Bradley Steffens (born February 10, 1955) is an American poet, playwright, novelist, and author of more than seventy nonfiction books for children and young adults.[1]
In the mid-1970s Steffens self-published two chapbooks of his poetry,[2] which he sold on the streets of Southern California. In 1976, the City of Laguna Beach, California, denied Steffens a permit to sell his works within the city limits, touching off brouhaha in the local press.[3] Steffens went to court, seeking relief under the First Amendment, but the court ruled in favor of the city. Steffens turned to writing a series of one-act plays-in-verse, which were professionally produced as “Herod the Great: A Sequence of Pageants” by the Olympia Arts Ensemble in Minneapolis in 1981 with Michael Yonkers in the title role. Noel Bredahl of the St. Paul Post-Dispatch hailed the play as "an awesome creation on the part of the playwright.[4] David Hawley, also of the St. Paul Post Dispatch, wrote, “Steffens is a powerful, talented artist."[5]
Writing career
Steffens has published more than fifty poems over the last forty years. His poems have appeared widely in literary journals, including Crosscurrents, Loonfeather, Stone Country, Sidewalks, The Bellingham Review, River Bottom, The Worcester Review, The Birmingham Review, Black Buzzard Review, The Lake Street Review, Plains Poetry Journal, The White Rock Review, The Ball State University Forum, San Diego Writers’ Monthly, Encore, and Farmer’s Market. He has received many awards for his poetry, including the Emerging Voices Award presented by The Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis and the Lake Superior Writing Competition Award sponsored by the Duluth Public Library. While working as a freelance proofreader for Lucent Books in 1989, Steffens wrote his first nonfiction book for children, Animal Rights. Over the next thirty-four years, he wrote sixty-three more books for children and young adults, coauthored seven, and edited the 2004 anthology The Free Speech Movement. His works have been praised by Booklist, School Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, and Children’s Literature. The Fountain called his Ibn al-Haytham: First Scientist a “beautiful work about Ibn al-Haytham and his advancement of experimental science.”[6] In December 2021, Kirkus Reviews named his The Dark Side of Social Media one of the Best YA Nonfiction Books of 2021.[7]
Steffens is a two-time recipient of the San Diego Book Award for Best Young Adult & Children's Nonfiction. His Giants won the 2005 award[8] and his J.K. Rowling received the 2007 prize.[9]J.K. Rowling also earned Steffens the Theodor S. Geisel Award for the best published book by a San Diego County author in 2007.[10] His Ibn al-Haytham: First Scientist was excerpted in Discovery Channel Magazine[11] in March 2010. He was the keynote speaker at the Southeast Regional Conference of The Islamic Medical Association of North America, the Sixth Annual Meeting of the Muslim Public Affairs Council of Western New York,[12] the Pacifica Institute,[13] and Women in Dialogue.[14]
Selected works
Steffens is best known for his 2017 historical novel The Prisoner of Al Hakim, which tells the story of the eleventh-century Islamic mathematician Alhasan Ibn al-Haytham. The Fountain commented, "From the very first page Steffens brilliantly brings Alhasan’s internal character to life on the page, sketching a conflicted, fascinating portrait of a reluctant hero. It’s not easy to dramatize the acts of thinking and creating—and harder still to do so in a subtle, elegant style—yet Steffens manages the trick."[15]Blue Minaret praised the book, stating: “The story of Ibn al-Haytham has now been fictionalized masterfully by Bradley Steffens. Each character is well-crafted and in-depth. Each chapter is action-packed. Fans of history will appreciate the descriptions of Cairo and Basra, the esteemed House of Wisdom, even the deserts forming the backdrop of the book. There are plenty of women with strong, independent spirits, and many men in whose hearts burns the love of both God and science.”[16]Wardah Books observed: "This period novel dating back to the Abbasid and Fatimid Caliphate brings to the fore an oft-forgotten side of polymaths such as Alhasan Ibn al-Haytham, as a person who, like all of us, experiences doubt, fear and love.”[17]
Author
Donald Trump: Controversial 47th President. San Diego: ReferencePoint Press, 2025. ISBN9781678212124
Anime and Manga Fan Culture. San Diego: ReferencePoint Press, 2025. ISBN9781678210687
Quick Guide to Evaluating Information Online. San Diego: ReferencePoint Press, 2024. ISBN9781678208141
Hi-Tech Jobs in Social Media (Exploring Hi-Tech Jobs). San Diego: ReferencePoint Press, 2024. ISBN9781678207106
Freedom of Speech: Should There Be Limits? San Diego: ReferencePoint Press, 2023. ISBN9781678205768
The Rise of Anime and Manga: From Japanese Art Form to Global Phenomenon. San Diego: ReferencePoint Press, 2023. ISBN9781678205867
Social Media (Thinking Critically). San Diego: ReferencePoint Press, 2022. ISBN9781678204648
Screen Addiction: A Teen Epidemic. San Diego: ReferencePoint Press, 2022. ISBN9781678203528
Teen Suicide on the Rise (Mental Health Crisis). San Diego: ReferencePoint Press, 2022. ISBN9781678202804
The Art and Artists of Anime (All About Anime and Manga). San Diego: ReferencePoint Press, 2022. ISBN9781678202187
The Science of Infectious Diseases. San Diego: ReferencePoint Press, 2022. ISBN9781678201609
The Dark Side of Social Media. San Diego: ReferencePoint Press, 2022. ISBN9781678200787
First Scientist: Ibn Al-Haytham. Clifton, NJ: Blue Dome Press, 2021. ISBN9781682060292
Health, Illness, and Death in the Time of COVID-19 (Understanding the COVID-19 Pandemic). San Diego: ReferencePoint Press, 2021. ISBN9781678200343
Esports and the New Gaming Culture. San Diego: ReferencePoint Press, 2020. ISBN9781682829257
Medical Drones (World of Drones). San Diego: ReferencePoint Press, 2020. ISBN9781682828311
Social Media Deception (Risks of Social Media). San Diego: ReferencePoint Press, 2020. ISBN9781682828533
Social Media Addiction (Risks of Social Media). San Diego: ReferencePoint Press, 2020. ISBN9781682828519
Marijuana Risks (Drug Risks). San Diego: ReferencePoint Press, 2020. ISBN9781682829073
J. Cole (Giants of Rap and Hip-Hop). San Diego: ReferencePoint Press, 2020. ISBN9781682827772*J. Cole (Giants of Rap and Hip-Hop). San Diego: ReferencePoint Press, 2020. ISBN9781682827772
Drake (Giants of Rap and Hip-Hop). San Diego: ReferencePoint Press, 2020. ISBN9781682827710
Addicted to Video Games (Addicted). San Diego: ReferencePoint Press, 2020. ISBN9781682825754
The Suicide Epidemic. San Diego: ReferencePoint Press, 2020. ISBN9781682827413
The Science and Technology of Basketball (The Science and Technology of Sports). San Diego: ReferencePoint Press, 2020. ISBN9781682826492
Gun Violence (Emerging Issues in Public Health). San Diego: ReferencePoint Press, 2020. ISBN9781682826690
Cell Phone Addiction (Emerging Issues in Public Health). San Diego: ReferencePoint Press, 2020. ISBN9781682826652
Fossil Fuels (Thinking Critically). San Diego: ReferencePoint Press, 2019. ISBN9781682825334
Genetic Testing and Research (Thinking Critically). San Diego: ReferencePoint Press, 2019. ISBN9781682825358
Gun Violence and Mass Shootings. San Diego: ReferencePoint Press, 2019. ISBN9781682825150
Policing (Threats to Civil Liberties). San Diego: ReferencePoint Press, 2019. ISBN9781682824498
Privacy (Threats to Civil Liberties). San Diego: ReferencePoint Press, 2019. ISBN9781682824511
How the Internet Is Changing the World. San Diego: ReferencePoint Press, 2019. ISBN9781682824153
Teen Suicide (Thinking Critically). San Diego: ReferencePoint Press, 2019. ISBN9781682824474
Cell Phones (Thinking Critically). San Diego: ReferencePoint Press, 2018. ISBN9781682823354
Genocide (Human Rights in Focus). San Diego: ReferencePoint Press, 2017. ISBN9781682822258
Torture (Human Rights in Focus). San Diego: ReferencePoint Press, 2017. ISBN9781682822357
The Prisoner of Al-Hakim. Clifton, NJ: Blue Dome Press, 2017. ISBN9781682060162
Securing Cyberspace (Real-World STEM). San Diego: ReferencePoint Press, 2017. ISBN9781682822494
Eliminate the Threat of Nuclear Terror (Real-World STEM). San Diego: ReferencePoint Press, 2017. ISBN9781682822418
Big Data Analyst (Cutting Edge Careers). San Diego: ReferencePoint Press, 2017. ISBN9781682821763
Phonograph (Encyclopedia of Discovery and Invention). San Diego: Lucent Books, 1992. ISBN1560062223
Photography (Encyclopedia of Discovery and Invention). San Diego: Lucent Books, 1991. ISBN1560062126
The Children’s Crusade (World Disasters). San Diego: Lucent Books, 1991. ISBN1560060190
Printing Press (Encyclopedia of Discovery and Invention). San Diego: Lucent Books, 1990. ISBN1560062053
Working Mothers (Opposing Viewpoints Juniors). San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1989. ISBN0899084974
Animal Rights (Opposing Viewpoints Juniors). San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1989. ISBN0899084710
From the Laguna Beach Pageant of the Masters: An Anonymous Romance of Theatric Space... and Six Anonymous Songs. San Rafael: Sack Back Publications, 1976.
From an Eighteenth Century Painted Tile and Other Poems. San Francisco: Sack Back Publications, 1975.
With Craig Staples, The Trial of Charles Manson (Famous Trials). San Diego: Lucent Books, 2002. ISBN1560067330
With Diana Saenger, Life as a Vietnam POW (American War Library). San Diego: Lucent Books, 2001. ISBN1560067160
With Robyn M. Weaver, Cartoonists (History Makers). San Diego: Lucent Books, 2000. ISBN1560066687
With Dan Woog, Jesse Jackson (People in the News). San Diego: Lucent Books, 2000. ISBN1560066318
With James House, The San Francisco Earthquake (World Disasters). San Diego: Lucent Books, 1989. ISBN1560060034
Editor
Free Speech Movement (American Social Movements). San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2004. ISBN0737711566
References
↑ "Library of Congress Online Catalog: Bradley Steffens". United States Library of Congress.
↑ Bradley Steffens, From an Eighteenth Century Painted Tile and Other Poems. San Rafael: Sack Back Publications,1975. Anonymous, From the Laguna Beach Pageant of the Masters: An Anonymous Romance of Theatric Space, and Six Anonymous Songs. San Rafael: Sack Back Publications, 1976. https://books.google.com/books? id=kTcGHwAACAAJ, https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B003UNTG72/ref=dp_olp_0? ie=UTF8&redirect=true&condition=all
↑ Janice Brownfield, Reporter vs. Publisher. Santa Ana, California: Alpenstock Publishing, 1986, pp. 46-47.
↑ Noel BreDahl (April 9, 1981). “What’s playing on area stages.” St. Paul Dispatch, p. 3B.
↑ David Hawley (April 6, 1981). “’Herod’ suffers from uncontrolled excess.” St. Paul Post-Dispatch, p. 14A.
↑ Ertan Salik (May–June 2008). "Ibn al-Haytham: First Scientist." The Fountain.
↑ (December 15, 2021). "Best YA Nonfiction of 2021." Kirkus Reviews.
↑ Arthur Salm (May 22, 2006). “San Diego's award-winning writers”. San Diego Union Tribune.
↑ Robert L. Pincus (May 25, 2008). “Steffens takes top honor at book awards bash.” San Diego Union Tribune.
↑ Robert L. Pincus (May 25, 2008). “Steffens takes top honor at book awards bash.” San Diego Union Tribune.
↑ Bradley Steffens (March 2010). “The Optical Scientist”. Discovery Channel Magazine, pp. 90-95.
↑ Haris Tarin (May 20, 2010). “MPAC-NY Celebrates 6th Anniversary at Annual Dinner.” Muslim Public Affairs Council.
↑ “Lecture Series with Author Bradley Steffens.” Pacifica Institute.
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