Angela Johnson (born June 18, 1961) is an American writer of

children's books A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younge ...

and

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...

, with over 40 books to her credit since beginning her writing career in 1989. Her children's

picture books A picture book combines visual and verbal narratives in a book format, most often aimed at young children. With the narrative told primarily through text, they are distinct from comics, which do so primarily through sequential images. The images ...

are simple yet poetic stories about

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...

families, friendships, and common childhood experiences such as moving. Her books for older children revolve around similar themes but also explore deeper issues such as teen pregnancy and divorce. Her characters are realistic and the treatment sensitive, positive, and hopeful. Many of Johnson's books have connections to Alabama and Alabama history.

Early life

Johnson was born in

Tuskegee, Alabama Tuskegee () is a city in Macon County, Alabama, United States. It was founded and laid out in 1833 by General Thomas Simpson Woodward, a Creek War veteran under Andrew Jackson, and made the county seat that year. It was incorporated in 1843. ...

, and grew up in

Windham, Ohio Windham is a village in Portage County, Ohio, United States. It is formed from portions of Windham Township, one of the original townships of the Connecticut Western Reserve. The population was 2,209 at the 2010 census. In 1942, the US governm ...

, with her brother and parents. She began writing in the fourth grade when her mother gave her a diary for Christmas.Hinton, M. (2018, June). Sweet Here and Now: 2018 Margaret Edwards Award winner Angela Johnson just wants to tell a good story. ''School Library Journal'', ''64''(6), 28+. Encouraged to write by her parents, in high school Johnson wrote "punk" poetry that was not accepted by her school's literary guild. She says this fueled her writing rather than discouraging it.Engberg, G. (2004, February 15). The Booklist interview: Angela Johnson. ''Booklist'', ''100''(12), 1074. During high school Johnson wished to be a teacher or lawyer. She attended

Kent State University Kent State University (KSU) is a public research university in Kent, Ohio. The university also includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio and additional facilities in the region and internationally. Regional campuses are located in ...

after graduating high school and studied special education, though she left before earning her degree to focus on her writing.

Career

After leaving university, Johnson worked as a nanny and was employed by author

Cynthia Rylant Cynthia Rylant (born June 6, 1954) is an American author and librarian. She has written more than 100 children's books, including works of fiction (picture books, short stories and novels), nonfiction, and poetry. Several of her books have won ...

who reviewed Johnson's work and forwarded it to her own publisher. Rylant's publisher contacted Johnson saying he'd like to publish the story she'd shared as a picture book. Johnson credits her connection with Rylant as giving her the "break" that launched her career. Johnson began her career publishing picture books in 1989. In 1993 she branched out into books for young adults, publishing ''Toning the Sweep''. Johnson continues to write across age groups which is rare for authors today. Johnson describes her work as "character driven" and says that she struggles more with the formulation of plot than the development of characters. She says that her characters are sometimes based on people she has met and the stories they have shared with her. According to Johnson, strangers often tell her stories. An older woman on a bus once told her about the man she'd fallen in love with as a teenager. War had kept them apart but they'd stayed in touch and the woman had plans to see him again. This became the inspiration for her characters Sweet and Curtis in ''Sweet, Hereafter''. Johnson also says of her writing "I've never set out to teach a lesson, to lecture anyone. I just want to tell a good story." Jonathan Hunt, chair of the 2018

Margaret Edwards Award The Margaret A. Edwards Award is an American Library Association (ALA) literary award that annually recognizes an author and "a specific body of his or her work, for significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature". It is named after ...

committee praised Johnson's writing for its timeless, nuanced, and elegant craft as well as its wide appeal. Fellow children's book author

Jacqueline Woodson Jacqueline Woodson (born February 12, 1963) is an American writer of books for children and adolescents. She is best known for ''Miracle's Boys'', and her Newbery Honor-winning titles ''Brown Girl Dreaming'', ''After Tupac and D Foster'', ''Feat ...

describes Johnson's writing style as realistic, engaging, and accessible. She says "you can tell by reading her work that she takes her time with the narrative and truly cares about the characters." Rarely attending conferences or making class visits, Johnson avoids the public eye. She does not have a social media presence, although she does have
website
Although she has slowed down, Johnson plans to continue writing.

Awards

Johnson has won awards for both picture books and novels. She won the

Ezra Jack Keats Ezra Jack Keats (né Jacob Ezra Katz; March 11, 1916 – May 6, 1983) was an American people, American writer and illustrator of children's books. He won the 1963 Caldecott Medal for illustrating ''The Snowy Day'', which he also wrote. Keats wr ...

New Writer Award for ''Tell Me a Story, Mama'' in 1991. She has won the Coretta Scott King Award three times, for ''Toning the Sweep'' in 1994, ''Heaven'' in 1999, and '' The First Part Last'' in 2004. (She is a two-time runner-up for ''When I Am Old With You'' in 1990 and ''The Other Side, Shorter Poems'' in 1998.) She won the Michael L. Printz Award from the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members ...

in 2004, recognizing ''The First Part Last'' as the year's "best book written for teens, based entirely on its literary merit"."Michael L. Printz Winners and Honor Books"

YALSA The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), established in 1957, is a division of the American Library Association. YALSA is a national association of librarians, library workers and advocates whose mission is to expand the capacity of l ...

. American Library Association. Retrieved March 8, 2013. In 2003 Johnson received a MacArthur Genius Grant. In 2018 Johnson was awarded the

for her "significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature." In 2013 the

Vermont College of Fine Arts Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA) is a private graduate-level art school in Montpelier, Vermont. It offers Master's degrees in low-residency and residential programs. Its faculty includes Pulitzer Prize finalists, National Book Award winners, ...

and Barry Goldblatt Literary (an organization that works to foster the careers of children's and young adult authors) announced the creation of a scholarship named after Johnson. The scholarship awards $5000 to up to two students of color attending the MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults program. Goldblatt chose to name the scholarship in honor of his first client, Angela Johnson. At

, Johnson was awarded an honorary doctorate in 2007 and received the Virginia Hamilton Literary Award in 2013. She received the 2021

Harper Lee Award The Harper Lee Award for Alabama's Distinguished Writer of the Year is an annual award recognizing a writer who was born in Alabama or has spent their formative years there. It is named after Harper Lee, whose ''To Kill A Mockingbird'' has sold ove ...

Works

;Picture books for primary grades (K-2) * ''Tell Me a Story, Mama'' (1989) * ''When I am Old With You'' (1990) * ''Do Like Kyla'' (1990) * ''One of Three'' (1991) * ''The Leaving Morning'' (1992) * ''Julius'' (1993) * ''The Girl Who Wore Snakes'' (1993) * ''Mama Bird, Baby Birds'' (1994) * ''Joshua's Night Whispers'' (1994) * ''Rain Feet'' (1994) * ''Joshua By The Sea'' (1994) * ''Shoes Like Miss Alice's'' (1995) * ''The Aunt in Our House'' (1996) * ''The Rolling Store'' (1997) * ''Daddy Calls Me Man'' (1997) * ''The Wedding'' (1999) * ''Down the Winding Road'' (2000) * ''Those Building Men'' (2001) * ''I Dream of Trains'' (2003) * ''Just Like Josh Gibson'' (2004) * ''Violet's Music'' (2004) * ''A Sweet Smell of Roses'' (2005) * ''Lily Brown's Paintings'' (2007) * ''Wind Flyers'' (2007) ;Chapterbooks for intermediate grades (3-5) * ''Maniac Monkeys on Magnolia Street'' (1999) * ''When Mules Flew on Magnolia Street'' (2000) * ''Looking For Red'' (2002) * ''Bird'' (2004) ;For older children and young adults * ''Toning the Sweep'' (1993) * ''Humming Whispers'' (1995) * ''Songs of Faith'' (1998) * ''Heaven'' (novel) (1998) * ''The Other Side, Shorter Poems'' (1998) * ''Gone From Home: Short Takes'' (1998) * ''Running Back to Ludie'' (2001) * '' The First Part Last'' (2003) * ''Cool Moonlight'' (2003) ;Recent * '' Sweet, Hereafter'' (2010) *''Day Ray Got Away'' (2010) *''Lotte Paris Lives Here'' (2011) *''Certain October'' (2012) *''Lottie Paris and the Best Place'' (2013)

References

External links