Sharon draper author biography examples

I love spring flowers, summer's heat on my body, and the beauty of the dying leaves in the fall. Classical music, art museums, and ballet are sources of inspiration, as well as blues music and dim cafes.

Sharon draper author biography examples: Sharon M. Draper is a

I love to write; words flow easily from my fingertips, and my heart beats rapidly with excitement as an idea becomes a reality on the paper in front of me. I smile often, laugh easily, and I weep at pain and cruelty. I'm a learner and a seeker of knowledge, and I try to take my readers along on my journey. I am passionate about what I do. For answers to all of your questions about Mrs.

I guess I always knew I was going to be a teacher, but I had no idea that I'd become a writer as well. Sometimes you choose your path; sometimes the path is chosen for you. Of course I couldn't know any of that when I was an infant, but the paths were being drawn for me even before I was born. What's the most fun thing about being a writer??

Absolutely everything! Mills and Catherine Gachett Mills. She is the oldest of 3 and has two younger siblings. She is married and has four children. Her own writing career began in when, as a teacher, she was challenged by a ninth-grade student to "write something. Upon winning, Draper was awarded five thousand dollars and her story was published.

Among those who wrote to congratulate her was Roots author Alex Haley. She credits this letter with helping her realize that she could be a writer. Draper received the Beacon of Light Humanitarian award in She received the Margaret A. Edwards Award from the American Library Association in Students in the US, Nigeria, and Ghana are reading the book and sharing ideas.

Many of Draper's books for children and young adults contain mature and serious themes, such as death, grief, and abuse. In Romiette and Julioan African American girl and Hispanic boy begin dating, despite familial disapproval and threats from a local gang. Zonnenberg states that the story's focus on complex issues such as gang violence and interracial relationships encourages deep discussion by all readers.

Price writes that while many characters in this book are African American, Draper focuses more on character actions.

Sharon draper author biography examples: Sharon Mills Draper (born

Because Draper centers more on narrative and character development, readers come away with a sense that race and ethnicity make up only one part of an individual's identity. Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read Edit View history. Tools Tools. Download as PDF Printable version. They are honest and open and talk to me as a friend.

One young lady told me that she had also been abducted, and that she was still coping with the after effects. Lots of kids write to thank me for the warning. I hope to have it posted on my website soon. BS: Dance and music are a huge part of Panic. Does the silence allow you to hear your inner thoughts more clearly? And, if you could name one emotion, what did you feel while writing this book?

SD: I do write in silence, but I stopped many times during the process of writing Panic to listen to music, to the songs I wanted to use, to the lyrics the songs used to represent the pain and angst of the characters Music is around me all the time, so it was easy to weave it into the story. My emotion? Probably passion. Because music and dance and beauty are all so passionate to me.

I tried to transpose that passion into my words. BS: While on the topic of dance and music, lets talk about groove and the three hundred books you read each year. We each have our own voices, which is as it should be. What I read are adult books—sometimes murder mysteries, sometimes biographies, sometimes historical fiction. My only criteria is that the book sucks me in by the beauty of the language and the power of the way it is written.

Some books are like cornflakes—I try to ignore them. I focus on the books that are a well0cooked flavorful meal. When I write, the beauty of the language of others helps me to create my own. How many pages do you read into a book before giving up on it? Ethnicity: "African American. Hobbies and other interests: Reading; "I won't read junk; there's no time to waste on poorly written books.

Office— P. BoxCincinnati, OH Public speaker, poet, educator, and author. Lecturer and presenter at schools and other venues. Guest on radio and television programs. Honorary degrees include D. Floyd, ; The Battle of Jericho, read by J. Sharon M. Reading, teaching, and writing are all connected for Draper, who wanted to be a teacher since childhood.

As she once told an interviewer, "I was an avid reader. I read every single book in the elementary school library, all of them. I did not plan to be a writer until much, much later. I tell students all the time that in order to be a good writer it is necessary first to be a good reader. You need some information in your head. Reading is input. Writing is output.

You can't write without input. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Draper was the eldest of three children raised in a family where education was a given. The question was not "would you attend college, it was where and to study what," Draper explained in her interview.

Sharon draper author biography examples: Mrs. Draper has written dozens of

She entered Cleveland Public Schools in the s, inspired by a home where she was surrounded by books. She recalled a teacher who once "gave me O's for outstanding, saying an A wasn't good enough. She gave it to us and we loved it," Draper said. Upon graduation inshe returned to Ohio where she married and assumed a teaching position in the Cincinnati Public Schools.

Her many years teaching public school has given her some definite ideas on the reading habits of teens. Although I have nothing against Charles Dickensmany teenagers would rather gag than read him. Dickens wrote for his contemporaries—young people of a hundred and fifty years ago. American students might need to know about the world of London in the s, but they would much rather read about their own world first.

Not only will they read about recognizable experiences with pleasure, but they will also be encouraged to write as well. According to an essayist in the St. James Guide to Young-Adult Writers, "Draper's works address the problems African Americans face in a predominantly white society, specifically stereotyping of black males. They also examine the dynamics of African American families and communities.

Her … fiction is energetic and intense, as characters become self aware and attain emotional growth. She often creates mystery plots as a means for characters to be introspective and explore their identities. She sets her books in Cincinnati where she lives and teaches, suggesting a familiarity with her characters and community that enhances their realism.

Draper's first young-adult novel, and the first volume in her "Hazelwood High" trilogy, Tears of a Tiger recounts. The two teens had been drinking beer with their friends Tyrone and B. Tyrone and B. Andy, however, is wracked with guilt, grief, and pain that do not subside with time. In Tears of a Tiger Draper depicts the difficulties in healing emotionally through the character of Andy, and through him she also addresses the institutional attitudes confronting young black males.

In one episode, for example, teachers discuss how Andy's grief cannot be all that serious since he is African American. The teen also internalizes ideas about himself that prevent him from realizing his full capabilities; for example, he believes he cannot be successful academically because he is a basketball player. Merri Monks, writing in Booklist, observed that "Andy's perceptions of the racism directed toward young black males—by teachers, guidance counselors, and clerks in shopping malls—will be recognized by African American YAs.

Kathy Fritts, reviewing Tears of a Tiger for School Library Journal, pointed out that in Draper's "moving novel" "the characters' sharons draper author biography examples are strong, vivid, and ring true," while Monks remarked that the work's "characters and their experiences will captivate teen readers. Broderick wrote in Voice of Youth Advocates: "Suffice to say, not only is Draper an author to watch for, but that this is as compelling a novel as any published in the last two decades.

Forged by Fire, the sequel to Tears of a Tiger, is also grounded in socially relevant themes. Child sexual abuse and drug addiction replace suicide and racism, yet both books reach a tragic finality. At age three Gerald was burned in a fire after being left alone by his mother.

Sharon draper author biography examples: Sharon M. Draper is

Following his hospital stay, Gerald goes to live with Aunt Queen, a loving and supportive woman. Six years later, following Aunt Queen's death, Monique reenters her son's life. Monique has married Jordan Sparks, the father of Angel, Gerald's new half-sister. Gerald soon learns that Sparks has sexually abused Angel and through the testimony of the children, Sparks is sent to prison.

When Sparks returns six years later, Monique, who indulges too much in drugs, lets him return to family life where he once again attempts to sexually harm his young daughter. Tom S. Hurlburt, reviewing Forged by Fire for School Library Journal, wrote that although there is "no all's-well ending, … readers will have hope for Gerald and Angel, who have survived a number of gut-wrenching ordeals by relying on their constant love and caring for one another.

In Darkness before Dawn, which concludes the "Hazelwood High" trilogy, Draper tells the story of high schooler Keisha Montgomery, who has just lost her ex-boyfriend to suicide and must now deal with an overly aggressive track coach. Debbie Carton, reviewing the novel for Booklist, wrote that "the graduation scene, in which class president Keisha gives the closing speech, is moving and triumphant, showing Draper and her vibrant characters at their best.

Reynolds observed in School Library Journal that "readers may be overwhelmed by the soap-opera feel of this issue-laden world," Odette Cornwall concluded in the Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy that "not only did Draper make Keisha real, but she also wove many prominent social issues faced by young adults today into the story line.

Draper begins another series with The Battle of Jericho. Here readers meet sixteen-year-old cousins Josh and Jericho Prescott as they decide to pledge the popular Warriors of Distinction fraternity at Frederick Douglass High. During pledge week the Warriors' hazing gets out of control, with tragic results. Although Ilene Cooper wrote in Booklist that the characters' dialogue sounds "stilted" due to Draper's decision to avoid profanity, The Battle of Jericho involves "a timely scenario" that finds "middle-class African American kids … put into a situation that many young people face": the need to fit in, no matter what the cost.

Draper effectively "conveys the seductive power of teen clubs and the dangers of hazing rituals in this timely novel," concluded a Publishers Weekly contributor. A sequel to The Battle of Jericho, November Blues, examines the aftermath of Josh's tragic death, as Jericho and Josh's girlfriend, November Nelson, attempt to come to terms with life without him.

For November, a promising high-school senior, their brief relationship has left her pregnant with Josh's child and a decision that will decide the course of her future.