(Nicholas Adams, a joint pseudonym, Victor Appleton, a joint pseudonym, Martin Delrio, a joint pseudonym, Douglas Morgan, a joint pseudonym, Robyn Tallis, a joint pseudonym) Born 1952, in FL; Education: University of Pennsylvania, Ph.D. (English literature); also educated in Florida, Texas, and Arkansas. Agent—Valerie Smith, 1746 Rte, 44-55, Modena, NY 12548. Writer. Computer-assisted Lear…
Born 1954, in Carrickfergus, County Antrim, Northern Ireland; Education: Bolton Institute of Technology, B.A. (with honors), 1975; Shenstone New College, postgraduate certificate in education, 1976. Hobbies and other interests: Walking, cycling, reading, theater and music. Agent—Celia Catchpole Ltd., 56 Gilpin Ave., East Sheen, London SW14 8QY, England. Rowntree Mackintosh, York, England, …
Born 1970, in Palmerston North, New Zealand; Education: Nelson Polytechnic, certificate (craft and design), 1989; New Zealand Institute of Business, diploma (freelance journalism), 1998. Hobbies and other interests: Riding horses, reading books, listening to music, painting. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Reed Books, 39 Rawene Rd..Birkenhead, Auckland, New Zealand. Writer, illustrator, and artist. …
Born 1955, in Glasgow, Scotland; partner of Jackie Kay (a poet), beginning 1999; Education: University of Liverpool, B.A. (with honors), 1977. Office—Department of English, Manchester Metropolitan University, Goffrey Manton Building, Rosamond St. W., off Oxford Rd., Manchester M15 6LL, England. Agent—Penny Tackaberry, Tessa Sayle Agency, 11 Jubilee Pl., London SW3 3TE, England. Write…
Born 1958, in Sutton, Surrey, England; Education: Keble College, Oxford, B.A. (English language and literature). Politics: "Leftish." Religion: "Christian." Writer. Former publicist for Spastics Society (charity; now SCOPE); Walker Books, London, England, senior copywriter, beginning 1986; full-time writer. National Reading Campaign reading champion; lecturer and worksh…
Female. Education: Wake Forest University, B.A.; University of Massachusetts, M.F.A. Worked variously as paralegal, college English instructor, and arts administrator. Former editor and copublisher of Dream/Girl (arts magazine for girls). Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Juvenile Novel, 2001, and William Allen White Award, 2003, both for Dovey Coe. Dovey Coe, Atheneum (New York, NY), 2000. Where I&#…
1932– Civil rights activist, government official An important civil rights activist of the 1960s and 1970s and a campaigner for over 30 years, Hazel Nell Dukes is a leading figure in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and served as the organization's national president between 1989 and 1992. Dukes built a career in various social service agencies, …
Born 1951, in Boston, MA; Education: Attended University of New Mexico, 1970–73; University of Massachusetts, B.A., 1979. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Facts on File, Inc., 123 W. 31st St., New York, NY 10001. Berlin High School, Berlin, NH, English teacher, 1987–. Writer. The Apaches and Navajos, F. Watts (New York, NY), 1989. The Iroquois, F. Watts (New York, NY), 1989. Benazir Bhu…
Born 1963, in Port Chester, NY; Education: University of Rochester (English literature and European history; magna cum laude). Agent—c/o Author Mail, Harcourt St., Suite 1900, San Diego, CA 92101. Writer. Formerly worked as an antiques dealer, journalist, and copywriter. American Library Association Michael L. Printz Honor Book designation, Zoen honor (Netherlands), Los Angeles Times Book …
Born 1952, in Ridgewood, NJ; Education: California State Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo, B.S. in Childhood Development. Agent— Ginger Knowlton, Curtis Brown, Ltd., Ten Astor Pl., New York, NY 10003. Writer, 1989—. Teacher and teacher's aide for kindergarten, first through third grades, and art classes in Palo Alto, CA, 1975-78; administrative assistant for a publishin…
Born 1970. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Forge, 175 5th Ave., New York, NY 10010. Full-time writer of romance and mystery novels. (With husband, David Thurlo) WILLA Award, 2003, for contemporary fiction; RITA Career Achievement Award, 2003. Ariel's Desire, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1987. The Right Combination, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1988. Expiration Date, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1989.…
Education: Attended University of New Mexico. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Forge, 175 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10010. Writer. Teacher of mathematics, science, and technology. (With wife, Aimée Thurlo) WILLA Award, 2003, for contemporary fiction; RITA Career Achievement Award, 2003. Ariel's Desire, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1987. The Right Combination, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1988…
Born 1944, in Scunthorpe, England; Education: Goldsmiths College, London, B.A. (English; with honors). Hobbies and other interests: Gardening, walking, visual arts, theatre, art, building, traveling. Agent—Hilary Delamere, The Agency, 24 Pottery Lane, Holland Park, London W11 4LZ, England. Writer. Worked variously as a nanny, waitress, barmaid, and market-stall salesperson. English teacher,…
Nationality: Irish. Born: Brooklyn, New York, United States, 1926; became Irish citizen 1967. Education: A preparatory school, New York; Trinity College, Dublin. Military Service: Served in the United States Naval Reserve during World War II. Awards: London Evening Standard award, for drama, 1961; Brandeis University Creative Arts award, 1961; American Academy award, 1975; Gold award, Houston Worl…
Born 1919, in Indianapolis, IN; Education: Butler University, A.B., 1941; Northwestern University, M.A., 1966. Religion: Congregationalist. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division, 1230 Avenue of the Americans, New York, NY 10020. U.S. Employment Service, Chicago, IL, senior interviewer and vocational counselor, 1941–46. Oliver Wendell Holme…
Nationality: American. Born: Josephine Ayeres in Natchez, Mississippi, 1921. Education: The University of Mississippi, Jackson, B.A. 1942. Family: Married Kenneth Haxton in 1945 (divorced); three sons. Career: Writer-in-residence, Northeast Louisiana University, Monroe, 1978-82, and since 1982 University of Mississippi; visiting professor, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, 1984; Welty Prof…
Born 1952, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Education: St-Laurent CEGEP, graduated (French literature), 1972; Montreal School of Fine Arts, graduated 1975; studied animation at National Film Board of Canada. Office—Suzanne Duranceau Illustratrice, Inc., 250 Bord de l'eau, East Longueuil, Quebec J4H 1A2, Canada. Freelance illustrator. Quebec Illustrators Association (co-founder and presi…
Nationality: Australian. Born: Sara Fitch in Chicago, Illinois (immigrated to Australia in 1958, became naturalized citizen in 1972), 1938. Education: Attended University of California, Los Angeles, 1956-58; University of Sidney, B.A. 1968; attended Australian National University, 1968. Career: Field editor, Thomas Nelson, Canberra, Australia, 1970-72; tutor in professional writing, Canberra Colle…
Nationality: Irish. Born: Dublin, 1958. Career: Since 1980 teacher of English and geography, Greendale Community School, Kilbarrack, Dublin. Award: Booker prize, 1993, for Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha. Roddy Doyle's novels have fundamentally changed the possibilities open to any fictional representation of Ireland in the late twentieth century and early twenty first. Where Joyce had demolished the…
Nationality: British. Born: Sheffield, Yorkshire, 1939; sister of A.S. Byatt, Education: Mount School, York; Newnham College, Cambridge, B.A. (honours) 1960. Career: Deputy chair, 1978-80, and chair, 1980-82, National Book League. Awards: Rhys Memorial prize, 1966; James Tait Black Memorial prize, 1968; American Academy E.M. Forster award, 1973. D. Litt: University of Sheffield, 1976; University o…
Nationality: Australian. Born: Melbourne, Victoria, 1943. Education: Hale School, Perth, Western Australia, 1952-60. Career: Cadet journalist, Perth West Australian, 1961-64; journalist, 1964-65, and head of Sydney bureau, 1965-70, the Age, Melbourne; daily columnist, 1970-73, features editor, 1971-72, and literary editor, 1972-74, the Australian, Sydney; special writer, 1975-76, and contributing …
1939— Historian, educator, curator Howard Dodson, Jr., has committed his professional life to the retrieval, preservation, interpretation, and dissemination of the history and culture of African and African American peoples. Since 1984, he has served as chief of the New York Public Library's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, the world's leading and most prestigio…
Nationality: British. Born: Cape Town, South Africa, 1939. Education: St. Andrews College, Grahamstown; University of Cape Town, B.A. (honors) in English, B.Ed., and S.T.D. 1962; Trinity College, Oxford, M. Phil. 1967. Career: President, National Union of South African Students, 1963-64; detained in 1964 under the "90 Day Law;" South African passport revoked, 1966. Assistant teacher,…
1963— Football coach One of just a few African-American head football coaches serving at Division I college programs in the mid-2000s, Karl Dorrell faced doubters on a variety of fronts when he took the helm for the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) Bruins in the fall of 2003. Dorrell was not yet 40 years old at the time, and the plum UCLA post was his first head coaching job. …
1970— Violinist, organization leader Dworkin, Aaron, photograph. AP/Wide World Photos. From the first time he heard a violin, Aaron P. Dworkin has been in love with classical music. He attended a prestigious music academy and earned a master's degree in music. He swooned over orchestral performances and gave several of his own. Yet, there was something wrong. He told the New Y…
Nationality: New Zealander. Born: Marilyn Adcock, Auckland, New Zealand, 1935. Education: Victoria University of Wellington, 1953, 1956. Career: Full-time writer. Has held positions in public relations, nurse aiding, factory work and library work. Awards: Scholarship in Letters, 1961, 1972, 1993; New Zealand award for achievement, 1963; Katherine Mansfield fellowship, 1980; New Zealand Book award,…
Nationality: New Zealander. Born: Rotorua, 1950. Education: Two years of high school. Awards: PEN Best First Book award, 1991; best screenplay, for What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?, New Zealand Film Awards, 1999. Agent: William Morris Agency, 1350 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10019, U.S.A. Main influence: Contemporary American, Faulkner, Selby Jr., Doctorow, Gurganis, Styron. * * …
Nationality: British. Born: Worthing, Sussex, 1933. Education: Trowbridge High School for Girls, Wiltshire; Sarah Bonnell High School for Girls; King's College, London, 1953-56, B.A. (honours) in English 1956. Career: Schoolteacher for five years. Co-founder, Writers Action Group, 1972; joint chair, 1977-78, and president, 1985-89, Writers Guild of Great Britain; chair, Greater London Arts…
Nationality: American. Born: New York City, 1927. Education: Sweet Briar College, Virginia. Career: Actress; worked for the BBC, London; directed the Winter Workshop of the Berkshire Festival; also journalist. Agent: Andrew Hewson, John Johnson Ltd., 45-47 Clerkenwell Green, London EC1R 0HT, England. In The Dud Avocado and The Old Man and Me, Elaine Dundy employs first-person, reflective narrators…
Nationality: British. Born: London in 1936. Education: A convent school. Awards: Rhys Memorial prize, 1964; Susan Smith Blackburn prize, for play, 1981; Evening Standard award, for play, 1982; Society of West End Theatre award, 1982. Agent: Curtis Brown, 162-168 Regent Street, London W1R 5TB. Nell Dunn begins with vignettes or fragmental episodes to build a picture of British urban life. Much like…
Nationality: American. Born: Hartford, Connecticut, 1932. Education: Princeton University, New Jersey, A.B. in English 1954. Married Joan Didion, q.v., in 1964; one daughter. Career: Staff writer, Time, New York, 5 years; columnist ("Points West"), with Didion, Saturday Evening Post, Philadelphia, 1967-69; regular contributor, Esquire and the New York Review of Books. Agent: Janklow …
Nationality: British. Born: Dorothy Halliday in Dunfermline, Fife, 1923. Education: James Gillespie's High School, Edinburgh; Edinburgh College of Art; Glasgow School of Art. Career: Assistant press officer, Scottish government departments, Edinburgh, 1940-46; member of the Board of Trade Scottish Economics Department, Glasgow, 1946-55; non-executive director, Scottish Television plc, Glasg…
Nationality: American. Born: Asheville, North Carolina, 1920. Education: Biltmore Junior College, Asheville, North Carolina; Northwestern University, Chicago, B.A. Career: Writer and lecturer. Awards: Guggenheim fellowship, 1955; Thomas Wolfe Memorial Trophy, 1955; Hillman award, 1958; special Waukegan Club award (Chicago Friends of American Writers), 1963; National Endowment for the Humanities se…
Born 1955, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Education: McGill University, B.A. (English; with honors), 1976; York University, M.A. (English), 1977, Ph.D. (English), 1982; studied French at Sorbonne, University of Paris, 1979. Agent—c/o Westwood Creative Artists, 94 Harbord St., Toronto, Ontario M5S 1G6, Canada. Writer, journalist, and educator. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, producer of The…
Born 1960, in Arlington, VA; Education: Smith College, A. B., 1982. Politics: Democrat. Religion: Protestant. Hobbies and other interests: Cooking, travel, movies, collage, animation, natural history. Agent—John Silbersack, Trident Media Group, 41 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10010. Fiction writer and editor. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, editor, 1996—. New York Public Libr…
Born 1964, in Fort Worth, TX; Education: Trinity University (San Antonio, TX), B.A. (Russian), 1985; Indiana University, M.L.S., 1989. Politics: Independent. Religion: Catholic. Clare B. Dunkle Writer, educator, and librarian. Trinity University, San Antonio, TX, associate professor and librarian, 1990-99; freelance author, 2001—. Ramstein Officers Spouses Club. Mythopoeic Fantasy Aw…
Born 1960, in Freeport, NY; Education: Attended Art Students League, 1979, and Yale University at Norfolk, VA, 1981; State University of New York at Purchase, B.F.A. (painting), 1982. Author and illustrator. Library preservationist at the Brooklyn Museum Library. Happy as a Tapir named a Junior Library Guild selection, 1992; International Reading Association Children's Choice designation, 1…
Douglas, Dr. Denzil, photograph. AP/Wide World Photos. Reproduced by permission. 1953- Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis With his election to Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis on July 3, 1995, Dr. Denzil Llewellyn Douglas, leader of the country's Labour Party (SKNLP), ended a twelve-year period in which the People's Action Movement (PAM) dominated the country's assembl…
Born 1955, in Neuchâtel, Switzerland; Education: Attended art school in Lyon, France, 1976-79. Author and illustrator of books for children. Freelance illustrator in London, England, beginning in 1979. Smarties Prize, and Carnegie Medal commendation, British Library Association, both 1989, and Oak Tree Award, Nottinghamshire Libraries, 1990, all for Bill's New Frock, written by Anne Fi…
Born 1961, in Hemel Hempstead, England; Education: Attended Buckinghamshire College of Further Education. Politics: "Liberal Democrat." Religion: "Spiritual, not religious." Hobbies and other interests: "My work IS my hobby! But I also love cooking and anything creative." Agent—Hilary Delamere, The Agency, 24 Pottery Lane, London W11 4LZ, England. …
Born 1971, in New Guinea; Education: University of Western Australia, doctoral studies (creative writing). Hobbies and other interests: Water activities, traveling, skiing, cycling, hiking, fishing, reading, writing. Agent—c/o Author Mail, University of Queensland Press, P.O. Box 6042, St. Lucia, Queensland 4067, Australia. Educator and writer. Worked variously as a security guard, car par…
Huey Dunbar: 1974—: Singer. Hailed by many critics as the future of salsa music, Huey Dunbar helped to revitalize the genre and introduce it to a new generation during his stint as the lead singer of Dark Latin Groove (DLG). The group's three albums gained DLG a large following not only among salsa music fans but listeners across the musical spectrum as well. After winning two Bi…
Plácido Domingo: 1941—: Opera singer, conductor, administrator. The Spanish-Mexican tenor Plácido Domingo is among the greatest all-around musicians of the last quarter of the twentieth century. With a voice matched only by a very few of his contemporaries, he has sung every major role in the classical operatic repertoire and quite a few more unusual roles. With fellow ten…
Sheila E.: 1957—: Percussionist, singer, composer, producer. Percussionist, singer, composer, and producer Sheila E. broke out onto the pop music scene in the 1980s, fueled by her singing debut with pop superstar Prince on his "Erotic City" single. She immediately proved she had the mettle to make it on her own, though, and had two hit albums, Sheila E. in The Glamorous Li…
Luis Echeverría Álvarez: 1922—: Lawyer, Politician. When Luis Echeverría Álvarez took over as Mexico's president in 1970, he pledged to close the economic gap between the country's poor, rural peasants and its well-to-do urbanites. For six years Echeverría walked a political tight-rope as he tried to implement social programs to make life…
In 2001 Cari Dominguez was sworn in as chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the foremost civil rights agency in the United States. Dominguez's position has allowed her to continue her lifelong work with employment-related and advancement issues, and to address the barriers raised by discrimination in a proactive, rather than reactive, way. Dominguez was born on March…
1915-2003 U.S. Foreign Service employee Mary Pearl Dougherty had few African-American contemporaries, and fewer still who were women, when she began her career with the United States Foreign Service in the 1940s. She was not an ambassador but a secretary, and histories of the U.S. State Department and diplomatic corps have little to say about her. But her knowledge of the diplomatic world was deep…
Born 1935, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Education: Carleton College, B.A., 1957; graduate study at Ottawa University. Author, playwright, scriptwriter, educator. Worked variously as a journalist, waiter, taxi driver, driving instructor, office worker, bricklayer, and jazz singer. Teacher at Glebe Collegiate Institute (high school) and Ottawa Technical High School, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; head of E…
Born 1963, in Newtownards, Northern Ireland; immigrated to Australia, 1972; Education: University of Queensland, M.B.B.S. (second-class honours), 1986. Hobbies and other interests: Tennis, travel. Agent—Curtis Brown, P.O. Box 19, Paddington, New South Wales 2021, Australia. Physician working in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 1987-94; freelance writer, 1988—. Medical Observer, Quee…
Born 1972, in Lowell, MA; Education: Northeastern University, B.S., 1994; Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, M.A., 1998. Politics: "Conservative Republican." Religion: Roman Catholic. Hobbies and other interests: Theology, history. Fresh Start Academy, Minneapolis, MN, educational assistant, 2001-02; Chop Point School, Woolwich, ME, high school teacher, 2002—. Freelance copy…
Born 1956, in Denver, CO; Education: Rhode Island School of Design, B.F.A., 1978. Agent—Jane Feder, 305 East 24th St., New York, NY 10010. Writer and illustrator. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, exhibit technician, 1978; Macy's Department Store, New York, NY, graphic designer, 1978-79; Denver Museum of Natural History, Denver, CO, graphic designer, 1979-81; freelance illustr…
Born 1956, in New York, NY; Education: Attended Duke University, 1975-76. Hobbies and other interests: Gardening, reading, cooking, visiting museums, mural-painting. Offıce—c/o Author Mail, Penguin Putnam, 345 Hudson St., New York, NY 10014. Children's book writer and illustrator, 1983—. Also lectures at schools and other educational institutions. Society of Children&#x…
Born 1954, in Cleveland, OH; Education: University of Washington—Seattle, B.A., 1979, M.A., 1982, M.A.T. Politics: "Moderate." Religion: Congregationalist. Hobbies and other interests: Horses. Writer and teacher. Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. …
Surname is pronounced "DUN-ray"; born 1953, in Virginia Beach, VA; Education: Attended University of Delaware, 1971-73; West Chester State College (now University), B.A., 1975; Washington State University, M.A. (theater and music), 1976. Hobbies and other interests: Reading, running, gardening, camping, and building stone dams. Illustrator and author. Worked variously as a waiter, se…
Born 1945, in Chicago, IL; Politics: Democrat. Religion: Episcopal. Writer. Formerly worked as a journalist. American Writers and Artists Institute, Delray Beach, FL, copywriter and mentor, 1998–. Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. Voice of Youth Advocate Award for teen fiction, 2004. Congressional Medal of Honor Recipients, Enslow Publishers (Springfield, NJ), 1998…
Born 1958, in Fayetteville, NC; Education: Miami University (Oxford, OH), B.A. (international business and creative writing). Hobbies and other interests: Violin. Writer. Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. Notable Honor Book designation, International Reading Association, 2002, for Bridging Beyond. Bridging Beyond, Philomel (New York, NY), 2002. Pilot Mom, illustrated by A…
(Arthur M. Dorros) Surname is pronounced "doh-rohs"; born 1950, in Washington, DC; Education: University of Wisconsin at Madison, B.A., 1972; Pacific Oaks College, postgraduate studies and teaching certification, 1979. Hobbies and other interests: Filmmaking, building, carpentry, horticulture, travels worldwide (particularly in Asia and Central and South America), and Spanish languag…
Born 1967, in Memphis, TN; Alice Faye DuncanEthnicity: "African American." Education: University of Memphis, B.A., 1989; University of Tennessee, Knoxville, M.L.S., 1991. Religion: Christian. Hobbies and other interests: "Museum hopping, shopping, driving around town with my sunroof opened." Agent—Kendra Marcus, 67 Meadow View, Orinda, CA 94563. Children'…
1982(?)– Pageant winner Dunlap, Ericka, photograph. Erik S. Lesser/Bloomberg News/Landov. In September of 2003 Ericka Dunlap became the sixth African-American woman to be crowned Miss America. An Orlando, Florida, college student who was also the first black Miss Florida in the history of the contest, Dunlap spent her year as Miss America 2004 on an exhaustive schedule of public appearances…
1956– Author, singer Larry Duplechan has been credited with writing one of the first male "coming-out" novels with a gay black protagonist. Blackbird, Duplechan's second novel, received much attention within the black community. Although short fiction and poetry by and about gay black men had been familiar to readers and critics since the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s…
1963– Comedian The comedian Earthquake, in conversation with Kevin Aldridge of the Cincinnati Enquirer, described his style of comedy as "up front, straight to the point, and without limitations." One of the quickest wits in the business, Earthquake rarely prepared material in advance. He could be outrageous at times, but shock was never the point of his routines. Instead, he …
1944— Professor of microbiology, research scientist Born into a working class African-American family in the segregated southern United States, Georgia Dunston had little reason to believe that her life and career would be very different from those of her parents or grandparents. She was motivated to pursue higher learning, however, by the inspiration of encouraging teachers at every level …
