Becky Birtha facts for kids

Becky Birtha (born October 11, 1948) is an American author and poet. She lives near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Becky Birtha is known for her poetry and short stories. Her writing often explores themes like family relationships, recovering from difficult times, being a single parent, and adoption.

Her poetry was featured in a well-known book called Home Girls: A Black Feminist Anthology in 1983. This book was edited by Barbara Smith. Becky Birtha has won a Lambda Literary award for her poetry. She has also received special grants from groups like the Pew Fellowships in the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. These grants helped her continue her writing. In recent years, she has written three historical fiction picture books for children. These books share stories about the African-American experience.

Early Life and Education

Rebecca Lucille Birtha was born on October 11, 1948, in Hampton, Virginia. Her parents were Jessie Dixon Moore Birtha and Herbert Marshall Birtha. She has an older sister named Rachel Roxanne Birtha Eitches. Rachel used to be a radio broadcaster for the Voice of America. Becky Birtha identifies as African American. She also has heritage from the Cherokee, Catawba, African, and Irish cultures. All of these backgrounds influence her writing.

Birtha grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her family moved to the Germantown area of the city in 1952. In 1963, they moved to the West Mount Airy neighborhood. Becky Birtha went to the Philadelphia High School for Girls. She later studied at the State University of New York at Buffalo. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Child Studies in 1973. In 1984, she earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in Writing from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. Besides writing, Becky Birtha has worked as a teacher, a legal librarian, and for an adoption agency.

Writing Career and Books

Becky Birtha's first published book of short stories was For Nights Like This One: Stories of Loving Women (1983). Her second book, Lovers' Choice, continued to explore the experiences of African-American women. One story in Lovers' Choice is called "Route 23: 10th and Bigler to Bethlehem Pike." It tells about a mother who takes her children on a long bus ride through Philadelphia to keep them warm.

In 1991, Birtha published The Forbidden Poems. This book is a collection of her poetry. Becky Birtha has said that some of these poems helped her heal after a long relationship ended. A review in Publishers Weekly said that Birtha is very good at making everyday moments feel important. Her works have appeared in magazines like Azalea: A Magazine by Third World Lesbians, Conditions, and Sinister Wisdom. She also writes book reviews for The New Women's Times Feminist Review. Ed Hermance, who owned a bookstore in Philadelphia, said that Birtha's stories have a strong sense of place and deep emotions.

At a writers' conference in 1994, Birtha talked about her career. She said that being Black, a woman, and a single mother who adopted a child has not stopped her from writing. In fact, she celebrates these parts of her identity.

Later in her career, Becky Birtha started writing mostly for children. Her first children's book, Grandmama’s Pride (2005), won the Golden Kite book award. It was also placed on important reading lists in several states. Her second picture book, Lucky Beans (2010), was named one of the New York Public Library's best books for reading and sharing in 2010. It was also a notable book for children by Smithsonian Magazine. Becky Birtha is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.

Personal Life

Becky Birtha lives in the Mount Airy neighborhood of Philadelphia. As of 2021, she is caring for her elderly mother.

She used to practice Balkan folkdancing for many years. She also studied other types of modern and folk dance. Becky Birtha is a member of the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society. Her current hobbies include folk dance and playing the hammered dulcimer.

She is a member of the Religious Society of Friends, also known as Quakers. In 1991, she gave a speech at a Quaker conference. She explained how writing is a way for her to meditate and heal. She feels it connects her to her Quaker faith.

Awards and Recognition

• In 1985, Becky Birtha received a special fellowship for literature from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.
• She received a Creative Writing Fellowship Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1988.
• She won a Pushcart Prize in 1989 for her story called "Johnnieruth."
• In 1992, she won a Lambda Literary Award for her poetry book, The Forbidden Poems (1991).
• She received a grant of $50,000 from the Pew Fellowships in the Arts in 1993.
• Her children's book Grandmama's Pride (2005) won the 2005 Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators Golden Kite Honor Book for Picture Book Text.
• Her children's book Lucky Beans (2010) won the 2010 Arkansas Diamond Primary Book Award.

Selected Works

Short Stories

• For Nights Like This One: Stories of Loving Women, Frog in the Well (January 1983). ISBN: 0960362843
• Lovers' Choice, The Seal Press (1987). ISBN: 9780931188565

Poetry

• The Forbidden Poems, The Seal Press (1991). ISBN: 187806701X

Anthologies (Stories in Collections)

• "Jonnieruth" in McMillan, Terry, ed. Breaking Ice: An Anthology of Contemporary African-American fiction, Viking Press (1990). ISBN: 9780670825622. Also in Busby, Margaret, ed. Daughters of Africa: An International Anthology of Words and Writings by Women of African Descent, London: Jonathan Cape (1992). ISBN: 978-0224035927
• "Babies" in Mullen, Bill, ed. Revolutionary Tales: African American Women's Short Stories, from the First Story to the Present, Laurel Press (1995). ISBN: 9780440220824
• "Ice Castles" in Ruff, Shawn Stewart, ed. Go the Way Your Blood Beats: An Anthology of Lesbian and Gay Fiction by African-American Writers, H. Holt (1996). ISBN: 9780805047363
• "Maria de las Rosas" in Smith, Barbara, ed. Home Girls: A Black Feminist Anthology, Rutgers University Press (2000). ISBN: 0813527538

Bibliography

• Literature by Black Women: A List of Books (1983)

Children's Books

• Grandmama's Pride, Albert Whitman & Co. (2005). ISBN: 9780807530283
• Lucky Beans, Albert Whitman & Co. (2010). ISBN: 9780807547823
• Far Apart, Close in Heart, Albert Whitman & Co. (2017). ISBN: 978-0-8075-1275-3

See also

• African-American literature
• Black Feminism
• List of women writers