Sharon Bell Mathis

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Sharon Bell Mathis (born 1937) is an American librarian and author who has written books mainly for children and young adults. [1] [2]

Contents

Early life

Mathis was born in Atlantic City, New Jersey. [1] She started writing at an early age, and her love of reading was fostered by her parents. Her mother, a poet, encouraged her to write. [3] [1] In 1958, she earned a degree in Sociology from Morgan State College and, in 1975, went on to earn a master's in Library Science from the Catholic University of America. [1]

New Jersey State of the United States of America

New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the Northeastern United States. It is a peninsula, bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, particularly along the extent of the length of New York City on its western edge; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware River and Pennsylvania; and on the southwest by the Delaware Bay and Delaware. New Jersey is the fourth-smallest state by area but the 11th-most populous, with 9 million residents as of 2017, and the most densely populated of the 50 U.S. states; its biggest city is Newark. New Jersey lies completely within the combined statistical areas of New York City and Philadelphia and was the second-wealthiest U.S. state by median household income as of 2017.

Catholic University of America university in Washington, D.C., United States

TheCatholic University of America (CUA) is a private, non-profit Catholic university located in Washington, D.C., in the United States. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by the U.S. Catholic bishops. Established in 1887 as a graduate and research center following approval by Pope Leo XIII on Easter Sunday, the university began offering undergraduate education in 1904. The university's campus lies within the Brookland neighborhood, known as "Little Rome", which contains 60 Catholic institutions, including Trinity Washington University and the Dominican House of Studies, as well as the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

Career

Mathis has written many books for children and young adults, and has received many accolades in her career. Her book Ray Charles, a nonfiction biography of Ray Charles, received the Coretta Scott King Award. [1] [3] The Hundred Penny Box received a Newbery Honor Award and is a recipient of the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award and also an American Library Association Notable Children's Book. [1] [3] English Journal placed Mathis alongside writers such as Toni Cade Bambara and Nikki Giovanni, characterizing them as "describing a black consciousness of self- celebration rather like that which flowered during the Harlem Renaissance and was somehow lost, at least in literature, in the intervening years of social upheaval." [4] Teacup Full of Roses was a New York Times Outstanding Book of the Year. [3] It was described, also in English Journal, as "a celebration of black family life, not of the stereotypical enduring parents, but of the children who find their strength in giving to each other." [4]

Ray Charles American musician

Ray Charles Robinson, known professionally as Ray Charles, was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and composer. Among friends and fellow musicians he preferred being called "Brother Ray". He was often referred to as "The Genius". Charles started losing his vision at the age of 5, and by 7 he was blind.

The Coretta Scott King Award is an annual award presented by the Ethnic & Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table, part of the American Library Association (ALA). Named for Coretta Scott King, wife of Martin Luther King, Jr., this award recognizes outstanding books for young adults and children by African American authors and illustrators that reflect the African American experience.

The Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards are a set of American literary awards conferred by The Boston Globe and The Horn Book Magazine annually from 1967. One book is recognized in each of three categories: Fiction and Poetry, Nonfiction, and Picture Book. The official website calls the awards "among the most prestigious honors in children's and young adult literature".

Published works

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Jones, Gwendolyn. "Sharon Bell Mathis". In Nelson, Emanuel. Contemporary African American Novelists : A Bio-bibliographical Critical Sourcebook. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 304.
  2. ↑ M. Daphne Kutzer; Emmanuel Sampath Nelson (1996). Writers of Multicultural Fiction for Young Adults: A Bio-critical Sourcebook. Greenwood Press. pp. 273–. ISBN   978-0-313-29331-3.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Gallo, Donald (ed.). Join In: Multiethnic Short Stories by Outstanding Writers for Young Adults. Random House Books. p. 200.
  4. 1 2 Dybek, Caren (1 January 1974). "Black Literature for Adolescents". The English Journal. 63 (1): 64–67. doi:10.2307/813458. JSTOR   813458.
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