Jacqueline Woodson focuses on young people’s literature, she says, because the work chose her. She says she writes because it makes her happy.
Her books have received many awards, among them the Coretta Scott King Award and designation as a Newbery Honor Book and a Caldecott Honor Book. Hush and Locomotion were National Book Award finalists.
Jacqueline is the recipient of the 2006 Margaret A. Edwards Award, honoring her outstanding lifetime contribution to writing for teens. “Woodson’s books are powerful, groundbreaking and very personal explorations of the many ways in which identity and friendship transcend the limits of stereotype,” said Edwards Award committee chair Mary Arnold. “Her captivating and richly drawn characters struggle and grow and celebrate who they are in the world, and reveal to readers exciting possibilities for their own lives.”
Born in Columbus, Ohio, Jaqueline spent her early years in Greenville, S.C. Now she lives in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Jacqueline discussed her career and participated in a panel at the 2010 JRW Conference. She was interviewed by Jann Malone, former JRW board member, in May 2010.
QUESTION 1: You say you told a lot of lies as a child but stopped lying in the fifth grade, when you started writing stories. Will you explain the cause and effect at work here?
I was making up stories and had no outlet for them aside from swearing the stories were true. Once I was told I could write those stories down, they (and I) became legitimized. I wasn’t a liar, I was a writer of fiction. I wasn’t a mess. I had a “gift.” Crazy how that works.
QUESTION 2: Of all the types of books you could have written, what made you choose to focus on young adult, middle grade and picture books?
I write it all. Autobiography of a Family Photo was an adult book published by Dutton. Many, many short stories in anthologies are for adults. But yes, I am most prolific when it comes to young people’s literature. The work chose me. This is where I found my voice, and the stories I was telling for this population were the ones I would have loved to have had as a young person.
QUESTION 3: Your picture books offer young readers much more than happy stories of dancing dogs and circus ponies. Why did you decide to write about difficult issues?
I don’t write about “difficult issues,” I write about life. And life is complicated. The people in the situations I write about don’t see those situations as difficult, it’s just how things are. What’s difficult is reading about a dog coming home and everyone being happy without anything complicated happening. Yawn. I think writing about the real world makes the real world that much easier to walk through for myself and for the young people picking up the books.
QUESTION 4: What’s your advice for writers who want to write books for young readers?
Write them.
QUESTION 5: You have an impressive list of awards. From your perspective as the award winner, what do you believe makes your books so award-worthy?
In the words of Mari Evans, I “speak the truth to the people.”
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