Nathan Heard (November 7, 1936 – March 16, 2004), sometimes known as Nathan C. Heard, was a best-selling author in the United States, noted for the grim realism of his

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

s. He is also known as one of the forefathers of street and prison literatures, having written his most famous book, '' Howard Street'' (1968), while serving time in the Trenton State Penitentiary for armed robbery. Heard is the son of Blues singer Gladys Heard Johnson (nee' Pruitt) and laborer Nathan E. Heard. He grew up in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...

, spending much of his life there. After the notoriety of Howard Street, Heard turned his life around and went on to become a guest lecturer. Heard was also speech writer to Newark's first African American Mayor Ken Gibson. He also worked as a contributing writer for

Essence Magazine ''Essence'' (stylized in all caps) is an American monthly lifestyle magazine covering fashion, beauty, entertainment, and culture. First published in 1970, the magazine is written for African-American women. History Edward Lewis, Clarence O ...

and the

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

. He spent some time teaching creative writing at Fresno State College (now known as

California State University, Fresno California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is a public university in Fresno, California, United States. It is part of the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers 60 ba ...

), where he won a teaching award in 1970. He also taught creative writing at

Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...

. His other books include ''A Cold Fire Burning'', ''House of Slammers,'' ''To Reach a Dream'' and ''When Shadows Fall''. His

movie A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

credits include '' Gordon's War'' (1973). He was the featured narrator of the ''Ballad of Little Jimmy Scott'' (PBS). He died of complications from

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...

Filmography

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Heard, Nathan 1936 births 2004 deaths Writers from Newark, New Jersey 20th-century American novelists American male novelists American prisoners and detainees Deaths from Parkinson's disease in the United States Prisoners and detainees of New Jersey 20th-century American male writers Novelists from New Jersey American people convicted of robbery California State University, Fresno faculty Rutgers University faculty