Joy McCullough is an American author of

young adult fiction Young adult literature (YA) is typically written for readers aged 12 to 18 and includes most of the themes found in adult fiction, such as family dysfunction, substance abuse, alcoholism, and sexuality. It is characterized by simpler world build ...

. She is best known for her

verse novel A verse novel is a type of narrative poetry in which a novel-length narrative is told through the medium of poetry rather than prose. Either simple or complex stanzaic verse-forms may be used, but there is usually a large cast, multiple voices, ...

''Blood Water Paint''. She lives in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...

. She attended

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

Writing career

''Blood Water Paint'' is a verse novel of biographical fiction for young adults. Its subject is Italian baroque painter

Artemisia Gentileschi Artemisia Lomi Gentileschi ( ; ; 8 July 1593) was an Italian Baroque painter. Gentileschi is considered among the most accomplished 17th century, 17th-century artists, initially working in the style of Caravaggio. She was producing professional ...

, who was raped and took her attacker to court. It is the tenth novel written by McCullough and it was the first of her books published. McCullough, whose background was as a playwright and not as a poet, first developed ''Blood Water Paint'' as a play that was produced in 2015. She read transcripts from the rape trial, which had been translated into English, in her research. ''Blood Water Paint'' received

starred review A starred review is a book review marked with a star to denote a book of distinction or particularly high quality. A starred review can help to increase media coverage, bookstore placement and sales of a book. Outlets that published starred review ...

s from ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' and ''

School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, wi ...

''. ''

The Horn Book ''The Horn Book Magazine'', founded in Boston in 1924, is the oldest bimonthly magazine dedicated to reviewing children's literature. It began as a "suggestive purchase list" prepared by Bertha Mahony and Elinor Whitney Field, proprietors of t ...

'' called it "a powerful novel." ''Publishers Weekly'' wrote, "A haunting, stirring depiction of an unforgettable woman" and ''School Library Journal'' wrote, "McCullough’s beautifully crafted text will inspire upper-middle/high school readers to research the true story upon which this powerful piece of historical fiction is based. The poetry is clear and revelatory, exploring Artemisia’s passion for both art and life." ''Blood Water Paint'' was longlisted for National Book Foundation's 2018 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. It was named one of the year's ten best historical fiction novels for youth by ''

Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is ...

''. The audiobook was read by Xe Sands. In 2020, McCullough published ''A Field Guide for Getting Lost''. On March 8, 2022, Tess Sharpe, Caroline Tung Richmond, Jessica Spotswood and McCullough released the novel ''Great or Nothing'', a retelling of the classic ''

Little Women ''Little Women'' is a coming-of-age novel written by American novelist Louisa May Alcott, originally published in two volumes, in 1868 and 1869. The story follows the lives of the four March sisters— Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy—and details th ...

'', set during the second World War.

Selected works

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Picture books

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Collaborations

References

External links

Official websiteJoy McCullough
on

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