Jane Yolen
Encyclopedia
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
of almost 300 books. These include folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
, fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
, science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
, and children's books. She wrote the Nebula Award
Nebula Award
The Nebula Award is given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America , for the best science fiction/fantasy fiction published in the United States during the previous year...
-winning Sister Emily's Lightship (short story) and Lost Girls (novelette), as well as Owl Moon
Owl Moon
Owl Moon is a 1987 children's picture book by Jane Yolen, illustrated by John Schoenherr. The book won many awards, most notably being the Caldecott Medal for its illustrations, and has appeared on the show Reading Rainbow. Owl Moon has been translated into more than a dozen foreign languages,...
and The Emperor and the Kite, Caldecott Medal
Caldecott Medal
The Caldecott Medal is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children , a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children published that year. The award was named in honor of nineteenth-century English...
winners, the Commander Toad series and How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight. In 2010 she received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the World Fantasy Awards.
Personal life
Yolen was born in New York CityNew 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 raised in 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...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Her father was a journalist and publicist. She received her bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
from Smith College
Smith College
Smith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the largest member of the Seven Sisters...
in 1960 and her master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in education from the University of Massachusetts Amherst
University of Massachusetts Amherst
The University of Massachusetts Amherst is a public research and land-grant university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States and the flagship of the University of Massachusetts system...
in 1976. She was married to computer scientist David Stemple from 1962 until his death from cancer on March 22, 2006. She has three children: Heidi Stemple, Adam Stemple
Adam Stemple
Adam Stemple, author and professional musician is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is the son of writer Jane Yolen and her late husband David Stemple....
, and Jason Stemple, and several grandchildren. Yolen maintains homes in Hatfield, Massachusetts
Hatfield, Massachusetts
Hatfield is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 3,249 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area....
and in St Andrews
St Andrews
St Andrews is a university town and former royal burgh on the east coast of Fife in Scotland. The town is named after Saint Andrew the Apostle.St Andrews has a population of 16,680, making this the fifth largest settlement in Fife....
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
Career
NewsweekNewsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
called Jane Yolen "the Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author, fairy tale writer, and poet noted for his children's stories. These include "The Steadfast Tin Soldier," "The Snow Queen," "The Little Mermaid," "Thumbelina," "The Little Match Girl," and "The Ugly Duckling."...
of America" and The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
labeled her "a modern equivalent of Aesop." She has written around 300 books, 4590 poems, and 3452 short stories. 67 of these won awards.
Her many short stories can be found in books as diverse as Am I Blue?: Coming out from the Silence and Briar Rose (The Fairy Tales Series). One example is "Memoirs of a Bottle Djinni" in Arabesques (edited by Susan Schwartz in 1988). Yolen also has a gift for the very short story, as evidenced by "Angelica" in 100 Great Fantasy Short-Short Stories. This latter anthology was edited by Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000...
, Martin H. Greenberg
Martin H. Greenberg
Martin Harry Greenberg was an American speculative fiction anthologist and writer.-Biography:Dr. Martin H. Greenberg was born March 1, 1941, to Max and Mae Greenberg in South Miami Beach, Florida...
and Carr in 1985.
Year's Best Science Fiction and Fantasy for Teens, Favorite Folktales From Around the World, Xanadu and Xanadu 2 are among the works that she has edited.
Her writing also includes poetry. Yolen said that writing poems and short stories comes to her more naturally, but that she has tried to master the longer form when a particular story called for it. Many of her poems, like her books, have won awards. Some of her awards to date: the Caldecott Medal
Caldecott Medal
The Caldecott Medal is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children , a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children published that year. The award was named in honor of nineteenth-century English...
, two Nebula Awards, two Christopher Medals, the World Fantasy Award
World Fantasy Award
The World Fantasy Awards are annual, international awards given to authors and artists who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in the field of fantasy...
, three Mythopoeic Awards
Mythopoeic Awards
The Mythopoeic Awards for literature and literary studies are given by the Mythopoeic Society to authors of outstanding works in the fields of myth, fantasy, and the scholarly study of these areas; the full criteria and description can be read on the Mythopoeic Society's -Mythopoeic Fantasy...
, both first and second place in the 2007 Dwarf Stars Award
Dwarf Stars Award
"Dwarf stars" redirects here. For the type of star, see Dwarf star.The Dwarf Stars Award is a poetry award of the Science Fiction Poetry Association, created in 2006. It awards the best horror, fantasy, and science fiction short poetry published in the previous year, including scifaiku, tanka,...
, the Golden Kite Award, the Jewish Book Award, the Association of Jewish Libraries Award, and the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement
World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement
This World Fantasy Award is presented to individuals for their outstanding service to the fantasy field, and decided by a panel of judges at the World Fantasy Convention.-1984:* L. Sprague de Camp* Richard Matheson* E. Hoffmann Price* Jack Vance* Donald Wandrei...
.
In the children's writing community, she is known for her pithy observations and her generosity toward beginning writers and illustrators. Yolen has also criticized the Harry Potter
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
series:
Yolen has also criticized publishers for not promoting their authors sufficient promotion, and focusing what little promotion they do provide on celebrity authors such as Jay Leno
Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir "Jay" Leno is an American stand-up comedian and television host.From 1992 to 2009, Leno was the host of NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Beginning in September 2009, Leno started a primetime talk show, titled The Jay Leno Show, which aired weeknights at 10:00 p.m. ,...
, Maria Shriver
Maria Shriver
Maria Owings Shriver is an American journalist and author of six best-selling books. She has received a Peabody Award, and was co-anchor for NBC's Emmy-winning coverage of the 1988 Summer Olympics. As executive producer of The Alzheimer's Project, Shriver earned two Emmy Awards and an Academy of...
, Billy Crystal
Billy Crystal
William Edward "Billy" Crystal is an American actor, writer, producer, comedian and film director. He gained prominence in the 1970s for playing Jodie Dallas on the ABC sitcom Soap and became a Hollywood film star during the late 1980s and 1990s, appearing in the critical and box office successes...
and Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
, none whom, Yolen says, "can really write kids books well", in order to recoup the large advances given to those more visible authors, forcing Yolen to hire her own publicist.
Yolen has named among her favorite authors Mordicai Gerstein, Shannon Hale, Gail Carson Levine, Linda Sue Park, Bruce Coville, Robert Sabuda, Kate DiCamillo, Richard Peck, Julius Lester, Nikki Grimes, Lee Bennet Hopkins, Jackie Woodson, as well as members of her own writing group, Patricia MacLachlan, Ann Turner, Leslea Newman, Corinne Demas, Barbara Diamond Goldin, Anna Kirwan.
The Pit Dragon Trilogy
- Dragon's Blood (1982)
- Heart's Blood (1984)
- A Sending of Dragons (1987)
- Dragon's Heart (2009)
Selected novels and books
(She has written over 300)- The Bird of Time (illustrated by Mercer MayerMercer MayerMercer Mayer is an American children's book writer and illustrator. He has published over 300 books using a wide range of illustrative styles...
) (1971) - The Simple Prince (illustrated by Jack Kent) (1978)
- The Gift of Sarah Barker (1981)
- Children of the Wolf (1984)
- The Stone Silenus (1984)
- "Cards of Grief" (1985, Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature)
- Sister Light, Sister Dark (1989, Nebula Award finalist)
- The Dragon's Boy (1990)
- White Jenna (1990, Nebula Award finalist)
- Greyling (1991, picture book)
- Wings (1991, picture book)
- Wizard's HallWizard's Hall-Characters and story:The mother of shy Henry sends him to Wizard's Hall where he can train to become a wizard. At the Hall he is renamed Thornmallow, suggesting that he is prickly on the outside yet soft inside. He becomes quite conspicuous as he covers a classroom in snow, yells during an...
(1991) - Briar RoseBriar Rose (novel)Briar Rose is a young adult novel written by American author Jane Yolen, published in 1992. The book was published as part of the Fairy Tale Series "Sleeping Beauty" of novels compiled by Terri Windling. The book won the annual Mythopoeic Society Fantasy Award for Adult Literature in 1993.- Plot...
(1992, Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature, Nebula Award finalist) - The One Armed Queen (1998)
- Armageddon SummerArmageddon SummerArmageddon Summer is a 1998 novel by Jane Yolen and Bruce Coville. It chronicles the experiences of two teens, Marina and Jed, whose parents have joined a millennialist movement whose members call themselves "The Believers"...
(1998, with Bruce Coville, ALA Best Book for Young Adults, ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers) - The Wizard's MapThe Wizard's Map- Plot :This story is about three children who visit family in Scotland and become involved in the plans of an evil wizard.When Jennifer, Peter, and Molly go visit their relatives they discover magic in the attic. Molly finds an old map when an evil wizard named Matthew Scot shows up and takes...
(1999) - Queen's Own Fool (2000, with Robert J. Harris)
- Wild Wings: Poems for Young People (2002, with Jason Stemple. National Outdoor Book AwardNational Outdoor Book AwardThe National Outdoor Book Award was formed in 1997 as a US-based non-profit program which each year honors the best in outdoor writing and publishing. It is housed at Idaho State University and chaired by Ron Watters. Awards are presented in ten categories. The award is announced in early November...
(Children's Category)) - Girl in a Cage (2002, with Robert J. Harris)
- Sword of the Rightful King (2003, ALAAmerican 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....
Best Books 2004, ALA Best Books for Young Adults 2004, ALA Top 10 Fantasy Books for Youth 2004) - Prince Across the Water (2004, with Robert J. Harris)
- The Young Merlin Trilogy: Passager, Hobby, and Merlin (2004)
- Pay the Piper: a rock and roll fairy tale (2005, with Adam StempleAdam StempleAdam Stemple, author and professional musician is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is the son of writer Jane Yolen and her late husband David Stemple....
) - " The Devils Arithmetic
- Creepy Monsters, Sleepy Monsters (2011, illustrated by Kelly MurphyKelly MurphyKelly Murphy is an American author and illustrator of children's books from Massachusetts. Murphy attended the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, Rhode Island, her student work receiving distinction from the Society of Illustrators...
)
Selected novellas and novelettes
- "The Devil's ArithmeticThe Devil's ArithmeticThe Devil's Arithmetic is a historical novel written by American author Jane Yolen and published in 1988. The book is about Hannah, a Jewish girl who lives in New Rochelle, New York...
" (1988 novella, Nebula AwardNebula AwardThe Nebula Award is given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America , for the best science fiction/fantasy fiction published in the United States during the previous year...
finalist; 1999, made into a movie starring Kirsten DunstKirsten DunstKirsten Caroline Dunst is an American actress, singer and model. She made her film debut in Oedipus Wrecks, a short film directed by Woody Allen for the anthology New York Stories...
, Mimi RogersMimi RogersMimi Rogers is an American movie actress and competitive poker player.-Early life:Rogers was born Miriam Spickler in Coral Gables, Florida, the daughter of Philip C...
and Brittany MurphyBrittany MurphyBrittany Anne Murphy-Monjack , known professionally as Brittany Murphy, was an American actress and singer. She starred in films such as Clueless, Just Married, Girl Interrupted, Spun, 8 Mile, Uptown Girls, Sin City, Happy Feet, and Riding in Cars with Boys...
) - "Lost Girls" (1998 novelette, Nebula AwardNebula AwardThe Nebula Award is given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America , for the best science fiction/fantasy fiction published in the United States during the previous year...
winner)
Selected poems
- "Tintagel Morning: Song" (Asimov's Science FictionAsimov's Science FictionAsimov's Science Fiction is an American science fiction magazine which publishes science fiction and fantasy and perpetuates the name of author and biochemist Isaac Asimov...
, v.14 #4, April 1990) - "Angels Fly Because They Take Themselves Lightly" (Asimov's Science Fiction, v.15 #14, No.179, December 1991) (1991 Asimov'sAsimov's Science FictionAsimov's Science Fiction is an American science fiction magazine which publishes science fiction and fantasy and perpetuates the name of author and biochemist Isaac Asimov...
Readers' Award, poetry) - "Will" (Broadside, Midsummer Night's Press; The Magazine of Speculative Poetry, Spring 1992) (1993 Rhysling Award winner)
- "Lies" (ParadoxParadox (magazine)Paradox: The Magazine of Historical and Speculative Fiction was an award-winning literary magazine featuring original short historical fiction in all of its forms up to novella length. This includes mainstream historical fiction as well as other genre fiction with historical themes...
, Issue 8, Winter 2005-2006) - "War Memorial: Edinburgh" (Paradox, Issue 8, Winter 2005-2006)
- "Fife Map" (Paradox, Issue 9, Summer 2006)
- "Suzy and Leah"
Short story anthologies edited by Jane Yolen
- Werewolves (1988, with Martin H. GreenbergMartin H. GreenbergMartin Harry Greenberg was an American speculative fiction anthologist and writer.-Biography:Dr. Martin H. Greenberg was born March 1, 1941, to Max and Mae Greenberg in South Miami Beach, Florida...
) - Xanadu (1992, with Martin H. GreenbergMartin H. GreenbergMartin Harry Greenberg was an American speculative fiction anthologist and writer.-Biography:Dr. Martin H. Greenberg was born March 1, 1941, to Max and Mae Greenberg in South Miami Beach, Florida...
) - Xanadu 2 (1993, with Martin H. GreenbergMartin H. GreenbergMartin Harry Greenberg was an American speculative fiction anthologist and writer.-Biography:Dr. Martin H. Greenberg was born March 1, 1941, to Max and Mae Greenberg in South Miami Beach, Florida...
) - Xanadu 3 (1994, with Martin H. GreenbergMartin H. GreenbergMartin Harry Greenberg was an American speculative fiction anthologist and writer.-Biography:Dr. Martin H. Greenberg was born March 1, 1941, to Max and Mae Greenberg in South Miami Beach, Florida...
) - 2041: Twelve Short Stories About the Future by Top Science Fiction Writers (1994, with Connie WillisConnie WillisConstance Elaine Trimmer Willis is an American science fiction writer. She has won eleven Hugo Awards and seven Nebula Awards. Willis most recently won a Hugo Award for Blackout/All Clear...
and Anne McCaffreyAnne McCaffreyAnne Inez McCaffrey was an American-born Irish writer, best known for her Dragonriders of Pern series. Over the course of her 46 year career she won a Hugo Award and a Nebula Award...
) - Year's Best Science Fiction and Fantasy for Teens (2005, with Patrick Nielsen HaydenPatrick Nielsen HaydenPatrick James Nielsen Hayden , is an American science fiction editor, fan, fanzine publisher, essayist, reviewer, anthologist, teacher and blogger. He is a World Fantasy Award and Hugo Award winner , and is an editor and the Manager of Science Fiction at Tor Books...
)
Folklore collection edited by Jane Yolen
- Favorite Folktales From Around the World (winner of the World Fantasy Award)
External links
- Official Website
- Jane Yolen's online writing journal
- Bibliography on SciFanSciFanSciFan is an online database for fans of science fiction and fantasy books.The site provides detailed bibliographies, linking books together into series' where appropriate and, in turn, grouping series by universe...
- 2001 interview with Jane Yolen and a review of Briar Rose
- 2007 interview with Jane Yolen at Childrensbookradio
- Bio at Endicott Studio
- Rita Berman Frischer, Biography of Jane Yolen, Jewish Women Encyclopedia