by Deborah Wiles | Feb 14, 2020 | Field Notes
“The Book of Love” by The Magnetic Fields, written by Stephin Merritt, and posted by me today, for Jim Pearce. I took a long, surprising, winding road to this valentine of mine, and didn’t even know I was headed in this direction. But here I am and here we are, and so, my love: Thank you for the wedding rings.
World’s Best Zinnia Grower
World’s Best Baking Power Biscuit Maker
World’s Worst Piano Player (but I play anyway)
2014 National Book Award Finalist for REVOLUTION
2015 NAACP Image Award nominee for REVOLUTION
2015 Jane Addams Peace Award for REVOLUTION
2005 National Book Award Finalist for EACH LITTLE BIRD THAT SINGS
E.B. White Award Winner (Speech)
Ezra Jack Keats Award Winner for FREEDOM SUMMER
Bank Street College/Josette Frank Award Winner for EACH LITTLE BIRD THAT SINGS (Speech)
PEN/Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Working Writer Fellowship Winner
Thurber House Writer-in-Residence, Columbus, Ohio
MFA in Writing, Vermont College, I have taught teachers at Towson University (“Writing Techniques for Teachers,” ECED 422), and have taught in the MFA programs at Lesley University and Vermont College.
Pioneer of the Documentary Novel containing scrapbooks with primary source documents — photographs, song lyrics, newspaper clippings, etc., and opinionated biographies alongside the story/narrative, mixing fiction, non-fiction, and biography in one book/story in a trilogy about the 1960s. COUNTDOWN 1962; REVOLUTION 1964; and ANTHEM 1969 (to be published fall 2019)
* * *
I’m a Southerner born in Mobile, Alabama, where I lived until I was five years old. My parents were Mississippi born and bred, and I spent most of my childhood summers there and grew up in Mississippi and all around the world as an Air Force dependent.
I’ve lived in:
Mobile, Alabama
Jasper County, Mississippi
Honolulu, Hawaii
Washington, D.C.
Prince Georges County, Maryland
Charleston, South Carolina
Clark Air Base, Philippines
Northern Virginia
Cherry Point, North Carolina
Millington, Tennessee
Frederick, Maryland
Atlanta, Georgia
After living in the Washington, D.C. area (Frederick, MD) for 25 years, where I raised a family, I moved to Atlanta 14 years ago, and now live in a little house with a purple door in a little woods. I married musician/composer Jim Pearce 12 years ago. You can hear Jim profiled by Susan Stamberg at NPR right here.
Where to find me online:
I use Pinterest as a visual resource for my books. You’ll find primary source material for my books archived here, including playlists for COUNTDOWN and REVOLUTION.
Talking with Michele Norris of All Things Considered at NPR, about THE AURORA COUNTY ALL-STARS and writing with and for young people.
Visiting Spring Ridge Elementary School (video).
Want each blog post in your inbox?
Sub here
Your email address is never shared.