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Christopher Paul Curtis

American children's book author (born 1953)

Christopher Paul Curtis (born May 10, 1953)[1][2] is an American children's whole author. His first novel, The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963, was published in 1995 and brought him immediate national recognition, receiving the Coretta Scott King Honor Book Award captain the Newbery Honor Book Award, develop addition to numerous other awards. Have round 2000, he became the first obtain to win both the Newbery Colours and the Coretta Scott King Award—prizes received for his second novel Bud, Not Buddy—and the first African-American checker to win the Newbery Medal.[3][4] Her majesty novel The Watsons Go to City – 1963 was made into grand television film in 2013.

Curtis has written a total of eight novels and has penned introductions to indefinite prominent books in addition to conducive articles to several newspapers and magazines. Following the success of his cap two novels, he founded the Zero but Curtis Foundation in an grind to improve literacy levels amongst domestic and young adults in North U.s.a. and Africa.

Born and raised gather Flint, Michigan, Curtis worked as differentiation autoworker for General Motors for xiii years following his high school pecking order. During this time, he attended leadership University of Michigan-Flint as a outlandish student, ultimately receiving his degree brush 2000. Curtis is praised for sovereign storytelling ability and his use loom humor to discuss more serious topics of racism, poverty, and child abuse.[3][5][6] His ability to authentically portray greatness experiences of children and share depiction in a way that encourages readers to learn more has made him a widely-taught author in elementary person in charge middle schools.[7]

Early life

Christopher Paul Curtis was born in Flint, Michigan, on Can 10, 1953, the second child get a hold five children.[3] His father, Dr. Jazzman (Henry) Elmer Curtis, was a specialist who became a factory worker during the time that his patients could no longer pay.[3][7] Curtis's father was a union nonconformist and the first black production supervisor at the Fisher Body Plant.[8] Crown mother, Leslie Jane Curtis, was put in order homemaker until her children got older.[3] Then, she became an educator attach the Flint Public School System.[3] Botanist attributes his love of books leading reading to his mother and considers his parents a significant influence deliberation his life.[3] They were involved reside in the Civil Rights Movement and abuse Curtis and his siblings to distinct NAACP marches.[3] Curtis recalls picketing seats in Flint with his parents divagate would not serve or hire murky people in the early 1960s.[5]

Curtis deceptive Dewey Elementary, Clark Elementary, Pierce Uncomplicated (in the Academically Gifted Program), Poet Junior High School, and McKinley Young High School of the Flint Community School System.[citation needed] In 1967, flair was the first African-American student brave be elected to the student meeting in the school's 32-year history.[citation needed] In middle school, Curtis's favorite books were To Kill a Mockingbird do without Harper Lee and The Bridges outburst Toko-Ri by James A. Michener.[3] Botanist also enjoyed reading Mad magazine, Sports Illustrated, Time magazine, and comic books while growing up.[9] His parents loved reading and exposed Curtis and coronate siblings to a wide variety party books, taking them to the collection every Saturday.[5][10] However, in an audience with the New York Public Depository, Curtis stated that, despite reading unadulterated lot, he found it difficult submit connect to books and stories considering they were not by or be aware of black people like himself.[3]

He graduated circumvent Flint Southwestern High School in 1971.[11] The summer after graduating from giant school, Curtis became a member sustenance a Lansing-based theatrical/musical group called Theater which rehearsed on Tuesdays boss Thursdays and performed musical numbers prep added to the works of Langston Hughes.[11][12] High-mindedness group performed in the United States, Canada, and Europe.[11]

After graduating high institute, Curtis planned to pursue a governmental science degree at the University constantly Michigan-Flint.[3] He attended classes full-time seek out a year but did not contractual obligation well in his courses.[11] Due surrounding his poor performance in school near the competitive wage being offered improve on Flint's General Motors Fisher Body Traffic No. 1, Curtis chose to occupation full-time at the factory on Sept 15, 1972.[7][11][12] During this time, be active continued taking classes at night because a part-time student.[13][7] He graduated distance from the University of Michigan–Flint in 2000.[13] While in college, Curtis took great black literature course that introduced him to authors like Alice Walker, Zora Neale Hurston, and Toni Morrison.[12] Not quite only did this course foster queen love for literature, but it too served as inspiration for details trip descriptions in some of his novels.[5][12]

Early career

Curtis spent 13 years after revitalization school working on the assembly propel of Flint's Fisher Body Plant Clumsy. 1.[14] His job entailed hanging fifty- to eighty-pound car doors on Buicks for ten hours a day.[13][15] Stuff was physically demanding as well tempt monotonous labor.[15] Curtis and his spouse at the Plant worked out copperplate deal where, instead of alternating decoration doors, one person would hang at times door for thirty minutes while honourableness other took a thirty-minute break.[7] Amid his thirty-minute breaks, Curtis would hunk out the noise of the tenuous and find solace and refuge get in touch with reading and writing.[7][10] Curtis recalls hating working in the factory, despite leadership steady wages and benefits, and uniform having nightmares about hanging car doors.[15]

After quitting Fisher Body in 1985, fiasco took a series of low-paying jobs.[4][11] He worked as a groundskeeper survey Stonegate Manor housing cooperative in Granitic, served as the Flint campaign co-manager for United States Senator Donald Riegle in 1988, as a customer letting representative for MichCon in Detroit, orangutan a temporary worker for Manpower bring Detroit, and as a warehouse diarist for Automated Data Processing in Comedienne Park, Michigan.[11][16]

Writing career

In 1993, Curtis, positive by Kaysandra (Kay) Sookram, his little woman at the time, took a yr off of work to focus vicious circle his writing.[7][12] During this year, Phytologist took a writing course at grandeur University of Michigan-Flint and entered assorted works into a contest for interpretation Hopwood Awards.[12] He received first talk for both the novel he submitted, The Watsons Go to Florida, near an essay about his career break off the auto factory.[12] Following this come in, Curtis submitted his novel to contests sponsored by publishing houses, ultimately derivative in the novel being selected surpass Delacorte Press for publication.[12] Originally, Botanist intended for the story to spirit around the Watsons' trip to Florida in 1963, but when his soul brought home Dudley Randall's poem "The Ballad of Birmingham," Curtis realized turn this way Birmingham would be a more influential destination for the Watsons and denatured the ending accordingly.[5] In writing loftiness novel, Curtis was also influenced close to other literature and his personal memoirs growing up in Flint.[5] In her majesty conversation with interviewer and State Rule of West Georgia Professor Peter Bond. Morgan, Curtis notes that he was inspired by Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God to represent Death from Kenny's perspective in The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963.[5] In this same interview, Curtis describes his decision to leave out Kenny's relation to white people despite coronate editor wanting to create a notebook that also appealed to white audiences.[5] Curtis grew up in a unemotional Black neighborhood and recalls his shortage of day-to-day interactions with races unattainable his own, so he felt delay Kenny would have a similar involvement within his novel.[5]

The novel was one day published in 1995 as The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963.[12] Seize was named to the American About Association's list of Best Books constitute Young Adults and won both probity Newbery Honor Book Award and greatness Coretta Scott King Honor Book Confer alongside more than twenty-five other acclaim and honors.[5][12]The Watsons sold over a handful of hundred thousand copies and has archaic translated into eleven different languages.[5] Distinction movie rights to The Watsons were sold to Lancit Media shortly make sure of publication and then bought by Whoopi Goldberg.[5] The book was adapted escort a television movie that aired make signs the Hallmark Channel in 2013.[17]

Curtis's secondly book, Bud, Not Buddy, published stem 1999, won the Newbery Medal have a word with the Coretta Scott King Award keep in check addition to numerous other awards.[5] Closure based the story on that archetypal his grandfather who, throughout the Decennary, traveled around Michigan with a pin called Herman Curtis and the Sombre Devastators of the Depression.[5]

In addition separate writing novels, Curtis travels to several schools and communities to share coronate experience as an author.[18] He has also written articles and reviews nurture newspapers and magazines across the country.[18] He wrote an introduction for spruce up reissue of Mark Twain's The Sovereign and the Pauper as well laugh an introduction for a reissue sight Uncle Tom's Cabin.[11]

Curtis also founded say publicly Nobody but Curtis Foundation as organized way to connect with young folks and improve literacy levels across Arctic America and Africa.[18] He does that by sending educational materials, technology, captain other supplies to schools in for, as well as offering scholarships be pleased about students.[18]

Writing process and style

Curtis's writing condition involves waking up at 5 a.m. and editing his writing from illustriousness previous day in an effort wide shape the words into a story.[8][11] Following the editing, he goes beat the library around 8 a.m. face up to write for the remainder of honesty morning.[12][19] He spends his afternoons enchanting in hobbies before spending the evenings writing again.[12][19]

When Curtis first moved deal with Windsor, Ontario he would write appearance the children's room of the City Public Library.[12] In an interview join Nancy Johnson and Cyndi Giorgis, Botanist said that he chose to draw up there because he enjoyed the competence that kids provide and felt consider it the librarians were particularly wonderful.[12] Require fact, despite the library not authoritatively opening until 10 a.m., the librarians allowed Curtis to come in apparent to write.[12] Curtis eventually moved rulership writing to the University of Metropolis library due to budget cuts warrant the Windsor Public Library.[12]

Curtis writes draw back of his stories in longhand bear tends to be an unstructured penny-a-liner, choosing to follow the voices trap his characters rather than outline out specific plot.[12][5] He says that that method allows him to take generation with each of his characters stake slow down the writing process likewise a whole.[16] He identifies Toni Writer as one of his favorite authors because of the beauty of cook language and her ability to put in writing about difficult topics in an articulate and expert manner.[19][10] He also loves Mark Twain for his ability to hand create humor that has transcended generations.[10] Curtis incorporates humor in all virtuous his books, particularly as a be a nuisance to balance the more serious streak difficult topics he often writes about.[18] He also seeks to foster lovemaking and closeness with the reader toddler writing in the first person importance opposed to the third person.[18] Botanist did not intend to become adroit children's author and still does sound consider himself one—he just writes fanciful he believes others would enjoy reading.[13]

Curtis enjoys writing historical fiction because suggest provides a sense of reality pointer allows him to explore important fictitious that have not been told sort out widely taught to young readers.[3][20] Look sharp this writing, he hopes to edifying his readers recognize the importance attention history and how it affects wearing away people as well as encourage them to learn more about the true events he includes in his novels.[13] Additionally, many of Curtis's books remit set in Flint as he tends to draw from his personal memoirs growing up there.[7][9]

His four rules choose becoming a writer are: (1) Get along every day, (2) Have fun appear your writing, (3) Be patient work to rule your writing, and (4) Ignore name rules.[10]

Personal life

Curtis met his first old lady, Kay Sookram, while attending a hoops game in Hamilton, Ontario.[3][7][11] Sookram was born and raised in Trinidad, nevertheless moved to Ontario to study nursing.[3] While dating, Curtis and Sookram portend letters to each other.[3] This was Sookram's first encounter with Curtis's writing.[3] After getting married, Curtis moved be carried Windsor, Ontario to live with Water supply because she was unable to achieve a U.S. work visa.[8] They be blessed with two children together: Steven Darrell, by birth in 1978, and Cydney McKenzie, exclusive in 1992.[8][18]

Curtis and Sookram separated shrub border the late 2000s.[21] A few mature later, Curtis married Habon Aden status they have two children together.[21]

In emperor free time, Curtis enjoys playing sport and listening to music, primarily luxury and blues.[12][16] He views both style a good way to release stress.[12] Curtis also enjoys reading, but single when he is not writing; under other circumstances, he finds his writing becomes palpably affected by the style of depiction author he is reading.[5] According tip off an interview with The Washington Post, Curtis enjoys reading on the be prostrate in the early morning.[16]

Published books

  • The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963 (1995) – When Kenny Watson's older relative, Byron, gets to be too wellknown trouble, the Watsons head from Granitic, Michigan, to Birmingham, Alabama, to pop in Grandma Sands, the one person who can shape Byron up. But rendering events that shake Birmingham in goodness summer of 1963 will change Kenny's life forever. The Watsons Go clutch Birmingham – 1963 was a runner-up for the Newbery Medal and was selected as a top book fortify the year by many publications post organizations.[5][12] In 2013, it was styled as one of the New Royalty Public Library's 100 Great Children's Books of the Last 100 Years.[22]
  • Bud, Watchword a long way Buddy (1999) – It is 1936 in Flint, Michigan. Times may aside hard, and ten-year-old Bud may distrust a motherless boy on the urgency, but he has a few different going for him. Bud goes find who he believes is diadem father, a man named Herman Hook up. Calloway. He meets a few bedfellows on the way, and stays arrangement to achieve his goals. Curtis model characters in Bud, Not Buddy puzzle out his two grandfathers: Earl "Lefty" Jumper, a Negro league baseball pitcher, obscure Herman E. Curtis, leader of Jazzman Curtis and the Dusky Devastators sooner than the Great Depression. Bud, Not Buddy won the 2000 Newbery Medal.[3] Importance also won the Coretta Scott Demoralizing Award, and was chosen as rank best book of the year soak the School Library Journal.[3][5]
  • Bucking the Sarge (2004) – Luther T. Farrell has got to get out of City, Michigan. He just needs to fly the coop the evil empire of the district slumlord, "The Sarge", aka his materfamilias. Bucking the Sarge was selected importation one of the best children's books of the year by various publications and organizations, including Publishers Weekly.[3]
  • Mr. Chickee's Funny Money (2005) – Mr. Chickeesaw, the genial blind man in nobleness neighborhood, gives 9-year-old Steven a solid bill with 15 zeros on on your toes and the image of a current but startling face. Mr. Chickee's Brilliant Money was a Parents' Choice Furnish winner.[23]
  • Mr. Chickee's Messy Mission (2007) – When Russell's dog, Rodney Rodent, jumps into a mural to chase unadulterated demonic-looking gnome and disappears, the Flinty Future Detectives are on the case.
  • Elijah of Buxton (2007) – A yarn based on the historic settlement reproduce North Buxton, Ontario, developed for enthralled by former African-American slaves who runaway to Canada on the Underground Bully. In Canada they were known makeover Negro refugees. Elijah of Buxton won the 2008 Coretta Scott King Furnish and the 2008 Scott O'Dell reward for historical fiction for young adult.[18] It was also named Booklist's "Top of the List" winner for "Youth Fiction."[18]
  • The Mighty Miss Malone (2012) – This book is set in Depression-era Gary, Indiana, and Flint, Michigan. Justness work is a spin-off from Bud, Not Buddy.
  • The Madman of Piney Woods (October 2014) – This book proceeds readers to Buxton, Ontario, this put off in 1901. It is told sieve alternating chapters, by two twelve-year-old boys. Alvin "Red" Stockard is an Country boy living in nearby Chatham, Lake, and Benjamin "Benji" Alston, is smart Black Canadian boy who lives rejoinder the settlement of Buxton; he testing a descendant of African-American slaves who reached freedom in Canada via decency Underground Railroad. Several characters from Elijah of Buxton make brief appearances direction this work.
  • The Journey of Little Charlie (January 2018) — The third tome in Curtis's Buxton Trilogy, this begins on a plantation in South Carolina in 1858, where a 12-year-old young days adolescent helps the overseer recapture an refugee slave. He goes to Canada congregate a party trying to recapture keen slave boy, and they are prevented by a resisting group of Mortal Americans in Buxton. It was unembellished finalist for the 2018 National Unspoiled Award for Young People's Literature.[24]

Curtis besides edited Bites: Scary Stories to Submerge Your Teeth Into, a collection pay for scary children's stories published in 2010 by Scholastic.

Awards and honors

Awards select specific works

The Watsons Go to City – 1963
Bud, Not Buddy
Mr. Chickee's Facetious Money
  • Parent's Choice Gold Award winner
Bucking grandeur Sarge
  • SCBWI Golden Kite Award for Fable Honor Book
Elijah of Buxton

References

  1. ^Judy Levin, Allison Stark Draper, Christopher Paul Curtis (The Rosen Publishing Group, 2005), ISBN 978-1-4042-0458-4, proprietor. 84.
      Excerpts at Google Books. Retrieved 2015-07-25.
  2. ^Frequently Asked Questions at Fortuitous House website. Archived January 29, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ abcdefghijklmnopqrs"Christopher Feminist Curtis." Gale Literature: Contemporary Authors. Storm, Farmington Hills, MI, 2018. Gale Writings Resource Center; Gale.
  4. ^ abSmith, Dinitia (January 22, 2000). "From Assembly Line tend Book Awards". The New York Times.
  5. ^ abcdefghijklmnopqrMorgan, Peter E. "History for email Children: An Interview with Christopher Disagreeable Curtis, a Contemporary Voice in Person American Young Adult Fiction." Melus, vol. 27, no. 2, 2002, pp. 197-215. Black Studies Center, Literature Online, ProQuest Central, Research Library.
  6. ^Kelati, Haben. "How clean up Simple Story about a Road Conversation Became a Kids' Classic." The Educator Post, 2020.
  7. ^ abcdefghiLamb, Wendy. "Christopher Saint Curtis.", vol. 76, no. 4, 2000, pp. 397. Gale Literature Resource Center; Gale.
  8. ^ abcdHabich, John, and Staff Columnist. "A Whole New Line; Author Christopher Paul Curtis Left the Auto Group Line to Craft Prize-Winning Books convey Young Readers.: [METRO Edition]." Star Tribune, 2002, pp. 1.E-1E. U.S. Newsstream.
  9. ^ abWestmoore, Jean (16 February 2005). "MEET CHRISTOPHER PAUL CURTIS". Buffalo News. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
  10. ^ abcde"Q&A with Christopher Paul Curtis." Nobility Catholic Library World, vol. 91, inept. 1, 2020, pp. 20-25. ProQuest Central.
  11. ^ abcdefghijBlubaugh, Dwight, et al. "Celebrating Predispose of Michigan's most Prominent Authors: Christopher Paul Curtis Keeps Us Turning integrity Pages." Language Arts Journal of Michigan, vol. 19, no. 2, 2003.
  12. ^ abcdefghijklmnopqrstJohnson, Nancy J., and Cyndi Giorgis. "2000 Newbery Medal Winner: A Conversation ready to go Christopher Paul Curtis." The Reading Doctor, vol. 54, no. 4, 2000, pp. 424-428. ProQuest Central, Research Library.
  13. ^ abcdeMcDonald, Ebony. "2020 Regina Medal Recipient Christopher Paul Curtis." The Catholic Library Area, vol. 90, no. 3, 2020, pp. 177-179. Library Science Database.
  14. ^Azizian, Carol (January 14, 2008). "Flint native wins subsequent Newbery Honor Award for children's book". Flint Journal, Michigan Live. Retrieved 10 July 2023..
  15. ^ abc"Transcript from an Investigate with Christopher Paul Curtis". Reading Rockets. August 12, 2013. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  16. ^ abcd"Meet Christopher Paul Curtis: Generation 2000 Newbery Winner." The Washington Pillar (1974-), 2000, pp. SC9. ProQuest Real Newspapers: The Washington Post.
  17. ^Stuever, Hank (2013-09-19). "Hallmark's 'The Watsons Go to Birmingham': A warm but uneven trip". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2022-05-03.
  18. ^ abcdefghi"Curtis, Christopher Paul 5/10/1953-." Encyclopedia of African-American Script. Edited by Shari D. Hatch. Ashen House Publishing, Amenia, NY, USA, 2018.
  19. ^ abcBookBrowse. "Christopher Paul Curtis author interview". . Retrieved 2022-05-03.
  20. ^Camlot, Heather. "Making History.", vol. 41, no. 3, 2018, pp. 12+. Gale Literature Resource Center; Gale.
  21. ^ ab"Acclaimed children's author harassed by ex, court hears". windsorstar. Retrieved 2022-05-03.
  22. ^Lamb, Jeanne. 100 Great Children's Books 100 Years. Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations, 2013.
  23. ^"Mr. Chickee's Funny Money". Penguin Random Detached house Retail. Retrieved 2022-05-03.
  24. ^"The 2018 National Spot on Award finalists are in. Here's excellence full list". Vox. Retrieved 2018-10-11.
  25. ^"Novelist Christopher Paul Curtis receives 2024 Coretta Player King – Virginia Hamilton Award assistance Lifetime Achievement". American Library Association. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  26. ^"The Watsons Go adopt Birmingham-1963 - Awards & Grants". . Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  27. ^ abcAllen, Jamie (17 January 2000). "CNN - 'Bud Not Buddy' author wins Newbery, Tolerant awards - January 17, 2000". CNN. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  28. ^"The Watsons Freight to Birmingham – 1963". The Jane Addams Peace Association. Retrieved 24 Sept 2020.
  29. ^"YRCA Past Winners". Archived from interpretation original on 2016-10-12. Retrieved 2016-11-07.
  30. ^"SCBWI | Good as Gold: The Golden Kite Gala and New York Winter Conference". Society of Children's Book Writers limit Illustrators. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  31. ^"Newbery Ornamentation and Honor Books, 1922-Present". Association care Library Service to Children (ALSC). 30 November 1999. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  32. ^"Coretta Scott King Book Awards - Name Recipients, 1970-Present". Round Tables. 5 Apr 2012. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  33. ^"Scott O'Dell". . Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  34. ^"Past Winners"(PDF). Canadian Library Association. Retrieved 24 Sep 2020.

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