Cat Bauer
Encyclopedia
Catherine "Cat" Bauer is the award-winning author of contemporary novels featuring the young protagonist, Harley Columba, and is known for her unique and honest voice. Publishers Weekly
said, "Bauer creates a witty and resilient narrator in...Harley Columba... Readers will be rooting for this sympathetic heroine." In the Thomson Gale biography, the authors noted that: "Readers and reviewers often found the strength of Bauer's novel in the authentic voice of its heroine, Harley. Patricia Morrow, for example, in Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA), remarked that 'Harley's voice is true to the experience of many young people,' and that 'Although the outcomes are not unexpected, they do not follow any formulas.'"
Ms. Bauer is the oldest of five children. She was born on an Air Force Base
where her father was stationed in Greenville, South Carolina
. According to family lore, she was struck by ball lightning
while sleeping in her bassinet
during a thunderstorm
. She spent the first five years of her life in Kearney, New Jersey in the same three-family house as her paternal grandparents, and her summers at the Bauer family property http://www.ecki.com/highland/yulan/BodnCott1.shtml on Bodin Lake http://www.ecki.com/highland/yulan/BodnLk.shtml in Upstate New York
. Her grandfather was the foreman of Kearfott
http://www.kearfott.com/corpinfo.htm, where her father was also an engineer.
When she was nearly five years old, her grandparents relocated to Montreat, North Carolina
, while her immediate family moved to Pompton Lakes, New Jersey
, a small, suburban town in North Jersey
which Ms. Bauer has fictionalized in her novels as "Lenape Lakes" -- "only forty-five minutes outside of New York City
, if there's no traffic, although it may as well be four zillion light-years away since no one from here ever goes there." Ms. Bauer learned to read and use the slide rule
before she went to kindergarten
, and began writing books at the age of six. She showed musical ability at a young age, and played the clarinet
, piano
, violin
and guitar
, and was also active in the theater.
Ms. Bauer graduated with honors from Pompton Lakes High School
in 1973.
After a brief marriage to her high school sweetheart, she moved to the West Village
in New York City
, and studied acting with Stella Adler
and the National Shakespeare Conservatory
.
She later moved to Los Angeles
, California
to pursue an acting career, and was active in the LA theater scene as both an actress and a playwright. She was a close friend and student of the late Don Richardsonhttp://www.answers.com/topic/don-richardson?cat=entertainment, whose former students also included Grace Kelly
and Anne Bancroft
. Ms. Bauer assisted Mr. Richardson with his book "Acting Without Agony," and it was in his workshop that she met her future husband, television director, James Quinnhttp://www.filmreference.com/film/90/James-Quinn.html, noted for one-hour episode shows such as Law & Order
. During this period, Ms. Bauer lived in the hills of Los Feliz
.
In July, 1993, Sassy published her first short story, Run Away, which was the inspiration for her first novel, Harley, Like a Person. Under the working title of "Zee," that effort was the recipient of the very first Sue Alexander Most Promising New Work Award given by the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators
(SCBWI)http://www.scbwi.org/awards/sue_alex.htm. Selected from manuscripts submitted for individual critique at the SCBWI
Annual Conference in Los Angeles
, the award is given to the manuscript deemed most promising for publication. Another in the list of "firsts," Ms. Bauer's winning entry was critiqued by Walter Dean Myers
, the first-ever Michael L. Printz Award
winner, a prize which recognizes excellence in young adult literature.
Ms. Bauer later changed the title of her first novel to Harley, Like a Person, which was originally published in 2000 by Winslow Press, a boutique publisher that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2002.
John Lennon
's life and work were major influences on Ms. Bauer, and her novels are peppered with references to the former Beatle
. For example, Harley Columba was born on the anniversary of John Lennon's death, December 8, while her parents were attending a memorial concert in his honor.
In 2004, Holly Bolstad of White Bear Lake
, Minnesota
, won her state Level I Letters About Literaturehttp://www.loc.gov/loc/cfbook/2004-LAL-statewinners.html competition, a national reading-writing contest sponsored by the Center for the Book
in the Library of Congress
, together with Target Stores, by writing to Cat Bauer about how Harley, Like a Person had affected her life. To enter, readers write a personal letter to an author, living or dead, from any genre—fiction or nonfiction, contemporary or classic, explaining how that author's work changed the student's way of thinking about the world or themselves.http://www.loc.gov/loc/cfbook/letters.html
In April, 1998, Ms. Bauer moved to Venice, Italy, where she lives today on the Grand Canal
. She is presently divorced.
Ms. Bauer was also a regular contributor to International Herald Tribune
's Italian
supplement, Italy Daily, writing about the art, culture and architecture of Venice
. Her popular blog, Venetian Cat - Venice Blog http://venetiancat.blogspot.com has been featured in the Financial Times
Arts & Weekend Magazine http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c3136350-57a3-11dd-916c-000077b07658.html?nclick_check=1.
On May 27, 2004 the Honorable Prudence Carter Beatty signed an Order
reverting all rights to Harley, Like a Person to Ms. Bauer. That book was republished in a slightly different form in 2007 by Alfred A. Knopf
, a division of Random House
, Inc., New York, together with a companion novel entitled, Harley's Ninth, which takes place all on one day, October 9, John Lennon's birthday.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS for HARLEY, LIKE A PERSON
Novels
Harley, Like a Person ISBN 978-0-375-83735-7
Harley's Ninth ISBN 978-0-375-83736-4
Collections
Sixteen - Stories About that Sweet and Bitter Birthday, edited by Megan McCafferty
Lines in the Sand, New Writing on War and Peace
Time Out Venice: Verona, Treviso and the Veneto Time Out Guides
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
said, "Bauer creates a witty and resilient narrator in...Harley Columba... Readers will be rooting for this sympathetic heroine." In the Thomson Gale biography, the authors noted that: "Readers and reviewers often found the strength of Bauer's novel in the authentic voice of its heroine, Harley. Patricia Morrow, for example, in Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA), remarked that 'Harley's voice is true to the experience of many young people,' and that 'Although the outcomes are not unexpected, they do not follow any formulas.'"
Air Force Base
An Air Force Base is a military airbase of any of a number of air forces, such as the United States Air Force or South African Air Force ....
where her father was stationed in Greenville, South Carolina
Greenville, South Carolina
-Law and government:The city of Greenville adopted the Council-Manager form of municipal government in 1976.-History:The area was part of the Cherokee Nation's protected grounds after the Treaty of 1763, which ended the French and Indian War. No White man was allowed to enter, though some families...
. According to family lore, she was struck by ball lightning
Ball lightning
Ball lightning is an unexplained atmospheric electrical phenomenon. The term refers to reports of luminous, usually spherical objects which vary from pea-sized to several metres in diameter. It is usually associated with thunderstorms, but lasts considerably longer than the split-second flash of a...
while sleeping in her bassinet
Bassinet
A bassinet or bassinette is a bed specifically for babies from birth to about four months, and small enough to provide a "cocoon" that small babies find comforting....
during a thunderstorm
Thunderstorm
A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm, a lightning storm, thundershower or simply a storm is a form of weather characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere known as thunder. The meteorologically assigned cloud type associated with the...
. She spent the first five years of her life in Kearney, New Jersey in the same three-family house as her paternal grandparents, and her summers at the Bauer family property http://www.ecki.com/highland/yulan/BodnCott1.shtml on Bodin Lake http://www.ecki.com/highland/yulan/BodnLk.shtml in Upstate New York
Upstate New York
Upstate New York is the region of the U.S. state of New York that is located north of the core of the New York metropolitan area.-Definition:There is no clear or official boundary between Upstate New York and Downstate New York...
. Her grandfather was the foreman of Kearfott
Kearfott Guidance & Navigation
Kearfott was a defense equipment manufacturer founded in 1917. Today the electronics division is part of BAE Systems, while the remaining Kearfott Guidance & Navigation division is a subsidiary of the Astronautics Corporation of America...
http://www.kearfott.com/corpinfo.htm, where her father was also an engineer.
When she was nearly five years old, her grandparents relocated to Montreat, North Carolina
Montreat, North Carolina
Montreat is a town in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 696 in 2008. It is part of the Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, while her immediate family moved to Pompton Lakes, New Jersey
Pompton Lakes, New Jersey
Pompton Lakes is a borough in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 11,097....
, a small, suburban town in North Jersey
North Jersey
North Jersey is a colloquial term, with no precise consensus definition, for the northern portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey. A straightforward, noncolloquial term for the region is northern New Jersey.- Two-portion approaches :...
which Ms. Bauer has fictionalized in her novels as "Lenape Lakes" -- "only forty-five minutes outside of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, if there's no traffic, although it may as well be four zillion light-years away since no one from here ever goes there." Ms. Bauer learned to read and use the slide rule
Slide rule
The slide rule, also known colloquially as a slipstick, is a mechanical analog computer. The slide rule is used primarily for multiplication and division, and also for functions such as roots, logarithms and trigonometry, but is not normally used for addition or subtraction.Slide rules come in a...
before she went to kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
, and began writing books at the age of six. She showed musical ability at a young age, and played the clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
, piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
and guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, and was also active in the theater.
Ms. Bauer graduated with honors from Pompton Lakes High School
Pompton Lakes High School
Pompton Lakes High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school in the borough of Pompton Lakes, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Pompton Lakes School District. The school accepts students from Pompton Lakes as well as those from Riverdale who attend as part of a...
in 1973.
After a brief marriage to her high school sweetheart, she moved to the West Village
West Village, Manhattan
The West Village is the western portion of the Greenwich Village neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The area is usually defined as bounded by the Hudson River on the west and either Sixth Avenue or Seventh Avenue on the east, extending from 14th Street down to Houston Street...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and studied acting with Stella Adler
Stella Adler
Stella Adler was an American actress and an acclaimed acting teacher, who founded the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York City and the The Stella Adler Academy of Acting in Los Angeles with long-time protege Joanne Linville, who continues to teach and furthers Adler's legacy...
and the National Shakespeare Conservatory
National Shakespeare Conservatory
The National Shakespeare Conservatory was an acting school in New York City, offering a two-year certificate program and an eight-week summer training program...
.
She later moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
to pursue an acting career, and was active in the LA theater scene as both an actress and a playwright. She was a close friend and student of the late Don Richardsonhttp://www.answers.com/topic/don-richardson?cat=entertainment, whose former students also included Grace Kelly
Grace Kelly
Grace Patricia Kelly was an American actress who, in April 1956, married Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, to become Princess consort of Monaco, styled as Her Serene Highness The Princess of Monaco, and commonly referred to as Princess Grace.After embarking on an acting career in 1950, at the age of...
and Anne Bancroft
Anne Bancroft
Anne Bancroft was an American actress associated with the Method acting school, which she had studied under Lee Strasberg....
. Ms. Bauer assisted Mr. Richardson with his book "Acting Without Agony," and it was in his workshop that she met her future husband, television director, James Quinnhttp://www.filmreference.com/film/90/James-Quinn.html, noted for one-hour episode shows such as Law & Order
Law & Order
Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
. During this period, Ms. Bauer lived in the hills of Los Feliz
Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California
Los Feliz, also Rancho Los Feliz is an affluent, hilly neighborhood in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California, named after its land grantee José Vicente Feliz....
.
In July, 1993, Sassy published her first short story, Run Away, which was the inspiration for her first novel, Harley, Like a Person. Under the working title of "Zee," that effort was the recipient of the very first Sue Alexander Most Promising New Work Award given by the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators
Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators
The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators is a nonprofit, 5013 organization that acts as a network for the exchange of knowledge between writers, illustrators, editors, publishers, agents, librarians, educators, booksellers and others involved with literature for young people.The...
(SCBWI)http://www.scbwi.org/awards/sue_alex.htm. Selected from manuscripts submitted for individual critique at the SCBWI
Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators
The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators is a nonprofit, 5013 organization that acts as a network for the exchange of knowledge between writers, illustrators, editors, publishers, agents, librarians, educators, booksellers and others involved with literature for young people.The...
Annual Conference in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, the award is given to the manuscript deemed most promising for publication. Another in the list of "firsts," Ms. Bauer's winning entry was critiqued by Walter Dean Myers
Walter Dean Myers
Walter Dean Myers is an African American author of young adult literature. Myers has written over fifty books, including novels and nonfiction works. He has won the Coretta Scott King Award for African American authors five times...
, the first-ever Michael L. Printz Award
Michael L. Printz Award
The Michael L. Printz Award is an annual award in the United States for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature. It is named for a school librarian from Topeka, Kansas, who was a long-time active member of the Young Adult Library Services Association...
winner, a prize which recognizes excellence in young adult literature.
John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
's life and work were major influences on Ms. Bauer, and her novels are peppered with references to the former Beatle
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
. For example, Harley Columba was born on the anniversary of John Lennon's death, December 8, while her parents were attending a memorial concert in his honor.
In 2004, Holly Bolstad of White Bear Lake
White Bear Lake
White Bear Lake is the name of a city and two townships in Minnesota* White Bear Lake, Minnesota is located in Ramsey County, Minnesota;* White Bear Township, Minnesota is located in Ramsey County, Minnesota....
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, won her state Level I Letters About Literaturehttp://www.loc.gov/loc/cfbook/2004-LAL-statewinners.html competition, a national reading-writing contest sponsored by the Center for the Book
Center for the Book
The Center for the Book was founded in 1977 by Daniel J. Boorstin, the Librarian of Congress, in order to use the Library of Congress to promote literacy, libraries, and reading in general, as well as an understanding of the history and heritage of American literature...
in the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
, together with Target Stores, by writing to Cat Bauer about how Harley, Like a Person had affected her life. To enter, readers write a personal letter to an author, living or dead, from any genre—fiction or nonfiction, contemporary or classic, explaining how that author's work changed the student's way of thinking about the world or themselves.http://www.loc.gov/loc/cfbook/letters.html
In April, 1998, Ms. Bauer moved to Venice, Italy, where she lives today on the Grand Canal
Grand Canal
Grand Canal can refer to multiple waterways:* Grand Canal in eastern China* Grand Canal in Venice, Italy* Grand Canal , between the river Shannon and Dublin in Ireland* Grand Canal d'Alsace in eastern France...
. She is presently divorced.
Ms. Bauer was also a regular contributor to International Herald Tribune
International Herald Tribune
The International Herald Tribune is a widely read English language international newspaper. It combines the resources of its own correspondents with those of The New York Times and is printed at 38 sites throughout the world, for sale in more than 160 countries and territories...
's Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
supplement, Italy Daily, writing about the art, culture and architecture of Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
. Her popular blog, Venetian Cat - Venice Blog http://venetiancat.blogspot.com has been featured in the Financial Times
Financial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
Arts & Weekend Magazine http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c3136350-57a3-11dd-916c-000077b07658.html?nclick_check=1.
On May 27, 2004 the Honorable Prudence Carter Beatty signed an Order
Court order
A court order is an official proclamation by a judge that defines the legal relationships between the parties to a hearing, a trial, an appeal or other court proceedings. Such ruling requires or authorizes the carrying out of certain steps by one or more parties to a case...
reverting all rights to Harley, Like a Person to Ms. Bauer. That book was republished in a slightly different form in 2007 by Alfred A. Knopf
Alfred A. Knopf
Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. is a New York publishing house, founded by Alfred A. Knopf, Sr. in 1915. It was acquired by Random House in 1960 and is now part of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group at Random House. The publishing house is known for its borzoi trademark , which was designed by co-founder...
, a division of Random House
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
, Inc., New York, together with a companion novel entitled, Harley's Ninth, which takes place all on one day, October 9, John Lennon's birthday.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS for HARLEY, LIKE A PERSON
- BooklistBooklistBooklist is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. It is geared toward libraries and booksellers and is available in print or online...
Top Ten Youth First Novel - American Library AssociationAmerican Library AssociationThe American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members....
YALSA Best Book for Young Adults http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/booklistsawards/bestbooksya/2001bestbooks.htm - Two-time Winner American Library AssociationAmerican Library AssociationThe American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members....
YALSA Popular Paperback for Young Adults http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/booklistsawards/popularpaperback/2002popularpaperbacks.htm - American Library Association YALSA Quick Pick http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/booklistsawards/quickpicks/2001quickpicks.htm
- New York Public LibraryNew York Public LibraryThe New York Public Library is the largest public library in North America and is one of the United States' most significant research libraries...
Book for the Teen Age - Bookreporter Top Ten Teen First Novel
- Book of the Year - First Place YA Fiction - ForeWord Magazine http://www.forewordmagazine.com/ftw/ftwarchives.aspx?id=20010418.htm
- Oregon Young Adult Network Book Rave http://www.olaweb.org/oyan/2001OYANBookRave.PDF
- BookSense 76 Pick
- teenreads.com Top 10 Teen Bookhttp://aol.teenreads.com/features/fe-top10-2000.asp
- Teen People Book Club Selection
- CosmoGirl Book Club Selection
- Selected Adoption-Related Book No. American Council on Adoptable Children Awareness Guide
- Winner - SCBWI Sue Alexander Most Promising New Work Award
Novels
Harley, Like a Person ISBN 978-0-375-83735-7
Harley's Ninth ISBN 978-0-375-83736-4
Collections
Sixteen - Stories About that Sweet and Bitter Birthday, edited by Megan McCafferty
Megan McCafferty
Megan Fitzmorris McCafferty is an American author known for The New York Times bestselling Jessica Darling series of young-adult novels published between 2001 and 2009...
Lines in the Sand, New Writing on War and Peace
Time Out Venice: Verona, Treviso and the Veneto Time Out Guides