Matthew J. Kirby

Last updated
Matthew J. Kirby
Matthew j kirby 8419.JPG
Born Utah, United States
OccupationYoung adult fiction author
Notable awardsEdgar Award
2012 Best Juvenile Mystery

Matthew J. Kirby is an American author of middle grade and young adult children's books.

Contents

Life

Kirby was born in Utah. As the son of a naval officer, he had the opportunity to live in various parts of the country, including Maryland, California, and Hawaii. [1] As a pre-teen, he was given a set of Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea books. As he read a particular passage, he was struck by her use of language and knew he wanted to become a writer. [2] [3] He earned his bachelor's degree in history at Utah State University and went on to earn his master's degree in school counselling. [1] His early writing endeavors were more tailored to adults in the form of poetry and short fiction, but he eventually settled into writing for young people as he discovered many of his ideas were more "suited for a younger audience." [2]

In 2010, his first book, The Clockwork Three , was published by Scholastic Press. It was a children's historical fantasy set in a fictional American city in the late 19th century. His second book, Icefall, about a Viking princess, won the 2012 Edgar Award for Juvenile Fiction.

He currently lives near Salt Lake City, Utah with his partner Jaimes.

Works

Novels

Poetry

Short fiction

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References

  1. 1 2 J. Kirby, Matthew (17 December 2008). "A short, short bio". Kirbside. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
  2. 1 2 "Fall 2010 Flying Starts: Matthew Kirby".
  3. "Cuppa Jolie: MATTHEW J KIRBY: SCBWI Pre-Conference Interview #NY13NYC". 17 January 2013.
  4. "Strange Horizons Poetry: In Their Element, by M. J. Kirby". Archived from the original on 2014-11-29. Retrieved 2014-11-18.
  5. "Title: Letters on Natural Magic".