—c/o Author Mail, VIZ Communications, P.O. Box 77010, San Francisco, CA 94107. Manga artist and writer. New Comic Artist award, Shogakukan (publishers), 1977, for "Katte na Yatsuma"; Inkpot Award, 1994. Ranma…
Born 1942, in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada; Education: University of Alberta, B.Ed., 1964; Carleton College, M.A., 1970; University of Victoria, M.B.A., 1994. Environment Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, land-use planner, 1970–74; Ministry of Forests for Province of British Columbia, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, resource consultant, 1974–84; restaurant owner-manager in Victoria, 1984&…
(Joyce Kay Sweeney) Born 1955, in Dayton, OH; Education: Wright State University, B.A. (summa cum laude), 1977; graduate study in creative writing at Ohio University, 1977–78. Politics: Democrat. Religion: Unity. Hobbies and other interests: Native American studies, Florida natural history, professional wrestling. Agent—George Nicholson, Sterling Lord Literistic, Inc., 65 Bleecker St…
1959— Corporate executive Natalie Taylor grew up surrounded by adults who believed that hard work would lead to success and who demonstrated that belief in the way they lived their lives. Taught to aim high and expect a lot of herself, she has set and achieved one goal after another throughout her career. Beginning with paying for her college education by working several part-time jobs as a…
Born 1952, in Donegal, Ireland; Education: Attended Gormanston College, 1965-70, University College, Dublin, 1970-72, and University of Freiburg, 1977-78; Polytechnic of North London, B.A. (German and English; with honors), 1978. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Jonathan Cape, Random House, 20 Vauxhall Bridge Rd., London SW1V 2SA, England. Freelance writer, beginning mid-1980s. Farnham College, Surr…
Born in Gettysburg, PA. Education: Attended Middlebury College and Oxford University. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 19 Union Square West, New York, NY 10003. Prop man for film industry in New York, NY; freelance writer; teacher of creative writing. New York Library Summer Seminar for High School English Teachers (summer program), dean; workshop presenter. Open Socie…
Born 1942, in Mena AR; Education: Arizona State University, B.A., 1963; University of Oklahoma, M.A., 1970; University of Arkansas, M.A., 1981. Hobbies and other interests: Reading, hiking, music, traveling. Educator, 1963-66; library media specialist, Springdale, AR, 1981-95; critique service provider, Springdale, 1995-2002. Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. Name That Bo…
Born 1960, in Tokyo, Japan; Education: Attended Otsama Women's College (Japan). Agent—c/o Author Mail, Houghton Mifflin, 222 Berkeley St., Boston, MA 02116-3764. Author and illustrator of children's books. Baby's Things, Chronicle Books (New York, NY), 1994. I Live in Tokyo, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 2001. I Live in Brooklyn, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 2004. C…
Born 1959, in Scarborough, England; children: Hannah, Abigail, one other daughter. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Penguin Putnam, 375 Hudson St., New York, NY 10014. Novelist and cleric. CBS Records, London, England, band promoter, c.1970; worked as an elder-care aide, mid-1970s; policeman, c. 1988-95; entered Anglican priesthood, parish priest of Whitby, now Vicar of St. Mary's Church, Clou…
Born 1938, in Lower Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand; Education: Attended Christchurch Teachers' College (New Zealand), 1957–58. Hobbies and other interests: Reading, music, gardening, skiing, hunting. Primary-school teacher in New Zealand, 1959–85; Ohakune School, Ohakune, New Zealand, principal, 1979–86; writer, 1985–. Mayor of Borough of Ohakune, New Zealand, 198…
Born 1955, in Augusta, ME; Education: Mount Holyoke College, A.B., 1976; Newnham College, Cambridge, B.A., 1978, M.A., 1983; Yale University, M.A., 1979, M.Phil., 1983, Ph.D., 1988. Agent—Russell Galen, Scout Chichak Galen, 381 Park Ave. S., Suite 1112, New York, NY 10016. Edward Little High School, Auburn, ME, Latin teacher, 1979-81; writer, 1985—. Wesleyan University, Middletown, C…
Born 1934, in Alexandria, LA; Education: Lamar University, B.S., 1956. Religion: Protestant. Writer and illustrator. Beaumont Enterprise and Journal, Beamont, TX, staff artist, 1956–59; KFDM-TV, Beaumont, artist and cameraman, 1959; Continental Can Company, Beaumont, artist, 1959–60; Macmillan Publishing, New York, NY, assistant art director, 1960–64; Altman, Stoller Advertisi…
1975– Singer, actress "I always wanted to be a singer," Tamia told the New Pittsburgh Courier. "Ever since I was six years old and I stepped in front of the congregation, I knew that that's what I wanted to be." From her home in the McDougall Street Projects of Windsor, Ontario, Tamia has sung her way from church choirs to amateur contests to the top of th…
1948– Children's writer, journalist Crafting uplifting stories about young African American girls who learn valuable lessons about their heritage and how to cope with the problems that surround them, Eleanora E. Tate has provided a wealth of positive role models for her readers. Her highly acclaimed stories have been hailed by critics for shattering racial stereotypes, promoting the …
Born 1956, in Providence, RI; Education: University of Rhode Island, B.A., 1978; Emerson College, M.F.A., 1994. Politics: Liberal. Religion: Buddhist. Hobbies and other interests: "Cooking, playing with my son, hiking, and being in nature." Agent—Jennifer Flannery, 1140 Wickfield Ct., Naperville, IL 60653. Writer, 1993—. Various positions as sales representative, sales …
Born in Jamaica. Hobbies and other interests: Dancing. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Bloomsbury Publishing, 38 Soho Square, London W1D 3HB, England. Dancer in Jamaica with Jayteens Dance Workshop and Movements Dance Company; writer. Grandma, You're Dead!, Bloomsbury Publishing (London, England), 2001. Sharon O. Tai is a native of Jamaica who has also lived in Brighton, England, Tokyo, and N…
