Jeff Burlingame (born June 14, 1971) is an American author of several books, including biographies of musicians

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...

and

Kurt Cobain Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20, 1967 – ) was an American musician. He was the lead vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter, and a founding member of the grunge band Nirvana (band), Nirvana. Through his angsty songwriting and anti-establis ...

. Other biographies he’s worked on consist of George Varnell, a prominent figure of his birth state of Washington. He is also known for his critical looks at the historic and tragic plights of the

Lost Boys of Sudan The Lost Boys of Sudan refers to a group of over 20,000 boys of the Nuer and Dinka ethnic groups who were displaced or orphaned during the Second Sudanese Civil War (1983–2005). Two million were killed and others were severely affected by the ...

and the crew and passengers of the ''

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British ocean liner that sank in the early hours of 15 April 1912 as a result of striking an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United States. Of the estimated 2,224 passengers a ...

''. His books have been honored by the

New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second-largest public library in the United States behind the Library of Congress a ...

and the

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is an American civil rights organization formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. B. Du&nbs ...

, which in 2012 awarded him its highest literary honor at a nationally televised event in

Hollywood, California Hollywood, sometimes informally called Tinseltown, is a List of districts and neighborhoods in Los Angeles, neighborhood and district in the Central Los Angeles, central region of Los Angeles County, California, within the city of Los Angeles. ...

. The previous year, his biography of

Malcolm X Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little, later el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz; May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965) was an African American revolutionary, Islam in the United States, Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a prominent figur ...

was nominated for an Image Award.

Writing career

Jeff Burlingame began his professional writing career as a general assignment reporter for ''The Willapa Harbor Herald'' newspaper in

Raymond, Washington Raymond is a city in Pacific County, Washington, United States. The population was 2,882 at the 2010 census. The 2020 census showed the population of 3,081, an increase of 6.4%. The town's economy has traditionally been based on logging and f ...

. In 1997, he began working at '' The Daily World'' becoming the

Aberdeen, Washington Aberdeen ( ) is a city in Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States. The population was 17,013 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The city is the most populous in Grays Harbor County and the region's economic center, bordering t ...

, paper's arts and entertainment editor shortly thereafter. In that capacity, he won numerous awards from the

Society of Professional Journalists The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), formerly known as Sigma Delta Chi, is the oldest organization representing journalists in the United States. It was established on April 17, 1909, at DePauw University,2009 SPJ Annual Report, lette ...

. In 2006, he became a copy editor for

The News Tribune ''The News Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Tacoma, Washington. It is the second-largest daily newspaper in the state of Washington with a weekday circulation of 30,945 in 2020. With origins dating back to 1883, the newspaper w ...

in Tacoma. Later that year, Burlingame's first book, ''Kurt Cobain: Oh Well, Whatever, Nevermind'', was published. The book won recognition from the New York Public Library as a Book for the Teen Age in 2007, and received rave reviews from publications across the United States. Following the success of his first book, Burlingame began working as a full-time author. In the years since, he has written more than 30 books, including an

unauthorized biography An unauthorized biography, sometimes called a kiss-and-tell, or a tell-all, is a biography written without the subject's permission or input. The term is usually restricted to biographies written within the subject's lifetime or shortly after ...

, which was nominated for a coveted NAACP Image Award, alongside the works of

Walter Dean Myers Walter Dean Myers (born Walter Milton Myers; August 12, 1937 – July 1, 2014) was an American writer of children's books best known for young adult literature. He was born in Martinsburg, West Virginia, but was raised in Harlem, New York City ...

, Sharon Draper, Rita Williams-Garcia, and former Secretary of State

Condoleezza Rice Condoleezza "Condi" Rice ( ; born November 14, 1954) is an American diplomat and political scientist serving since 2020 as the 8th director of Stanford University's Hoover Institution. A member of the Republican Party, she previously served ...

. In 2012, Burlingame was once again nominated for an Image Award, this time for his in-depth biography of Olympic track and field legend

Jesse Owens James Cleveland "Jesse" Owens (September 12, 1913 – March 31, 1980) was an American track and field athlete who made history at the Athletics at the 1936 Summer Olympics, 1936 Olympic Games by becoming the first person to win four gold meda ...

, and traveled to

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

for the award ceremonies, held at the historic

Shrine Auditorium The Shrine Auditorium is a landmark large-event venue in Los Angeles, California. It is also the headquarters of the Al Malaikah Temple, a division of the Shriners. It was designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument (No. 139) in 1975, an ...

, in February 2012. Burlingame won the award for Best Literary Work: Youth/Teens, besting fellow authors

, Kekla Magoon, Jerdine Nolen, and Nikki Grimes.

Kurt Cobain Memorial Foundation

In 2004, Burlingame, along with Aberdeen City Councilman Paul Fritts, founded the non-profit Kurt Cobain Memorial Foundation (formerly the Kurt Cobain Memorial Committee) to honor the late rock legend in his hometown. In 2005, the group installed a large sign reading "Welcome to Aberdeen: Come As You Are" at the east entrance to town. The non profit's future goals include a youth center and low-key memorial park. In September 2007, the foundation held its first rock concert, Lounge Acts, which drew hundreds of Nirvana fans across the globe. The event has been held each year since, growing larger each time.

Bibliography

*Burlingame, Jeff (2006). Kurt Cobain: Oh Well, Whatever, Nevermind. Hardback ; Paperback *Burlingame, Jeff (2008). Hillary Clinton: A Life in Politics. *Burlingame, Jeff (2008). Edgar Allan Poe: Deep Into That Darkness Peering. *Burlingame, Jeff (2009). Jesse James: I Will Never Surrender. *Burlingame, Jeff (2010). Aerosmith: Walk This Way. *Burlingame, Jeff (2010). Malcolm X: I Believe in the Brotherhood of Man, All Men. (Nominee, 2011 NAACP Image Awards) *Burlingame, Jeff (2010). John Lennon: Imagine. *Burlingame, Jeff (2010). Avril Lavigne: Celebrity with Heart. *Burlingame, Jeff (2011). Jesse Owens: I Always Loved Running. *Burlingame, Jeff (2012). Government Entitlements. ISBNs: 9781608704910 (print); 9781608706433 (e-book) *Burlingame, Jeff (2012). Prisons: Rehabilitate or Severely Punish? *Burlingame, Jeff (2011). Taylor Swift: Music Superstar. *Burlingame, Jeff (2012). Titanic Tragedy. ISBNs: 9781608704507 (print); 9781608707225 (e-book) *Burlingame, Jeff (2012). Story of Bad Boy Entertainment. ISBNs: 9781422221112 (hardcover); 9781422221242 (paperback); 9781422294635 (ebook) *Burlingame, Jeff (2012). Moon Olympic Peninsula. ISBNs: 9781612381459 (paperback); B008724IEW (Kindle) *Burlingame, Jeff (2012). Lost Boys of Sudan. ISBNs: 9781608704750 (print); 9781608706966 (ebook) *Burlingame, Jeff (2013). Crystal Meth. ISBNs: 9781608708239 (print); 9781608708291 (ebook) *Burlingame, Jeff (2013). Demi! Latina Star Demi Lovato. *Burlingame, Jeff (2013). Alcohol. ISBNs: 9781608708222 (print); 9781608708284 (ebook) *Burlingame, Jeff (2013). Across the Aisles: Sid Snyder's Remarkable Life in Groceries & Government. (paperback); ASIN: B00BJALX6A (Kindle)

References

External links

Interview with Jeff BurlingameKurt Cobain’s story told to teens by former World editorAuthor with local roots releases book on Hillary Clintontxt NAACP Image Awards official site

txt NAACP Awards at Variety

Local author nominated for major award

txt Burlingame reflects on NAACP Image Awards

Local author wins NAACP award for biography of Jesse Owens

Burlingame wins NAACP Image Award

Local author wins NAACP Image award

Sid Snyder book launch video
Writers from

Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, southwest of Bellevue, Washington, Bellevue, northeast of the state capital, Olympia ...

or nearby Pierce County communities. {{DEFAULTSORT:Burlingame, Jeff 1971 births Living people Writers from Aberdeen, Washington American male non-fiction writers People from Tacoma, Washington Writers from Washington (state)