Roderick Townley facts for kids

Roderick Townley (born June 7, 1942) is an American author who writes many kinds of books. He writes for children, young adults, and grown-ups. His books include exciting stories, poems, and non-fiction. He also writes about books and authors.

Mr. Townley lived in New York City for a while. There, he wrote for magazines like TV Guide and The Village Voice. In 2001, he started a special book series called The Sylvie Cycle. This series is about a brave, imaginary princess named Sylvie. She lives her whole life inside a book!

Meet Roderick Townley: Author of Books for Kids and Teens

Roderick Townley has written more than twelve books. These include collections of poetry, fiction (made-up stories), and nonfiction (true stories). He also writes literary criticism, which means he writes about other books and authors.

The Sylvie Cycle: A Popular Book Series

His most famous books for middle schoolers are The Sylvie Cycle trilogy. A trilogy is a series of three books. These books have received a lot of praise. They are available in many different languages around the world. You can also find them in large print and as audiobooks.

Other Books for Young Readers

Mr. Townley has also written two young adult novels for older teens. These are Sky, published in 2004, and The Red Thread: A Novel in Three Incarnations, which came out in 2007. You can learn more about his books on his website.

Roderick Townley's Journey and Awards

Mr. Townley has had an interesting life. He taught in Chile with a special scholarship called a Fulbright scholarship. He also worked as an editor in New York City. Now, he writes from his home in Kansas.

Awards and Honors

Throughout his career, Roderick Townley has won many awards. Some of these include:

• The Peregrine Prize for Short Fiction
• The Thorpe Menn Award
• The Kansas Arts Commission Fellowship in Fiction
• The Kansas Governor’s Arts Award

He also won First Prize in two contests from the Academy of American Poets. His novel, The Great Good Thing, was the first book in The Sylvie Cycle. It was chosen as a Top Ten Book Sense Pick. There have even been talks about turning it into a movie!

Writing Poetry

Roderick Townley still enjoys writing poetry. His poems have been published in well-known magazines. These include The Paris Review, The Yale Review, and The North American Review.

Family Life

Mr. Townley has two children, Jesse and Grace. He is married to Wyatt Townley, who is also a poet and a yoga teacher.

Find Out More

• Roderick Townley's Official Webpage: http://www.RoderickTownley.com
• Simon & Schuster: Roderick Townley
• Kansas Poets: Roderick Townley