Ann Allen Shockley facts for kids

Ann Allen Shockley (born June 21, 1927) is an American journalist, editor, and author. She also helped libraries create special collections about African-American history and culture. She is known for her stories and books that explore important social issues.

Ann Allen Shockley's Life and Work

Ann Allen Shockley was born in 1927 in Louisville, Kentucky. From a young age, she loved to read and write. She was inspired by author Richard Wright and his short stories. Her eighth-grade teacher, Harriet La Forest, was a big influence on her writing journey.

Early Writing and Education

Ann started writing for an audience in high school. She was the editor of her school's newspaper. She continued to write for newspapers in college. In 1948, she earned her bachelor's degree from Fisk University. Later, in 1959, she received her master's degree in library science from Case Western Reserve University. This degree taught her how to organize and manage libraries.

Family Life

In 1948, Ann married William Shockley. They had two children, William Leslie Jr. and Tamara Ann. Even after they divorced, Ann kept her ex-husband's last name.

Career as a Librarian and Author

Ann Shockley worked as a librarian at several colleges. These included Delaware State College and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. In 1969, she started working at Fisk University. There, she focused on a special collection of materials about African-American history.

She became a professor of library science and the university's archivist. An archivist is someone who collects and preserves historical documents. She also helped start the Black Oral History Program at Fisk. She retired in 1988.

Throughout her career, Ann Shockley wrote many books about libraries and special collections. She also wrote over thirty short stories, novels, and articles. Her writings often explored important topics like fairness and understanding for all people. She was also a well-known literary critic. This means she wrote reviews and analyses of other authors' works.

Ann Allen Shockley's Major Works

Ann Allen Shockley wrote in many different forms. She wrote newspaper columns, short stories, non-fiction books, and novels.

Newspaper Columns

From 1945 to 1954, Ann Shockley was a freelance newspaper columnist. This means she wrote articles for different newspapers. Her columns appeared in the Louisville Defender, Fisk University Herald, and other papers. Her writings often focused on issues important to the African-American community. She also wrote about understanding and fairness for people of all backgrounds. Her columns were called "Mostly Teen Talk," "Duffy's Corner," and "Ebony's Topics."

Short Stories

Ann Shockley wrote many short stories. Some of her well-known stories include:

• "Holly Craft Isn't Gay" (1980)
• "The Eternal Triangle" (1948)
• "The Curse of Kapa" (1951)
• "Monday Will Be Better" (1964)

Non-fiction Books

Non-fiction books are based on facts and real events. Ann Shockley wrote several non-fiction books, especially about libraries and African-American history.

• A History of Public Library Services to Negroes in the South, 1900–1955 (1960)
• A Handbook for the Administration of Special Black Collections (1970)
• Living Black American Authors: A Biographical Directory (compiled and edited with Sue P. Chandler) (1973)
• A Handbook of Black Librarianship (compiled and edited, with E. J. Josey) (1977)
• Afro-American Women Writers, 1746–1933: An Anthology and Critical Guide (1988)

Fiction Books

Fiction books are stories that are made up. Ann Shockley wrote several novels.

• Not to Be Alone (unpublished novel) (1950b)
• A World of Lonely Strangers (unpublished novel) (1950b)
• The Black and White of It (1980)
• Say Jesus and Come to Me (1982)
• Celebrating Hotchclaw (2005)