Nationality: British. Born: Birmingham, 1961. Education: Trinity College, Cambridge, 1980-83, B.A. (honours) in English literature; Warwick University, 1983-86, Ph.D in English literature. Career: Loan officer, Barclays Bank; poetry tutor, Warwick University; cabaret pianist; legal proofreader; arts journalist. Agent: Tony Peake, Peake Associates, 14 Grafton Crescent, London NW1 8SL, England. My f…
Nationality: South African. Born: Cape Town, 1940. Education: The University of Cape Town, B.A. 1960, M.A. 1963; University of Texas, Austin, Ph.D. 1969. Career: Applications programmer, IBM, London, 1962-63; systems programmer, International Computers, Bracknell, Berkshire, 1964-65; Assistant Professor, 1968-71, and Butler Professor of English, 1984, State University of New York, Buffalo. Lecture…
1943– President, trade unionist Frederick Chiluba was elected president of Zambia in 1991 in the country's first multiparty elections. A landlocked country in Africa, Zambia is heavily dependent on a single export commodity, copper, and as such has one of the highest levels of industrialization on the continent, and the most developed trade union movement, apart from that in South Af…
1985– Vocalist, songwriter Ciara, photograph. Noel Hines/Landov. Youthful R&B vocalist Ciara (pronounced "Sierra") became an icon on the pop music scene in the summer of 2004. Her single "Goodies" spent seven weeks at No. 1 on pop charts, and its unsyncopated but subtly layered beats pounded out of sport-utility vehicles all over North America. A striking bea…
1935–2005 Professional baseball player, businessman, lawyer, writer On March 1, 1969, Donn Clendenon retired from professional baseball. Seven months later, he was playing again and was named Most Valuable Player of the 1969 World Series as a member of the world champion New York Mets. All of this occurred due to trades, contracts and other concerns that are part of the business of baseball…
1956(?)— Entertainment executive Chase, Debra Martin, photograph. Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images. Film producer Debra Martin Chase is one of just a handful of minority women who wield power among the back offices at the major Hollywood studios. Chase's job entails overseeing the production of new movies on their way to the multiplex, and she scored her first genuine hit in 20…
Born 1951, in Lookout, PA; Varrichio, January 13, 1995; Education: Attended New School for Social Research (now New School University), 1984-88, Luzerne County Community College, University of Scranton, and University of Wisconsin. Politics: Republican. Religion: Methodist/Protestant. Hobbies and other interests: Reading, writing, walking, regional history. Office—R.R. 1, Box 153, Damascus,…
Born 1931; Education: University of Wyoming, B.S., 1953, M.A., 1961. Kansas State University of Agriculture and Applied Science, Manhattan, KS, associate professor of English, 1961—. Member of Wabaunsee County (KS) Planning Commission, 1969—. Military service: U.S. Army, 1954-56. Authors Guild. The Muskie Hook, illustrated by Tom O'Sullivan, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1969. The …
Born 1941, in Casper, WY; Education: Colorado College, B.A., 1963; University of Colorado, M.A., 1964; University of Wisconsin, Madison, Ph.D., 1970. Politics: Republican. Religion: Methodist. Office—American Enterprise Institute, 1150 17th St. NW, Ste. 1100, Washington, DC 20036-4603. Agent—Bill Adler, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020. Freelance writer, 1970-83; Georg…
Female; children. Office—3018 45th Ave. S.W., Seattle, WA 98116. Artist, author, and children's book illustrator. Creator of cover art for books, including Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach. Caldecott Honor Book designation, 2004, for Ella Sarah Gets Dressed. Margaret Chodos-Irvine Ella Sarah Gets Dressed, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2003. Ursula Le Guin, Always Coming H…
Born in London, England. Hobbies and other interests: Painting, reading, movies, gardening, exercise. Agent—c/o Aladdin, Simon & Schuster, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020. Writer and illustrator. Formerly worked in an advertising agency. Drawing Horses and Ponies, Hamlyn Children's (London, England), 1994. The Best Pony for Me!, Macdonald (Hemel Hempsted, Engla…
Surname is pronounced "shoe-row"; born 1936, in Elkhart, IN; Education: Wheaton College, B.A., 1958; graduate study at Chelsea School of Art, 1958–59; studied book illustration at School of Visual Arts, 1966–68. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Harcourt International, 6277 Sea Harbor Dr., Orlando, FL 32887. Artist; illustrator and writer of children's books. Freelan…
1964— Actor, director, writer, musician Don Cheadle has carved as unique niche for himself in Hollywood. He is, as Esquire dubbed him, "the thinking man's character actor." Cheadle selects his roles with care, relishing the opportunity to try new things. Cheadle has won extensive critical acclaim for his vast array of characters, including his turns as a district attorn…
1914-2005 Psychologist, educator, writer Kenneth Bancroft Clark will remain among the most prominent black social scientists of the twentieth century. For many years a professor of psychology at City College of New York (now City College of the City University of New York), Clark achieved national recognition when his work was cited by the U.S. Supreme Court in its 1954 ruling that racially segreg…
1907-2005 YWCA President A staunch advocate of racial equality and a life long supporter of the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA), Helen Claytor spent her career working tirelessly and courageously to ensure minority rights. The first black president of the National YWCA, she dedicated her talents to the organization and to the cause of betterment for all. Also active in the Urban …
1937-2005 Lawyer Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr. led the winning team of lawyers in what has been known as the "trial of the century," and in the process became arguably the most famous lawyer in the world. Cochran's successful defense of former football great O. J. Simpson against charges of murder in the televised trial was followed by millions of Americans. Although his trial tacti…
Born 1928, in Cleveland, OH; Education: Attended DePauw University, 1946–49. Politics: "Variable." Religion: Protestant. WGAR-Radio, Cleveland, OH, scriptwriter for weekly juvenile series. "Fairytale Theatre," 1949–53; freelance writer, 1976–. President, Los Altos Morning Forum, 1971–73. Shirley Climo Authors Guild, Society of Children'…
1924-2005 Politician, writer, educator In becoming the first black, as well as the first woman, to ever seek a major political party's nomination for the U.S. presidency, former New York congresswoman Shirley Chisholm demonstrated that aspirations for the nation's executive office need not be the exclusive domain of white males. Chisholm's unsuccessful 1972 campaign for the De…
Born 1975, in Pingtung, Taiwan; Education: Attended three years of college. Freelance children's book illustrator, 1999—. Memories, Hsin Yi Publications, 2000. On My Way to Buy Eggs, Kane/Miller Book Publishers (La Jolla, CA), 2001. A Day Presents Are a Must, Heryin, 2003. Guji Guji, Kane/Miller Book Publishers (La Jolla, CA), 2004. Taiwanese artist Chih-Yuan Chen is the author and i…
Surname pronounced chur-ip-ko; born 1951, in West Point, NY; Education: Attended Orange County Community College, 1970-72; St. Thomas Aquinas College (Sparkhill, NY), B.A., 1974. Politics: Conservative. Religion: Episcopalian. Hobbies and other interests: Gardening, bird-watching, volleyball. office—c/o Boyds Mill Press, 815 Church St., Honesdale, PA 18431. Author and editor. Sullivan Count…
Born 1978, in New York, NY; Education: Brown University, B.A., 2000. Agent—Elaine Markson, Elaine Markson Literary Agency, 44 Greenwich Ave., New York, NY 10011. Writer. American Library Association. Prep, Dutton Books (New York, NY), 2003. …
Born 1926, in Brooklyn, NY; (second marriage) Gabriel, Jem. Education: Attended Newburgh Free Academy, 1943, and Antioch College, 1944-45. Politics: Independent progressive. Religion: Jewish. Writer. Parents' Choice award, 1984, for Born to Dance Samba. Will I Have a Friend?, illustrated by Lillian Hoban, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1967. Best Friends, illustrated by Lillian Hoban, Macmillan …
1944- Politician Christie, Perry, photograph. AP/Wide World Photos. Reproduced by permission. Perry Gladstone Christie became prime minister of the Bahamas in May of 2002 after a long career in his Caribbean island-nation's main legislative body, the National Assembly. Christie heads the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) of the Bahamas, which dominated the political landscape even before the …
Linda Chavez-Thompson: 1944—: Labor leader. As the number three person at the American Federation of Labor and Congress Industrial Organizations, better known by the acronym AFL-CIO, Linda Chavez-Thompson is in a powerful position. She can turn the ears of politicians, labor union leaders, and the media. She can also put fear into corporate leaders dead set against unionism. When Chavez…
Henry Cisneros: 1947—: San Antonio mayor and Cabinet secretary. Henry Cisneros has often been compared with his immediate supervisor for much of the 1990s—U.S. president Bill Clinton. Both men were intelligent, politically skilled, well-educated, and committed not only to the ideal of change but to the nuts-and-bolts challenges of implementing it. And both were irreversibly diver…
Born 1961, in Texas; Education: Atlanta College of Art, B.F.A., 1984; attended Georgia State University, 1986, School of Visual Arts, New York City, M.F.A., 1996. Hobbies and other interests: "Riding horses, western and English style, inline skating, playing with my dog Ah Wing, traveling, learning to speak Italian." Agent—William Reiss, John Hawkins and Associates, Inc., 71 W…
Sandra Cisneros: 1954—: Writer. As the first Hispanic-American to receive a major publishing contract, Sandra Cisneros has provided a voice for she who had had none before, the Hispanic-American woman—or to use Cisneros' favored word—the chicana. "I'm trying to write the stories that haven't been written. I feel like a cartographer. I'm d…
Dennis Chavez: 1888-1962: Legislator. As the first native-born Hispanic to serve in the U.S. Senate, Dennis Chavez burned with a desire to provide minorities with equal protection under the law. Long before Rosa Parks refused to move to the back of the bus, and years before Martin Luther King, Jr., had his dream, Dennis Chavez, the gentle liberal, was demanding equality for all. As early as 19…
Linda Chavez: 1947—: Civil rights advocate, columnist, commentator. Bowed but far from broken by the 2001 derailment of her nomination to serve as labor secretary in the administration of George W. Bush, Linda Chavez remains as outspoken as ever in support of the conservative ideals she champions. At one time almost as passionate about liberal causes, Chavez—like thousands of oth…
Born 1956, in Kawakawa, New Zealand; Education: Attended Bay of Islands College, 1969-72; Deakin University, B.A., 1992. Agent—Kendra Marcus, Bookstop Literary Agency, 67 Meadow View Rd., Orinda, CA 94563. Library assistant in New Zealand, 1973-76; community arts worker for various organizations in Australia, including Footscray Community Arts Center, 1989-95; Victoria University, Melbourn…
Roberto Clemente: 1934-1972: Baseball player. The first Puerto Rican member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, Roberto Clemente broke down many of the barriers against Latinos in baseball. Puerto Rican broadcaster and journalist Luis Mayoral was quoted in Sports Illustrated as saying, "Clemente was our Jackie Robinson. He was on a crusade to show the American public what a Hispanic man, a bl…
Evelyn Cisneros: 1959—: Ballerina. For nearly a quarter of a century, Evelyn Cisneros captivated audiences as the prima ballerina of the prestigious San Francisco Ballet. She gained worldwide acclaim for her dancing which was both dramatically expressive and technically precise. Choreographers clamored to create dances for her. Partners were eager to share the stage with her. Critics we…
Imogene Coca: 1908-2001: Actress. Imogene Coca was best remembered as the elfin come-dienne with the incredibly flexible face who starred with Sid Caesar on television's Your Show of Shows. Her career spanned from the waning days of vaudeville through the comedy resorts of the Catskills and on through the beginnings of television, extending to a fondly remembered role as elderly Aunt Ed…
Over the course of his lifetime, Marc Cisneros has navigated a lot of terrain. Cisneros began life among the cowhands in the dusty ranchlands of South Texas, knuckled his way through the jungles of Vietnam, became an Army general, and ended up establishing policy among the halls of academia. His accomplishments have made Cisneros a favorite South Texas son. On the outskirts of his hometown of Prem…
1956— Professional basketball player and coach Cheeks, Maurice, photograph. AP/Wide World Photos. Maurice Cheeks played point guard in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 15 years. During his long career, the 6-foot, 1-inch tall Cheeks was known for his speed, his ability to handle the ball, his consistent play, and his work ethic. Never one to seek out the spotlight, he wa…
1922(?)-1990 Professional basketball player One of the first three African-American players in the National Basketball Association (NBA), Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton was actually the first under official contract to play in the league. He was a "first" in another way as well: he might be considered the NBA's first black star. While Chuck Cooper and Earl Lloyd, Clift…
Born 1955, in London, England; present surname, Falloon); Education: Chelsea School of Art, B.A. (with honors), 1978; Royal College of Art, M.A. (with honors), 1983. Agent—Laura Cecil, 17 Alwyne Villas, London N1, England. Author, illustrator, and editor of children's books, 1983–. Worked in a design studio and as a freelance illustrator of newspapers, periodicals, and book ja…
Male. Author and illustrator. Rainy Day Dream, Farrar, Straus, and Giroux (New York, NY), 1992. Archibald Frisby, Farrar, Straus, and Giroux (New York, NY), 1994. Monsters on the Loose, WhistleStop (Mahwah, NJ), 1996. Alphaboat, Farrar, Straus, and Giroux (New York, NY), 2002. Dwight L. Holden, Gran-gran's Best Trick, Magination Press (New York, NY), 1989. Roberta Chaplan, Tell Me a Story, …
Born 1965, in Berkshire, England; father an artist and art teacher, mother an infant and primary teacher. Education: Attended Manchester Polytechnic, 1985-86; studied decorative arts with City and Guilds London, 1987-88. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Candlewick Press, 2067 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02140. Writer and illustrator. Founder of Chandeliers for the People (lampshade designers); …
Born 1958, in Spartanburg, SC; Education: University of North Carolina, B.A., 1980; Tulane University, M.F.A., 1988. Agent—c/o Pippin Properties Inc., 155 East 38th Street, Ste. 2H, New York, NY 10016. Artist, author, and illustrator, 1998—. Formerly worked at Christie's Auction House, Los Angeles; art teacher in Pensacola, FL, elementary schools, at University of West Florida…
Born 1968, in Chicago, IL; Education: Northeastern Illinois University, graduated, 1992. Hobbies and other interests: "Besides being with my family, I love to dance and sing in my living room. I listen to jazz music and showtunes, and I especially like to sing gospel music and bang my tambourine very loudly. What I lack in talent I make up for in noise. (Some people have said the same about…
Born 1972, in Pittsburgh, PA; Ethnicity: "Polish, Slovack, Irish, Scotch." Education: University of Southern California, B.F.A., 1992. Agent—Jeff Gorin, William Morris Agency, 1 William Morris Place, Beverly Hills, CA 90212. Screenwriter, television writer, and stage writer. Director of film The Four Corners of Nowhere, 1995. (And director) The Four Corners of Nowhere (screenp…
(J. Clarke) Born 1943, in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; Education: University of New South Wales, B.A. (with honors), 1964; Australian National University, M.A. (with honors), 1966. Teacher, librarian, lecturer, and writer. New South Wales Premier's Award shortlist, 1989, and Editors' Choice designation, Booklist, Best Book for Young Adults designation, American Library Associa…
Born 1952, in Hormigueros, Puerto Rico; immigrated to United States, 1956; Ethnicity: "Puerto Rican" Education: Augusta College, B.A., 1974; Florida Atlantic University, M.A., 1977; attended Oxford University, 1977. Office—Mercer University College, Forsyth, GA 31029. Agent—Berenice Hoffman Literary Agency, 215 West 75th St., New York, NY 10023. Bilingual teacher at pu…
Female. Education: Boston University, B.A., B.Mus., 1992. Hobbies and other interests: Trading-card, role-playing, and board game enthusiast. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Enslow Publishers, Box 398, 40 Industrial Road, Berkeley Heights, NJ 07922-0398. Writer, editor, and musician. Violin teacher, 1992—; TV Guide, editorial assistant, 1992-93; American Association for Cancer Research, Phil…
(Andrew Elborn) Born 1949, in Camden, NJ; son of William Denney, Jr. (an insurance executive) and Doris (Kruse) Andrew Clements Clements; Education: Northwestern University, B.A. (English literature), 1971; National Louis University, M.A. (elementary education), 1972. Agent—Writers House, 21 West 26th St., New York, NY 10010. (As Andrew Elborn) Bird Adalbert, Picture Book Studio (Sax…
Born 1951, in Harare, Zimbabwe; Education: Attended Durban School of Art and California Institute of the Arts. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Bodley Head, 20 Vauxhall Bridge Rd., London SW1V 2SA, England. Freelance illustrator, 1976—; also worked in advertising agencies in Cape Town, South Africa, London, England, and Los Angeles, CA. Exhibitions: Mazza Collection Galleria, University of Fi…
1939– President President Joaquim Chissano devoted 40 years of his life to carving a stable, independent Mozambique from a former Portuguese colonial backwater. Chissano is responsible for Mozambique's foreign policy of political nonalignment, which earned him firm friendships with both western and Marxist regimes and enabled him to replace neighboring South Africa's hostility…
Nationality: American. Born: New York City, 1937. Education: Columbia University, New York, B.A. (cum laude) 1959 (Phi Beta Kappa). Career: Recreation leader, New York City Department of Parks, early 1960s; English teacher, High School of Music and Art, and School of Performing Arts, both New York, 1962-64; Lecturer in English, City College, New York, 1965; assistant professor of English, Stanfor…
Nationality: Indian. Born: Bihar, India, 1959. Career: Currently, officer, Indian Administrative Service. The corpus of Upamanyu Chatterjee is not vast but his is a powerful emergent voice in Indian postcolonial literature. Thus far he has published "The Assassination of Indira Gandhi" in 1986 and two novels, English, August: An Indian Story in 1988 and The Last Burden in 1993. Crit…
Nationality: American. Born: Perth Amboy, New Jersey, 1940. Education: Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, B.A. 1961, Ph.D. in comparative literature 1974. Career: Toll taker, New Jersey Turnpike, 1961-62; speechwriter, 1965; reporter, Fairchild Publications, 1966; instructor in literature, Bennington College, Vermont, 1970-78; visiting writer, University of the South, 1984, University …
Judith Ortiz Cofer: 1952—: Poet, novelist, educator. Best known for her poetry and novels on the meaning of identity and ethnicity, Judith Ortiz Cofer used her often rootless childhood as a basis for some of her most well known works. Many critics feel it is the journey that Ortiz Cofer takes her readers on that so many readers can relate to, a quest of sorts to discover what it means …
Nationality: American. Born: Monroeville, Alabama, 1957. Education: Attended Louisiana State University, Shreveport, 1974-75; University of Alabama, 1974-78. Career: Writer, Birmingham News, Birmingham, Alabama, 1977-80; features editor, Southern Living, Birmingham, Alabama, 1980-84; regional editor, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 1984-85. Agent: Frederick Hill Associates, 1842 Union Street, San Fr…
Nationality: Zimbabwean. Born: Gweru, Zimbabwe, 1957. Education: University of Zimbabwe, B.A. (honors) in English 1979; University of Iowa, M.A. in creative writing 1985. Career: High school teacher, 1981-81; curriculum developer, 1983-87; editor, publisher and author, 1988-94; Dana Visiting Professor of creative writing, St. Lawrence University, 1995-96. Awards: Commonwealth Writers prize (Africa…
Nationality: American. Born: Born Carolyn Penny in Portland, Maine, 1947. Education: Attended University of Southern Maine, 1972-78. Career: Variously professions, including waitress, chicken factory worker, hospital floor scrubber, shoe factory worker, potato farm worker, tutor, canvasser, teacher, social worker, and school bus driver, 1970s-1980s; part-time suburban correspondent, Portland Eveni…
Nationality: American. Born: Chicago, Illinois, 1954. Education: Loyola University, B.A. 1976; University of Iowa, M.F.A. 1978. Career: Teacher, Latino Youth Alternative High School, Chicago, Illinois, 1978-80; college recruiter and counselor for minority students, Loyola University, Chicago, Illinois, 1981-82; artist-in-residence, Foundation Michael Karolyi, Vence, France, 1983; literature direct…
Born 1951, in Saranac Lake, NY; Education: University of Vermont, B.A. Hobbies and other interests: Travel, printing history, playing violin. Agent—Marcia Wernick, Sheldon Fogelman Agency, 10 East 40th St., New York, NY 10016. Author, illustrator, and playwright. Formerly worked for New York theatre, then Screen Actors Guild and Paramount Pictures. St. Michael's College, Colchester,…
Born 1951, in Riverside, NJ; Education: Rutgers University, B.A., 1972; Montclair State College, M.A. (American literature), 1974; City University of New York, M.A. (English literature), 1983. Hobbies and other interests: Surfing, transcendental woodsplitting. Office—Pottersfield Press, 83 Leslie Rd., East Lawrencetown, Nova Scotia B2Z 1PG, Canada. Writer, publisher, educator, musician, and…
Nationality: British. Born: Minehead, Somerset, 1917. Education: Huish's Grammar School, Taunton, Somerset, 1927-36; King's College, London, 1946-48, B.Sc. (honours) in physics and mathematics 1948. Military Service: Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force, 1941-46; served as Radar Instructor, and Technical Officer on the first Ground Controlled Approach radar; originated proposal f…
Nationality: Barbadian. Born: Barbados, 1934. Education: Combermere Boys' School, Barbados; Harrison's College, Barbados; Trinity College, University of Toronto. Career: Reporter in Timmins and Kirkland Lake, Ontario, 1959-60; since 1963, freelance producer and broadcaster, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Toronto; scriptwriter, Educational Television, Toronto; Ziskind Professor of…
Nationality: American. Born: Eutaw, Alabama, 1937. Education: Livingston State College, 1957-61, B.A. in English 1961; Vanderbilt University, 1961-63, M.A. in English 1963; Breadloaf School of English, Middlebury College, 1967-68. Career: Professor of English, 1963-89, and since 1989, writer-in-residence, both University of Montevallo, Alabama. Awards: Story Magazine 's Story of the Year Aw…
Nationality: Romanian-American. Born: Sibiu, Romania, 1946. Career: Visiting assistant professor, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, 1979-80; visiting professor, Naropa Institute, Boulder, Colorado; professor of English, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, 1984—; regular commentator on National Public Radio's All Things Considered. Awards: Big Table Younger Poets Award, 1970; …
