Renée Watson

Renée Watson (born July 29, 1978) is an American teaching artist and author of children's books, best known for her award-winning and New York Times bestselling young adult novel Piecing Me Together,[1] for which she received the John Newbery Honor and the Coretta Scott King Author Award. Watson founded the nonprofit I, Too, Arts Collective to provide creative arts programs to the Harlem community.[2]

For the science communicator and entrepreneur, see Renée Watson (scientist).
Renée Watson
BornJuly 29, 1978 (aged 42)
Paterson, New Jersey
OccupationWriter and Teacher
GenreYoung Adult, Picture Books, Middle Grade
Notable worksPiecing Me Together, Watch Us Rise, Betty Before X
Notable awardsJohn Newbery Honor Book 2018, Coretta Scott King Author Award 2018
Years active2010–present
Website
www.reneewatson.net

Early life

Watson was born in Paterson, New Jersey and grew up in northeast Portland, Oregon after her parents' divorce. Her mother's family is originally from West Virginia.[3] Watson attended Vernon Elementary School, Binnsmead Middle School, and Jefferson High School in Portland Oregon.[4] She was a member of Antioch Missionary Baptist Church where she recited poetry on holidays and special occasions.[5] She loved poetry from a young age and read the work of poets like Maya Angelou and Langston Hughes.[6] When she first read poems by Hughes in elementary school, Watson felt a strong connection to them and sense of herself, her family, and her neighbors reflected in his work.[2] Sandra Cisneros' The House on Mango Street was one of the formative works of her childhood.[7] From a young age, she knew she was interested in writing and was encouraged to pursue this by her teachers and family.[8] In middle school, she wanted to be a lawyer for a time.[9] This was also when she wrote her first play, which her middle school produced as their spring show.[3] While in high school she participated in a mentorship and has since returned to mentor others at her former high school. As a senior she also assisted in teaching poetry to underclassmen.[6] Watson describes herself as a teaching artist, having spent twenty years teaching poetry and theater before becoming a novelist.[10] She moved to New York in 2005 where she attended The New School to study creative writing and art therapy. While she was in school she published her first book.[6][2] In the future she hopes to publish adult fiction and poetry books in addition to her young adult and children's books.[6]

Career

Teaching

Watson has spent over 20 years as a teaching artist throughout the country.[10] She has partnered with outside organizations to lead workshops and to be an artist in residence at various schools. She has taught poetry, writing and theater classes around the US.[3] For example, she has taught poetry at DreamYard, a Bronx-based youth educational nonprofit,[11] and is a member of the DreamYard 2019 Board of Directors.[12] Additionally, Watson has run poetry and theater workshops that aim to help children deal with traumas from various sources (such as natural disasters and sexual assault).[13] Likewise, Watson was a Writer in residence at the Schools and Self Enhancement Inc, a Portland-based nonprofit organization that works with underprivileged youth in the North-Portland area.[14] Watson has also put on professional development workshops for teachers and adult artists.[13]

Writing

In 2019, Watson celebrated 10 years of being a published writer.[10] Watson has been writing since she was in the second grade, when she wrote a 21-page story.[15] Her first children's book, A Place Where Hurricanes Happen, was published June 22, 2010 and is a product of her nonprofit work in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.[16] Watson's second picture book, Harlem's Little Blackbird: The Story of Florence Mills, was published October 23, 2012, and received multiple awards and nominations.[17] Watson's Young Adult novels include This Side of Home (published February 3, 2015), Piecing Me Together (published February 14, 2017), and Watch Us Rise (Feb 12, 2019).[18] Her poem, "Black Like Me," was published by Rethinking Schools,[19] along with other articles and interviews Watson wrote. Her poetry also appears in the Theatre of the Mind and With Hearts Ablaze.[13] Her most recent work, Ways to Make Sunshine, is a middle-grade novel and is expected to be published April 28, 2020.[20][21]

Watson uses her position as an author to speak up about seeking counseling and therapy when needed.[3]

Watson performed "Roses are Red Women are Blue," a one-woman show, at the Lincoln Center in New York City.[22]

I, Too, Arts Collective

When Watson first moved to New York and explored Harlem landmarks, she was disappointed to learn that the former home of Harlem Renaissance author Langston Hughes was not open to the public. In 2016, after growing concerned that the historical home may be lost to gentrification,[6] Watson found the current owner and shared her vision to open up the home to visitors. The owner agreed if Watson could afford to lease the brownstone, and in just 30 days, Watson raised the necessary money by starting the fundraising campaign #LangstonsLegacy.[2]

Watson founded the I, Too, Arts Collective named after the famous Langston Hughes' poem, "I, Too." The board of the nonprofit decided that Hughes' former brownstone should not be turned into a museum, but should be a creative space for the Harlem community. Since opening the space to the public in 2017, the collective provides creative arts programs such as poetry workshops and drum classes for children and adults. They also host a range of literary events such as book launch parties and readings.[2][6]

Watson originally hoped to raise enough money to buy the landmark and renovate the second floor. She wanted to provide fellowships for out-of-town artists to stay in the house in exchange for providing creative workshops to the community.[6]

On November 4, 2019, The I, Too, Arts Collective announced on their website that they will be closing when their lease ends on December 31, 2019. They were unable to come to a new lease agreement with the owner. Their digital archives will remain available on their website.[23]

Selected works

Watson's first picture book A Place Where Hurricanes Happen was inspired by her work with students who had experienced Hurricane Katrina. After working with the kids to create their own poetry she wrote this book which follows four kids as they tell about life before, during, and after Hurricane Katrina.[8] She initially wrote it as part of a creative writing assignment while at The New School and was encouraged to publish it by her professor.[3]

Watson's second young adult novel, Piecing Me Together, was published by Bloomsbury in 2017.[24] It tells the story of Jade, a poor African-American teenager at a predominantly white Portland, Oregon high school who struggles with the prejudice of the people surrounding her. It debuted at number nine on the New York Times young adult hardcover bestseller list on March 18, 2018.[1] It also received several starred reviews,[25][26] won the Coretta Scott King Author Award,[27] and was a Newbery Honor Book.[28] Watson's relationships with the black women she knew growing up and a 2014 NAACP report exploring struggles exclusive to African-American girls inspired her to write this novel.[29]

Together with the subject's daughter, Ilyasah Shabazz, she co-authored Betty Before X, a fictionalized account of civil rights leader Dr. Betty Shabazz's life in 1945 Detroit prior to meeting Malcolm X.[30]

Watson's third young adult novel, Watch Us Rise, about two best friends who start a women's rights club in their high school, was published by Bloomsbury in 2019. It's co-written with author Ellen Hagan.[31]

For both her first picture book A Place Where Hurricanes Happen and her latest middle grade novel Some Places More Than Others, Watson worked with illustrator Shadra Strickland.[32]

Bibliography

Picture books

  • A Place Where Hurricanes Happen, illustrated by Shadra Strickland (Random House, 2010)
  • Harlem's Little Blackbird: The Story of Florence Mills, illustrated by Christian Robinson (Random House, 2012)

Young adult novels

  • This Side of Home (Bloomsbury, 2015)
  • Piecing Me Together (Bloomsbury, 2017)
  • Watch Us Rise, co-written with Ellen Hagan (Bloomsbury, 2019)

Middle Grade novels

  • What Momma Left Me (Bloomsbury, 2010)
  • Betty Before X, co-written with Ilyasah Shabazz (Macmillan, 2018)
  • Some Places More Than Others (Bloomsbury, 2019)
  • Ways to Make Sunshine (Bloomsbury, 2019)

Contributions

  • Forward, The Hunter Maiden: Feminist Folktales from Around the World by Ethel Johnston Phelps (The Feminist Press, 2017)
  • Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America, edited by Ibi Zoboi (Balzer + Bray, 2019)
  • The (Other) F Word: A Celebration of the Fat and Fierce, edited by Angie Manfredi (Amulet, 2019)

Awards
  • 2018: John Newbery Honor for Piecing Me Together (Bloomsbury, 2017)[28]
  • 2018: Winner, Coretta Scott King Author Award for Piecing Me Together (Bloomsbury, 2017)[27]

References
  1. "Young Adult Hardcover Books - Best Sellers - March 18, 2018 - The New York Times". Retrieved 2018-11-29.
  2. "Arts collective in Langston Hughes' home carries on writer's legacy". CBS News. April 12, 2018. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
  3. "Renée Watson". First Draft With Sarah Enni. Retrieved 2019-12-02.
  4. Baker, Jeff (2010-06-16). "Jefferson High alum Renee Watson finds literary success in New York". oregonlive. Retrieved 2019-12-02.
  5. Watson, Renée (2018-02-01). "Opinion | Remember Langston Hughes's Anger Alongside His Joy". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-12-02.
  6. Reed, Josephine. "Renee Watson". National Endowment for the Arts. Retrieved 2019-11-08.
  7. "Interview with Renée Watson". Pine Manor College. Retrieved 2019-12-02.
  8. Brown, Tameka Fryer. "Day 5: Renée Watson". The Brown Bookshelf. Retrieved 2019-12-02.
  9. "Teen Press Corps Interviews Renee Watson!". 2017-10-08. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
  10. "Interview with Renée Watson". Retrieved 2019-12-02.
  11. "about". DreamYard. Retrieved 2019-12-02.
  12. "board". DreamYard. Retrieved 2019-11-11.
  13. "Renee Watson | Penguin Random House". PenguinRandomhouse.com. Retrieved 2019-11-11.
  14. "Mission". Self Enhancement, Inc. Retrieved 2019-11-10.
  15. "Author Renée Watson". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Retrieved 2019-11-11.
  16. "about". Renée Watson. Retrieved 2019-12-02.
  17. "Harlem's Little Blackbird". Penguin Random House Higher Education. Retrieved 2019-12-02.
  18. "books". Renée Watson. Retrieved 2019-12-02.
  19. "From Rethinking Schools: Black Like Me". Rethinking Schools Publishers. Retrieved 2019-11-11.
  20. "Ways to Make Sunshine by Renée Watson". Ways to Make Sunshine by Renée Watson. Retrieved 2019-12-02.
  21. Bloomsbury.com. "Ways to Make Sunshine". Bloomsbury Publishing. Retrieved 2019-12-02.
  22. York, New; NY. "Renee Watson". Poets & Writers. Retrieved 2019-11-11.
  23. "I, Too, Arts Collective". I, Too, Arts Collective. November 4, 2019. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  24. "Booktalking "Piecing Me Together" by Renee Watson". The New York Public Library. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
  25. Stevenson, Deborah (2017-03-24). "Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson (review)". Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. 70 (8): 384–384. doi:10.1353/bcc.2017.0321. ISSN 1558-6766.
  26. "Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson | SLJ Review". School Library Journal. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
  27. "2018 CSK Author Award Acceptance by Renée Watson". The Horn Book. 2018-06-28. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
  28. "Piecing Me Together | Awards & Grants". www.ala.org. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
  29. "Interview: Renée Watson on YA Novel "Piecing Me Together"". School Library Journal. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
  30. "Author explores early life of her famous mother Dr. Betty Shabazz". Washington Post. 20 February 2018. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  31. Wilson, Kristian. "Start Reading From The New YA Book That's Sure To Inspire The Young Feminists In Your Life". Bustle. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
  32. "Finding the Vision for Some Places". SLJ. August 2019. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
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