Alice Kuipers

Alice Kuipers (born 29 June 1979) is a British-born author living in Saskatchewan, Canada who is best known for her young adult novels. Life on the Refrigerator Door won the Grand Prix de Viarmes, the Livrentête Prize, the Redbridge Teenage Book Award in 2008 and the Saskatchewan First Book Award in 2007, was narrated as an audio book by Amanda Seyfried and Dana Delany, and has been adapted for theater in England, France and Japan. 40 Things I Want To Tell You won a Saskatchewan Book Award for Young Adult Literature in 2013. The Worst Thing She Ever Did (Lost For Words in the U.S.) won the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Juvenile/YA Crime Book in 2011.

Alice Kuipers
Kuipers in 2013
Born (1979-06-29) 29 June 1979
London, United Kingdom
OccupationNovelist
CitizenshipUnited Kingdom, Canada
Alma materManchester University
Period2007–present
GenresYoung adult, children's
Notable worksLife on the Refrigerator Door, 40 Things I Want To Tell You, The Worst Thing She Ever Did (Lost For Words in the U.S.), The Death of Us, Me (and) Me
PartnerYann Martel (2002–present)
Website
alicekuipers.com

Early life

Kuipers was born the first of three children in London, England[1][2][3] and is of Dutch and English descent. She attended the Westminster School in London, before receiving a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Manchester University. She later graduated with Distinction with a Master of Arts degree in Writing from Manchester Metropolitan University.[1] Her mother is Head of the Department of Psychology at King's College in London, England and a Professor of Clinical Psychology. Her father works as an advisor to local and central government on criminal and civil justice systems, and was previously a Chair of Governors and troubleshooting at OFSTED.

At eighteen, Kuipers travelled alone for a year with an itinerary that included the Cook Islands, New Zealand, Cambodia, Australia, Vietnam and the U.S.,[2] which she has stated has had a significant influence on her work. In an interview with Chatelaine magazine, Kuipers said, "I could spend my whole life exploring it [the world] and never come close to seeing everything there is to see... I learned not to worry too much if I took a wrong step. Something would come of whichever route I chose."[4]

Kuipers moved to Saskatchewan, Canada and settled there in 2003. She lives in Saskatoon, with her partner, the writer Yann Martel, and their four young children.[1][2][3][4]

Career

Kuipers' debut young adult novel in 2007, Life on the Refrigerator Door,[1] sold in twenty-eight countries and was the winner of the Saskatchewan First Book Award,[5] the Sheffield Libraries Choice Award and the Grand Prix de Viarmes.[3] It was long-listed for the Carnegie Medal.[6] The audio version of the novel was narrated by Amanda Seyfried and Dana Delany in 2007.[7] It was adapted for theater and staged in London, England in 2014 and in Paris, France in 2016.[8][9] Life on the Refrigerator Door is told through a series of notes and post-its written from a mother to her fifteen-year-old daughter before and during a family crisis.

Kuipers' second young adult novel in 2010, The Worst Thing She Ever Did (Lost For Words in the U.S.), sold in 9 territories and won the Arthur Ellis Award, Best Juvenile/YA Crime Book 2011 and the OLA White Pine Official Selection 2011.[3][10][11][12] This novel deals with confronting past tragedy and is set in London, England.[13]

40 Things I Want To Tell You was published in 2012 and rights were sold in Germany, Greece, Denmark and Croatia.[14] It won a Saskatchewan Book Award for Young Adult Literature in 2013[15][16] and was a 2013 Young Adult Honour Book for the Canadian Library Association.[17][18] Kuipers' third novel is about a teenage writer of an on-line advice column for teenagers, who is unable to follow her own good advice.

In 2014, three books by Kuipers were published. The Death of Us, a young adult novel, is a coming of age story about two young girls involved in a deadly car accident.[19][20] As well, The Best Ever Bookworm Book, by Violet and Victor Small, a book for children illustrated by Bethanie Murguia,[21] and Lost and Curious Things, an interactive ebook, were published.[22]

In 2015, Kuipers' short story, Ten Minutes, "the raw, beautiful story of a young woman's journey towards self-awareness and wellness" was released.[23] Two more books by Kuipers were published in 2016: Violet and Victor Write the Most Fabulous Fairytale, again with illustrator Bethanie Murguia,[24][25] as well as Secrets of the Badlands, an interactive ebook.[26] In 2017, Kuipers released another young adult novel, Me (and) Me, about a rising rock star, forced to make a terrible choice "and in that moment her world splits into two distinct lives".[27][28]

Kuipers' non-fiction has been published in Easy Living Magazine, the Sunday Telegraph and the Bristol Review of Books.[2][3] She has also written for the children's market.[3][13]

Since 1999, Kuipers has led writing workshops in Hong Kong, the UK, Australia, Canada and the US, including a workshop in the Yukon in 2004.[2][29][30] She has been an invited lecturer and workshop leader at several festivals, including Montreal Blue Met Festival, Brisbane Festival of Literature, The Word on the Street Saskatoon, Wordfest Calgary, and The Vancouver Writers Fest, and was keynote presenter at the Saskatchewan Festival of Words in 2010.[6][31]

In 2008, she won the Saskatchewan Lieutenant Governor's Artists Award '30 Below' for young artists.[3][32] In 2010, she spent a year as Saskatoon Public Library Writer in Residence,[3][4][33] working with community groups, individuals,[3] teaching workshops and visiting schools.[34]

Kuipers worked with software developer, Rich Lowenberg, to create the first Writing Tips App for iPhone, which went on to be the second bestselling app in the Educational Apps Listings in both the US and Canada in 2010.[4]

Published works
  • Life on the Refrigerator Door (2007)
  • 'You Today' (Short Story) (2008)
  • The Worst Thing She Ever Did (Lost For Words in the U.S.) (2010)
  • Writing Tips App for iPhone (co-written with Rich Lowenberg in 2010)
  • 40 Things I Want to Tell You (2012)
  • Death of Us (2014)
  • The Bookworm Book, by Violet and Victor Small (2014)
  • Lost and Curious Things (Interactive eBook) (2014)
  • 'Ten Minutes' (Short Story) (2015)
  • Violet and Victor Write the Most Fabulous Fairytale (2016)
  • Secrets of the Badlands (Interactive eBook) (2016)
  • Me (and) Me (2017)

Awards

Theatrical adaptations

Life on the Refrigerator Door has been successfully adapted for stage in three languages. It was first adapted and directed by Amy Draper in 2014 at the Yard Theatre in Hackney Wick, London, England, starring Cassandra Bond and Angela Clerkin.[39][40][41]

Life on the Refrigerator Door was staged at the venerable Théâtre de Paris in 2016

In March 2016, it was staged in Paris, France under the name Je T'ai Laisse Un Mot Sur Le Frigo at the Théâtre de Paris in the Salle Réjane. The play was adapted and directed by Marie-Pascale Osterrieth and starred Michèle Bernier and Charlotte Gaccio.[8][9][42] The building which houses the current Théâtre de Paris was first built in 1730, and later converted to the New Theater in 1891 where the works of playwrights such as Henrik Ibsen have been presented.[43]

The story was staged in Japan in June 2016 under the name Reizōko no Ue no Jinsei at the Sogetsu Hall Theater in Tokyo and at the Hyogo Performing Arts Center in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture.[44] The adaptation was by Noriko Sanya and the play was directed by Shatama Sakae with music direction by Yasuhiro Kasamatsu.[45]

Influences

In various interviews and Q and A sessions, Kuipers has named Hermann Hesse, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Emily Brontë, Elizabeth Strout, Valerie Martin, Dr. Seuss, Mo Willems and Louisa May Alcott as having positively influenced her work.[3] In an interview with Novel Matters, Kuipers said the novel she "most loved is called The Glass Bead Game by Hermann Hesse" and that she admired Tennessee Williams' ability to write dialogue.[3]

References
  1. Panmacmillan website, Author Profile: Alice Kuipers Archived 4 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 21 July 2013.
  2. Harper Collins website, Author Profile: Alice Kuipers. Retrieved 21 July 2013.
  3. Grove, Bonnie (26 March 2012). Novel Matters, Interview with Alice Kuipers. Novel Matters. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
  4. Black, Grant (27 May 2011). Alice Kuipers: "A Woman of Style and Substance". Chatelaine Magazine, Canada. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
  5. Saskatchewan First Book Award 2007 Archived 3 August 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Saskatchewan Book Awards, Canada. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
  6. The Word on the Street, Author Alice Kuipers Archived 27 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine. National Book & Magazine Festival, Saskatoon, 22 September 2012. Retrieved 21 July 2013.
  7. Amazon. Amazon listing USA. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  8. Schedule for the Théâtre de Paris, Paris France, 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  9. L'Officiel des Spectacles, Paris France, 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  10. Medley, Mark (3 June 2011). Winners of Arthur Ellis Awards Archived 1 August 2013 at Archive.today. National Post, Canada. Retrieved 21 July 2013.
  11. Arthur Ellis Awards, Best Juvenile or Young Adult Crime Book 2011. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
  12. Crime Writers Canada Awards, Arthur Eliis Awards, Past Winners 2011. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
  13. Bell, Meghan (Spring 2013). Interview with Alice Kuipers: On Style, Crime Writing, and the Expansion of Genre. Room Magazine, Canada. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  14. Harper Collins Canada page, 40 Things I Want To Tell You Archived 6 January 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
  15. Writers Honoured at Saskatchewan Book Awards, CBC News: Regina, Saskatchewan, 28 April 2013. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
  16. Saskatchewan Book Awards Official website, 20th Anniversary Book Awards Winners Archived 10 August 2013 at the Wayback Machine, 2013. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
  17. Shortlist, Young Adult Book Awards Archived 18 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine, Canadian Library Association 2013. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
  18. Canada Library Association, Canadian Literature for Little Canadians Awards 2013. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
  19. Doerksen, Karen (31 July 2014). Children's Book Review: The Death of Us. National Reading Campaign. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  20. Duggan, Charlotte (17 October 2014). Book Review: The Death of Us. The Manitoba Library Association. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  21. Hachette Book Group: The Best Ever Bookworm Book. Hachette Book Group. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  22. Fiction Express: Alice Kuipers Archived 4 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Fiction Express. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  23. Fierce Ink Press: Alice Kuipers Archived 26 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Fierce Ink Press. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  24. Hachette Book Group: Author Entry Archived 18 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Hachette Book Group site. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  25. Kirkus Reviews: Violet and Victor Write the Most Fabulous Fairytale. Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  26. Fiction Express: Secrets of the Badlands. Fiction Express. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  27. Harper Collins Canada: Alice Kuipers. Harper Collins Canada. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  28. Regret, indecision explored in Saskatoon author's upcoming novel. CBC News. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  29. Saskatchewan Writers Coop, Workshops 2009-2010 Archived 7 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
  30. Sage Hill Writing, Canada: Alumni Teen Writing Experience 2008, 2010 Archived 21 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
  31. Wordfest Calgary, Alice Kuipers. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
  32. Saskatchewan Lieutenant Governors Arts Awards. Retrieved 21 July 2013.
  33. Saskatoon Library, Historical List, Writers in Residence Archived 8 April 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 21 July 2013.
  34. Saskatoon Library Writer in Residence Profile, Alice Kuipers Archived 8 April 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 21 July 2013.
  35. New York Public Library, Book for the Teen Age 2008. New York Public Library, USA. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  36. Redbridge Teenage Book Award 2008 Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Redbridge Teenage Book Award, UK. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  37. Sweyne Park School Past Events. Sweyne Park School online, London, UK. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  38. Nominees for the 2015 SaskEnergy Young Adult Literature Award Archived 6 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Saskatchewan Book Awards. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  39. Amy Draper Directs Life on the Refrigerator Door, London, UK, 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  40. The Yard Theatre Event Archive: Life on the Refrigerator Door, London, UK, 2016 Archived 19 October 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  41. offwestend.com Event Archive: Life on the Refrigerator Door, London, UK, 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  42. Michèle Bernier: Ses Tendres Confessions Sur Son Rôle de Maman, NonStop People, Paris France, 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  43. A History of the Théâtre de Paris, Paris France, 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  44. Hyogo Centre News: Life on the Refrigerator Door, June, 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  45. Official Site: Life on the Refrigerator Door. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
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