Born 1939, in Charlotte, NC; Education: Attended Richmond Professional Institute, 1957–59, and University of Virginia, 1960–64. Office—Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Edwin Duncan Hall, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC, 28608. Agent—Sheldon Fogelman, 10 East 40th Street, New York, NY, 10016. Manuscript Press, New York, NY, vice president, beginning 196…
Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, Washington Children's Book Guild. The Sara Summer, Clarion (Boston, MA), 1979. The Time of the Witch, Clarion (New York, NY), 1982. Mary Downing Hahn Daphne's Book, Clarion (New York, NY), 1983. The Jellyfish Season, Clarion (New York, NY), 1985. Wait till Helen Comes: A Ghost Story, Clarion (New York, NY), 1986. Tall…
Mary Downing Hahn contributed the following autobiographical essay to SATA: Writing an autobiography is a difficult task for novelists. Although we use personal experiences in our books, we don't like to be hemmed in by facts. It's so boring to describe events as they actually occurred. For instance, each time I tell a story about my past, my family accuses me of adding something new…
Female. Education: Pacific Lutheran University, B.A. (classics); M.A. (liberal arts). Agent—c/o Author Mail, Tricycle Press, P.O. Box 7123, Berkeley, CA 94707. Student and writer. Tutor for Kitsap Literacy Council. (With Laura J. Henson) Ten Little Elvi, illustrated by Dean Gorissen, Tricycle Press (Berkeley, CA), 2004. "Always something!" Duffy Grooms told SATA: "With …
1924— Professor, writer, editor Warren J. Halliburton was one of the first authors to provide access to African-American resources to the American public. Publishing from the 1970s through the early 1990s, Halliburton offered a wide array of materials to his readers, including simply worded biographies of famous black Americans and histories of significant achievement of black Americans aim…
Born 1964, in Idaho Falls, ID; Education: Attending Brigham Young University. Religion: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon). Freelance illustrator; jewelry and craft designer. Cuffie Award, Publishers Weekly; Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award; Family Fun Toy Awards; Parents' Choice Award. (And illustrator) The Incredible Clay Book: How to Make and Bake a Million-and-One Cl…
Born 1949, in Gloucester, MA; Education: Attended Rhode Island School of Design, 1967–70; Pratt Institute, B.F.A., 1978; Marywood College, M.A., 1993. Hobbies and other interests: Archery, reading, meditation. Worked variously as a painter, museum curator, printer's assistant, editorial illustrator, graphic designer, and fashion illustrator. Freelance illustrator and painter, 1978&#x…
Born 1959, in New York, NY; Education: Boston University, B.F.A., 1981; Pennsylvania State University, M.F.A., 1985. Religion: Jewish. Author and illustrator of children's books, 1992—. Has worked as a college professor, a pastry chef, and a sculptor. Presenter of workshops on book production and creative writing/illustrating in elementary schools. Authors Guild, Authors League of Am…
Born 1961, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; marriage ended); (with Groves) Sarah. Agent—Fiona Inglis, Curtis Brown, P.O. Box 19, Paddington, New South Wales 2021, Australia. Writer. Has worked as a musician, English teacher, and book editor and publisher. Andy Griffiths Young Australian Best Book Award (YABBA) and Kids Own Australian Literature Award (KOALA) Children's Choic…
Born 1949, in Durham, England; Education: University of Melbourne, B.A. (with Melanie Guile honors), M.A., and diploma in Education. Politics: "Labour/Green." Hobbies and other interests: Gardening, cats, walking, swimming, sketching. University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia, lecturer in English literature, 1972-88, lecturer in children's literature, 1988-94; Royal…
Born 0027;s name Tony. Education: University College, London, B.A. (English); studied theatre design; University of Brighton, M.A. (sequential design). Hobbies and other interests: Running, cycling, playing electric piano. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Jonathan Cape, Random House, 20 Vauxhall Bridge Rd., London SW1V 2SA, England. Author and illustrator. Formerly worked as a puppet maker; teacher i…
Born 1940, in Canton, OH; Education: Attended University of Illinois; California State University, Los Angeles, B.A.; Appalachian State University, M.A. Hobbies and other interests: Travel, entertaining and cooking for guests, writing, reading, swimming, walking. Agent—c/o Publicity Director, Overmountain Press, Box 1261, Johnson City, TN 37605. Writer. Jungle Aircraft, Suriname, South Afr…
1944— Engineer Structural engineer Henry R. Grooms has enjoyed a distinguished career of more than thirty years with Rockwell International (now Boeing), where he supervised projects for the Apollo, Skylab, and Space Shuttle programs. He is also noted for his commitment to community programs that promote youth achievement. Described as a "role model for aspiring professionals and stu…
Born 1962, in Princeton, NJ; Education: Purdue University, B.S. (electrical engineering), 1984. Hobbies and other interests: Reading, gardening, astronomy, "watching good movies, and spending time with my kids." Agent—c/o Author Mail, Hough-ton Mifflin, 222 Berkeley St., Boston, MA 02116-3764. Delco Electronics, Kokomo, IN, test engineer, 1984–88; writer. Society of Ch…
Born 1929, in Parmele, NC; Education: Attended Miner Teachers College (now University of the District of Columbia), 1947-49. Hobbies and other interests: Listening to music, playing the piano. Office—P.O. Box 29077, Washington, DC 20017. Agent—Marie Brown, Marie Brown Associates, 412 West 154th St., New York, NY 10032. Author and poet. U.S. Patent Office, Washington, DC, clerk-typist…
Born 1962, in Northampton, England; Education: Merton College, Oxford, B.A., 1981; Edinburgh University, M.A., 1984. Hobbies and other interests: Marathon canoeing, abstract painting. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Doubleday, 1745 Broadway, New York, NY 10019. Author and illustrator. Formerly assisted patients with multiple sclerosis and autism; worked part-time jobs, including at a theater box off…
Born 1946, in Maidstone, Kent, England; Education: Sussex University, B.Sc., 1966, M.Sc., 1967; Cambridge University, Ph.D., 1971. Agent—David Higham Associates, 5-8 Lower John St., Golden Square, London W1F 9HA, England. Staff writer for Nature, 1970-75; University of Sussex, Brighton, England, member of science policy research unit, 1975-78. Physics consultant to New Scientist, 1978-98; …
Education: Indiana State University, B.S. (elementary education), 1965; Indiana State University, M.S. (elementary education, special education), 1969; Indiana State University, School Administration Specialist certification (special education), 1971. Hobbies and other interests: Children, travel, American antiques. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Reading Realm, P.O. Box 76732, Atlanta, GA 30358-173…
Born 1948, in Detroit, MI; Education: Attended Wayne State University, 1966-70; independent study at the Flint Institute of Art, 1978-86; also studied with Charles Reid, Tom Lynch, and Burt Silverman. Hobbies and other interests: Singing, theatre, golfing. Freelance artist. Exhibitions: Solo exhibitions at Art-source Gallery, Flint, MI, 1986; Cromaine Gallery, Hartland, MI, 1989; Spirits in the Wi…
Born 0027;s name Blair. Education: San Francisco Art Academy, B.F.A.; studied painting at Belgium's Royal Academy of Fine Art. Agent—c/o Author Mail, G.P. Putnam, 375 Hudson St., New York, NY 10014. Illustrator. Pura Belpre award for illustration, Association for Library Services to Children/National Association to Promote Library Services to the Spanish-Speaking, 1995, for Chato&#x…
Writer. Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), Missouri Writers Guild. A contemporary novel, for Putnam, and research for a juvenile mystery series about a young Welsh girl, set in twelfth-century England. …
See index for SATA sketch: Born March 21, 1928, in Breslau, Germany; died August 28, 2003, in Berlin, Germany. Author. Hacks was an award-winning and popular East German dramatist best known for the play Ein Gespräch im Hau Stein über den abwesenden Herrn von Goethe ("A Conversation in the Stein Home about the Absent Mr. Goethe," 1976). Earning a Ph.D. at the University of …
Nationality: Australian. Born: Kate Gee in Sydney, Australia, 1950. Education: University of Sydney, B.A. 1972; University of Colorado, M.A. 1982. Career: Arts administrator, Australia Council, Sydney, 1973-74; documentary film production assistant, Film Australia, Sydney; freelance film editor and writer, London, 1974-80; subtitle editor, Multicultural TV, Sydney, 1983-85; instructor in writing, …
Nationality: American. Born: Jonesboro, Arkansas, 1955. Education: Mississippi State University, B.S. in accounting 1977; University of Mississippi, LL.D in 1981. Career: Practiced law, Southaven, Mississippi, 1981-91; member Mississippi House of Representatives, 1984-90. John Grisham hit the best-seller lists as a kind of publishing phenomenon, a blockbuster novelist whose books are instant hits…
Nationality: American. Born: Washington, D.C., 1943. Education: University of Alabama, A.B. 1965. Military Service: U.S. Army, 1965-67: served in Vietnam, became captain. Career: Reporter and later columnist, Washington Star, Washington, D.C., 1967-76; full-time novelist, 1976—. Awards: Best fiction award (Southern Library Association), 1980. Agent: Theron Raines, Raines & Raines, 71…
Nationality: American. Born: New York City, 1918. Education: Washington Square College, A.B. 1939; Cornell University, M.A. 1940. Military Service: U.S. Navy WAVES. Career: Title writer for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, New York City, 1940-41; proofreader and copyeditor, Time, Inc., 1941-42; associate editor of Architectural Forum, 1942-43; English teacher at Albany Academy for Girls, Rochester, New York, …
Nationality: American. Born: Houston, Texas, 1914. Education: Stanford University, California, B.A. 1934, Ph.D. 1938; Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, M.A. 1936. Military Service: Served in the Psychological Warfare Branch of the United States Army, 1943-45: Technical Sergeant. Career: Instructor in English, Amherst College, Massachusetts, 1935-36; instructor, assistant professor, and…
Nationality: British (originally Sri Lankan, immigrated to England). Awards: Rathbone prize for philosophy, University of Liverpool, 1976; Writers' Bursary, Arts Council, London, 1991; Yorkshire Post Best First Work award, 1995. On a photo depicting "India's leading novelists" that was printed in a 1997 special issue of the New Yorker on the occasion of the fiftieth ann…
Nationality: Indian. Born: Calcutta, India, 1965. Education: Princeton University, A.B. 1987; London University, Ph.D. 1992. Career: Research assistant, Department of Biology, Imperial College, London, 1988-89, principal investigator for grant, 1989-92; Wellcome Training Fellow in mathematical biology, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, England, 1992-95; junior research fellow, Merton Co…
1932— Comedian, Activist, Advocate Dick Gregory has made a name for himself in many areas: as an athlete, comedian, civil rights activist, author, nutritionist, outspoken defender of peaceful solutions to overseas conflicts, and, in the 2000s, elder statesman of every issue he has ever taken on. Perhaps his greatest success, however, was simply in overcoming the extreme poverty into which h…
Nationality: American. Born: Rocky Mount, North Carolina, 1947. Education: Rocky Mount Senior High, 1965; Philadelphia Academy of Fine Arts, 1965-66; Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, New York, 1970-72. Military Service: United States Navy, 1966-70. Career: Desk clerk and salesperson of art reproductions, 1969-70; night watchman in a vitamin factory, 1970-72; professor of fiction writing, Univer…
Nationality: English. Born: Zanzibar (now part of Tanzania), 1948. Education: Earned a Ph.D. Career: Worked as a hospital orderly; lecturer in English and American literature, Rutherford College, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, England. Abdulrazak Gurnah, born in Zanzibar, had already acquired a reputation as a scholar and critic of African literature and published three novels set in the i…
Nationality: American. Born: Seattle, Washington, 1956. Education: University of Washington, B.A. 1978, M.A. 1982. Career: High school English teacher, Bainbridge Island, Washington, 1984—. Agent: Georges Borchardt, Inc., 136 East 57th Street, New York, New York 10020, U.S.A. David Guterson acknowledges that a few of his early short stories owe a debt to the basic, naturalistic style of Ray…
Nationality: British and Canadian. Born: Luton, Bedfordshire, 1920; emigrated to Canada in 1947: became citizen, 1952. Education: Elementary schools in England. Military Service: Served as a pilot in the Royal Air Force, 1939-47: Flight Lieutenant. Career: Office boy and clerk, London, 1934-39; assistant editor, 1947-49, and editor, 1949-53, Bus and Truck Transport, Toronto; sales promotion manage…
Nationality: New Zealander (originally English: immigrated to Australia, 1961, then to New Zealand, 1966). Born: Dewsbury, England, 1934. Education: University of Auckland, M.A. in English, 1970. The Sauna Bath Mysteries and Other Stories established Russell Haley's reputation as a pioneering writer of postmodernist experimental fiction with affinities with writers such as Nabakov, Beckett…
Nationality: American. Born: Midland, Ohio, 1918. Education: Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, 1938-39; University of Hawaii, Honolulu, 1938-40; University of Iowa, Iowa City, B.A. 1947, M.A. 1948, Ph.D. 1953; Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio, 1949. Military Service: United States Army, 1941-46. Career: Writer-in-residence, Miami University, 1948-49; instructor, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 19…
1941— Astronaut, NASA administrator Colonel Frederick D. Gregory became the first black to pilot a space shuttle when he led the Challenger on a seven-day mission in 1985. As an astronaut he has spent more than 455 hours in outer space, and he commanded three major space missions from 1985 to 1991. Colonel Gregory was a decorated helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War and a jet test pilot …
Nationality: Australian. Born: Solihull, Warwickshire, England, 1935; immigrated to Australia during his childhood. Education: City of Bath Boys' School; Brisbane Boys' College; University of Queensland, Brisbane, B.A. 1971. Career: Freelance scriptwriter and actor, 1957-67, and film critic, 1966-67, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Brisbane. Tutor, New England University School …
Born 1970, in Philadelphia, PA; daughter of John Joel Berg (a business manager) and Priscilla Sands Adele Griffin Watson (a school principal); Education: University of Pennsylvania, B.A., 1993. Politics: Democrat. Hobbies and other interests: Movies. Office—215 Park Ave. S., New York, NY 10003. Agent— Charlotte Sheedy, c/o Sterling Lord Literistic, 65 Bleecker St., New York, N…
School teacher in Birmingham and Gloucestershire, 1963-70; postal worker in London, England, 1970-72; Ministry of Defence, London and Malvern, England, Geoffrey Guy foreign currency finance clerk, 1972-75; Customs and Excise Office, Droitwich, Birmingham, and Gloucester, England, executive officer and senior officer, 1975-95; self-employed gardener, 1995-2003. Tewkesbury Amateur Dramatic So…
Singer 1967— LaShell Griffin, a stay-at-home mother of five, devoted wife, and devout Christian who loves to sing in the church choir, once told her children that one day she would appear on The Oprah Winfrey Show. She did not know how or why, but she believed it would happen. In the fall of 2003 Griffin's dream came true when she was selected as one of the finalists in Winfrey…
In the field of criminal law there is no one more renowned than Jimmy Gurulé. During his more than 20 years as a law professional, Gurulé has earned a reputation as a crusader for justice—a man who goes full-tilt in his efforts to use the law as a means to help those victimized by society. Gurulé first gained prominence in the late 1980s as a federal prosecutor in the U…
Born 1959, in Boston, MA; Education: Brown University, Sc.B. (planetary science), 1982, B.A. (philosophy of science), 1982; postgraduate work at University of Arizona, 1989. Religion: "Cosmist." Hobbies and other interests: Performing rock music. Office—Funky Science, 1836 Blake St., Suite 100A, Denver, CO 80211. Agent—Tina Bennett, Janklow & Nesbit, 445 Park Ave…
Ché (Ernesto) Guevara: 1928-1967: Revolutionary leader. Ernesto Guevara, known around the world by his nickname "Ché," was an Argentine doctor turned Marxist revolutionary who became instrumental in the Cuban revolution during the 1950s. Despite his lack of success outside Cuba, his commitment to worldwide revolution by armed revolt and his subsequent execution in t…
Carlos M. Gutierrez: 1953—: Corporate executive. When Cuban-born Carlos M. Gutierrez ascended to the top spot at the Kellogg Company in 1999 he became not only the youngest chief executive officer (CEO) in company history but also the firm's first Hispanic CEO. According to Hispanic Online, the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility stated that he was one of just 14 His…
Alejandra Guzmán: 1968—: Rock singer, songwriter. She's been called the Mexican Madonna and the bad girl of Latin pop. Mexican rock star Alejandra Guzmán indeed gained tabloid notoriety for her flesh-baring displays on stage and for a series of controversial moves and wrong turns in her personal life. Yet another way to regard Guzmán's career would be …
Nicolás Guillén: 1902-1989: Writer, journalist, social activist. When Nicolás Guillén passed away in 1989, many Cubans felt that they had lost a voice in the fight for freedom. Over his illustrious career as a political journalist and revolutionary poet, he spoke out against everything from racism against blacks in Cuba to oppression stemming both from the Cuban gov…
Born 1955, in Salem, IL; Education: Northern Kentucky University, B.A. (with honors), 1977; Xavier University (Cincinnati, OH), M.Ed., 1983. Politics: Democrat. Religion: Christian. Hobbies and other interests: Reading, playing the piano, flower gardening. Agent—Marilyn E. Marlow, Curtis Brown Ltd., 10 Astor Pl., New York, NY 10003. Writer, 1985—. Goodridge Elementary School, Hebron…
Education: Self-taught artist. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Philomel, Putnam Berkley Group, 200 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016. Artist, illustrator, and author. Bruce McGaw Publishing, poster designer. Active in various charities. Exhibition: Work exhibited at galleries in Happy Dog Gallery, Piermont, NY; Long Island, NY, and New York, NY. Happy Dog!, Philomel (New York, NY), 2003. Happy Dog&#…
(Philip John Gross) Born 1952, in Delabole, Cornwall, England; Ethnicity: "White/British/Estonian." Education: University of Sussex, B.A. (with honors), 1973; Polytechnic of North London, diploma in librarianship, 1977. Collier Macmillan Ltd., London, England, editorial assistant, 1973–76; Croydon Public Libraries, Croydon, England, librarian, 1976–84; freelance writer …
Born 1944, in Boston, MA; Education: University of British Columbia, B.A. Hobbies and other interests: Kayaking, drawing, watercolor painting, clowning. Office—4143 West 15th Ave., Vancouver, British Columbia V6R 3A4, Canada. Professional storyteller, 1984—; children's author, 1995—. Writer's Union of Canada; Canadian Society of Children's Authors, Illustr…
Offıce—Park House, Dollar St., Cirencester, Gloucestershire GL7 2AN, England. Freelance writer, beginning 1985. Books for Children Book Club, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England, editorial director, beginning 1978. Participant in judging Britain's Mother Goose Award, beginning 1982. Several of Grindley's books have been adapted as audiobooks. …
Born 1964, in Miami, FL; adopted Education: Attended University of Miami. Politics: Republican. Religion: Reformed Baptist. Writer and illustrator. Member, Sumner, WA, Arts Commission, 2001, 2002. Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age selection, Bank Street College Best Children's Book of the Year designation, Washington St…
Born 1952, in Lexington, KY; Education: Western Kentucky University, B.A. (Spanish and French), 1973, M.A.T.C., 1975; University of Kentucky, Ph.D. (Spanish literature), 1980. Hobbies and other interests: Swimming, family pets, reading. Writer, teacher, naval officer, and translator. University of Georgia, former lecturer in Romance languages, 1980; Spanish teacher at middle-school and high-school…
Born 1957, in Galveston, TX; Education: Rice University, B.A., 1979; University of Houston, J.D., 1988. Hobbies and other interests: History. Attorney in private practice, Round Rock, TX, 2002–; writer. Military service: U.S. Army, first lieutenant, 1981–84. State Bar of Texas, Williamson County Bar, Asociación Bernardo de Gálvez, Texas Connection to the American Revolu…
Born 2000; Education: University of Utah, B.A. (English); studied in Mexico and England; University of Montana, M.F.A. (creative writing). Agent—Amy Jameson, A + B Works, 615 Fort Washington Ave., Suite 2E, New York, NY 10040. Writer; Allen Communications, Salt Lake City, UT, former instructional designer. Also volunteered as a missionary in Paraguay. Top Ten Teen Book selection, American …
1973(?)– Gospel singer Emerging from the highly competitive gospel scene in Detroit, Michigan, with its numerous and skillful traditional choirs, Deitrick Haddon has made his mark in progressive gospel styles. Drawing on a range of secular music that extended from classic soul to hiphop, Haddon made a point of using his music as a ministry to the unchurched. Yet his forward-looking style di…
1930— Writer, broadcaster Best known for his novels The Spook Who Sat by the Door (1969) and Baghdad Blues (1976), Sam Greenlee is a controversial writer and political activist. His work has always faced opposition because of its confrontational style and troubling imagery, but it has also attracted a large audience of activists, rebels, and radicals. Greenlee makes commercial publishers ne…
1927— Actor, singer, producer Guillaume, Robert, photograph. © Trapper Frank/Corbis Sygma. Before Robert Guillaume became a popular television actor and Broadway musical star, he was Robert Williams from St. Louis, Missouri: a young man with a golden voice and a future in the accounting field. Fortunately for all his fans, the young man threw caution to the wind and opted for …
First name pronounced BET-tee; born 1934, in Memphis, TN; Education: Attended Alliance Française (Paris, France), 1954, Columbia University, 1955, and Harvard University, 1972. Agent—Susan Schulman, 454 West 44th St., New York, NY 10036. Writer. Hebrew Watchman, Memphis, TN, reporter, 1950; Memphis Commercial Appeal, reporter, 1950–52; United Press International, Memphis, repo…
Born 1930, in Jamaica, West Indies; Education: City College (now of the City University of New York), B.A., 1957; University of Guadalajara, graduate study, 1971; Mount St. Mary's College, Los Angeles, CA, M.S.Ed., 1971. Politics: Democrat. Religion: Methodist. Hobbies and other interests: Interior decorating ("especially refinishing inexpensive items from thrift shops"), cook…
