Jesmyn Ward facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jesmyn Ward
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| Born | April 1, 1977 Berkeley, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Writer, professor |
| Language | English |
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| Genres | Fiction, memoir |
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| Notable awards |
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Jesmyn Ward (born April 1, 1977) is an American writer and a professor. She teaches English at Tulane University. She is famous for winning the National Book Award for Fiction twice. She won in 2011 for her novel Salvage the Bones. She won again in 2017 for Sing, Unburied, Sing.
Jesmyn Ward is the only woman and the only African American writer to win the National Book Award for Fiction two times. Many of her novels are set in a made-up town in Mississippi called Bois Sauvage.
Contents
Becoming a Writer: Early Life and Education
Jesmyn Ward was born in 1977 in Berkeley, California. When she was three, her family moved to DeLisle, Mississippi. She had a mixed relationship with her hometown. She was sometimes bullied at public school. This happened even though she attended a private school paid for by her mother's boss.
She was the first person in her family to go to college. She earned a bachelor's degree in English in 1999. Then she got a master's degree in media studies in 2000. Both degrees were from Stanford University. Jesmyn Ward decided to become a writer to honor her younger brother. He passed away in October 2000, shortly after she finished her master's degree.
In 2005, Ward earned another master's degree. This one was in Creative Writing from the University of Michigan. Soon after, her family was deeply affected by Hurricane Katrina. Their house in DeLisle flooded quickly. The Ward family tried to find shelter. They faced many challenges during the storm. This experience later influenced her writing.
After the hurricane, Ward worked at the University of New Orleans. Her daily trip took her through areas damaged by the storm. She felt a strong connection to the people who survived. It took her three years to find a publisher for her first novel. During this time, she found it hard to write creatively.
Jesmyn Ward's Writing Career
In 2008, Jesmyn Ward almost gave up writing. She was thinking about becoming a nurse. But then, her first novel, Where the Line Bleeds, was accepted by a publisher. The book became a popular choice for book clubs. It also won an award from the Black Caucus of the American Library Association.
Where the Line Bleeds is about twin brothers, Joshua and Christophe DeLisle. The story begins on their high school graduation day. It shows how their choices lead them in different directions. They live in a small town on the Mississippi Coast. A review called Ward "a fresh new voice in American literature." It said she describes a world with sadness but also hope.
From 2008 to 2010, Ward had a special writing fellowship at Stanford University. She also taught at the University of Mississippi.
Stories of Family and Hurricanes
Her second novel, Salvage the Bones, also focuses on family. It tells the story of poor Black siblings on the Mississippi Coast. The book follows a pregnant teenager named Esch Batiste and her three brothers. It covers the 10 days before, during, and after Hurricane Katrina. Ward uses vivid language to explore love, friendship, and tenderness.
Ward explained that she wanted to connect her character, Esch, to classic stories. She said that stories by Black and female authors are sometimes seen as less important. She wanted to show that her stories, though specific to her community, are also universal. They tell a human story of survival.
On November 16, 2011, Ward won the National Book Award for Fiction for Salvage the Bones. She was surprised because the book had not received much attention. She said that her work helps people understand the lives of her characters. She believes this can be a powerful act.
In 2012, Salvage the Bones won an Alex Award. These awards are given to books written for adults that young people aged 12–18 enjoy.
From 2011 to 2014, Ward taught creative writing at the University of South Alabama. In 2014, she joined the faculty at Tulane University.
Memoirs and Important Collections
In 2011, Ward finished the first draft of her third book. It was a memoir called Men We Reaped, published in 2013. A memoir is a true story about a part of someone's life. This book explores the lives of her brother and four other young Black men. They all lost their lives in her hometown.
In 2016, Ward edited a book called The Fire This Time: A New Generation Speaks About Race. This book was inspired by James Baldwin's famous 1963 book about race in America. It includes essays and writings from many important authors.
In 2017, Jesmyn Ward received a MacArthur "genius grant". This is a special award given to talented people in many fields.
Her third novel, Sing, Unburied, Sing, came out in 2017. This book is also set in her made-up Mississippi town, Bois Sauvage. It is told from three different viewpoints within a family. Jojo, a young African-American boy, is growing up. His mother, Leonie, faces many challenges. And Richie, a ghost, asks the family for help.
This novel won the 2017 National Book Award for Fiction. This made Ward the first woman and first Black American to win two National Book Awards for Fiction.
Recent Works and Recognition
In 2019, Ward contributed to the book New Daughters of Africa. This is a collection of writings by women of African descent.
In 2020, her book Navigate Your Stars was published. It was adapted from a speech she gave at Tulane University.
Ward also wrote a personal essay in 2020 for Vanity Fair magazine. It was about the passing of her husband and her grief. It also touched on the COVID-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement.
In 2022, the U.S. Library of Congress gave Ward its Prize for American Fiction. At 45 years old, she was the youngest person to receive this award for her life's work in fiction.
In 2024, three of her books were listed among "The 100 Best Books of the 21st Century" by The New York Times. This shows how important her writing is.
Personal Life
Jesmyn Ward lives in Mississippi. She has three children. Her husband, Brandon R. Miller, passed away in January 2020. She wrote about his death in an article for Vanity Fair.
Awards and Honors
Jesmyn Ward has received many important awards for her writing, including:
- National Book Award for Fiction (2011, 2017)
- Alex Awards (2012)
- MacArthur "Genius" Fellowship (2017)
- Anisfield-Wolf Book Award (2018)
- Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction (2022)
- Named one of the Time magazine's 100 most influential people (2018)
See also
In Spanish: Jesmyn Ward para niños
