Renée Watson (author) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Renée Watson
Born	(1978-07-29) July 29, 1978 (age 46) Paterson, New Jersey, U.S.
Occupation	Writer and Teacher
Genre	Young Adult, Picture Books, Middle Grade
Years active	2010–present
Notable works	Piecing Me Together (2017) The 1619 Project: Born on the Water (2021) Love Is a Revolution (2022)
Notable awards	Coretta Scott King Award (2018) Josette Frank Award (2018) Newbery Honor (2018)

Renée Watson, born on July 29, 1978, is an American writer and teacher. She is famous for her books for young people, especially her award-winning novel Piecing Me Together. This book was a New York Times bestseller and won several big awards like the John Newbery Honor and the Coretta Scott King Author Award. Renée also started a group called the I, Too, Arts Collective. This group helps offer fun art programs in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City.

Growing Up and Early Life

Renée Watson was born in Paterson, New Jersey. After her parents divorced, she grew up in northeast Portland, Oregon. Her mother's family came from West Virginia. Renée went to Vernon Elementary School, Binnsmead Middle School, and Jefferson High School in Portland.

She loved poetry from a young age. She read poems by writers like Maya Angelou and Langston Hughes. When she first read Hughes's poems, she felt a strong connection. She saw herself, her family, and her neighbors in his words. Sandra Cisneros's book The House on Mango Street was also very important to her as a child.

From a young age, Renée knew she wanted to write. Her teachers and family encouraged her to follow this dream. In middle school, she wrote her first play, which her school performed. In high school, she helped teach poetry to younger students.

Renée Watson's Career

Renée Watson calls herself a "teaching artist." She spent 20 years teaching poetry and theater before becoming a novelist. In 2005, she moved to New York City. There, she studied creative writing and art therapy at The New School. She published her first book while still in school.

Teaching and Workshops

Renée has spent more than 20 years teaching art across the country. She has worked with groups to lead workshops. She has also been an artist-in-residence at different schools. She taught poetry, writing, and theater classes all over the United States. For example, she taught poetry at DreamYard, a group in the Bronx that helps young people learn.

Renée also led workshops for teachers and adult artists.

Writing Journey

In 2019, Renée Watson celebrated 10 years as a published writer. She has been writing since she was in second grade. That's when she wrote a 21-page story!

Her first children's book, A Place Where Hurricanes Happen, came out in 2010. She wrote it after working with a nonprofit group in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Her second picture book, Harlem's Little Blackbird: The Story of Florence Mills, was published in 2012. It won many awards.

Renée's books for young adults include This Side of Home (2015), Piecing Me Together (2017), and Watch Us Rise (2019). She also wrote a poem called "Black Like Me." Her poetry has appeared in other collections too. Her middle-grade novel, Ways to Make Sunshine, was published in 2020.

Renée uses her role as an author to talk about getting help when you need it, like counseling or therapy. She also performed a one-woman show called "Roses are Red Women are Blue" at the Lincoln Center in New York City.

I, Too, Arts Collective

When Renée Watson first moved to New York, she explored famous places in Harlem. She was sad to find that the old home of Harlem Renaissance writer Langston Hughes was not open to the public. In 2016, she worried that this historic home might be lost. So, Renée found the owner and shared her idea to open the home to visitors.

The owner agreed if Renée could pay to rent the building. In just 30 days, Renée raised the money needed. She started a fundraising campaign called #LangstonsLegacy.

Renée founded the I, Too, Arts Collective. It is named after Langston Hughes's famous poem, "I, Too." The group decided that Hughes's old home should not be a museum. Instead, it should be a creative space for the Harlem community.

Since opening in 2017, the collective has offered art programs. These include poetry workshops and drum classes for kids and adults. They also host many literary events, like book launch parties and readings.

The I, Too, Arts Collective announced on November 4, 2019, that they would close. Their lease ended on December 31, 2019, and they could not agree on a new one. However, their digital archives are still available online.

Popular Books by Renée Watson

Renée Watson's first picture book, A Place Where Hurricanes Happen, was inspired by her work with students who had lived through Hurricane Katrina. She wrote this book after helping kids create their own poetry. The story follows four children as they share what life was like before, during, and after the hurricane.

Her young adult novel, Piecing Me Together, was published in 2017. It tells the story of Jade, a Black teenager from a low-income family. Jade goes to a mostly white high school in Portland, Oregon. She deals with unfair treatment from people around her. The book became a New York Times Best Seller. It also won the Coretta Scott King Author Award and was a Newbery Honor Book. Renée was inspired to write this book by the Black women she knew growing up.

Renée also co-wrote Betty Before X with Ilyasah Shabazz, the daughter of Dr. Betty Shabazz. This book is a fictional story about Dr. Betty Shabazz's life in Detroit in 1945, before she met Malcolm X.

In 2019, Renée's third young adult novel, Watch Us Rise, was published. She co-wrote it with author Ellen Hagan. The book is about two best friends who start a women's rights club at their high school.

Renée Watson has worked with illustrator Shadra Strickland on several books. These include A Place Where Hurricanes Happen and Some Places More Than Others.

Awards and Recognitions

Many of Renée Watson's books have been recognized for their excellence. The Bank Street College of Education has named 13 of her books among the best of the year:

• What Momma Left Me (2011)
• A Place Where Hurricanes Happen (2011)
• Harlem's Little Blackbird (2013)
• This Side of Home (2016)
• Piecing Me Together (2018)
• Betty Before X (2019)
• Black Enough (2019)
• Some Places More Than Others (2020)
• Ways to Make Sunshine (2020)
• The 1619 Project: Born on the Water (2022)
• Love Is a Revolution (2022)
• T (2022)
• Every Body Shines (2022)

Piecing Me Together (2018), Betty Before X (2019), Black Enough (2019), and T (2022) were especially noted for their "outstanding merit."

Piecing Me Together was also a New York Times Best Seller.

In 2021, The 1619 Project was listed among the best picture books of the year by Barnes & Noble and Publishers Weekly. The same year, Booklist included Love is a Revolution on their lists for "Books for Youth" and "Top 10 Romance for Youth."

In 2022, Booklist also included Maya's Song on their "Books for Youth" and "Top 10 Biographies & Memoirs for Youth" lists.