Patrice Lawrence facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Patrice Lawrence
MBE, FRSL
|
|
|---|---|
Lawrence in a 2022 discussion at the British Library
|
|
| Born | 1960s |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Fiction writer and journalist |
|
Notable work
|
Orangeboy (2016); Eight Pieces of Silva (2020) |
| Awards | The Bookseller YA Book Prize; Waterstones Children's Book Prize for Older Children; Jhalak Prize (Children's & YA) |
Patrice Lawrence is a British writer and journalist. She writes exciting books for both adults and young people. Her books have won many important awards, including the Waterstones Children's Book Prize for Older Children and The Bookseller YA Book Prize. In 2021, she won the Jhalak Prize for children's and young adult books with her novel Eight Pieces of Silva.
Contents
About Patrice Lawrence
Patrice Lawrence was born in Brighton, England. She grew up in a family with roots in Italy and Trinidad and Tobago. Her mother came to England from Trinidad to become a nurse.
Patrice studied writing for movies and TV shows. She was even helped by the BBC to become a comedy writer. Her very first story, "Duck, Duck, Goose," was published in a book called The Decibel Penguin Prize Anthology in 2006.
How Her Books Began
Patrice got the idea for her first young adult novel, Orangeboy, while taking a writing course. This course was about writing crime stories.
Orangeboy was published in 2016. It quickly became very popular! It won The Bookseller's 2017 YA Book Prize and the Waterstones Children's Book Prize for Older Children in 2017. It was also nominated for the 2016 Costa Children's Book Award. Patrice Lawrence has said that with Orangeboy, she wanted to show hope in her stories about young people facing tough situations, especially for black teenagers in Britain.
Her next book, Indigo Donut, came out in 2017. Critics said it was "addictive" and explored themes like bullying, foster care, and teenage relationships. Both Orangeboy and Indigo Donut are set in Hackney, London, where Patrice Lawrence has lived since 1997.
Sharing Her Writing Journey
Patrice Lawrence also writes a blog called The Lawrence Line. In her blog, she shares her experiences of writing and getting her books published. She wants to help other new writers, especially young black writers, by showing them how the publishing world works. She hopes to inspire them to tell their own stories.
In 2019, Patrice contributed to an important book called New Daughters of Africa. This book is a collection of writings by African women.
Helping Young Writers
In October 2021, Patrice Lawrence became an ambassador for First Story. This is a charity that helps young people learn creative writing, especially those from communities with lower incomes.
In 2023, she was chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. This is a special honor given to writers who have made a big impact.
