Sharon Draper

Draper, the oldest of three children, was born in Cleveland, Ohio. She was an avid reader as a child, devouring almost every book in her library’s children’s section by age 11. She earned a bachelor’s in English from Pepperdine University and went on to pursue a master’s in English from Miami University of Ohio. Following the completion of her education, she began teaching high school in Cincinnati. In 1990, one of her students challenged her to write something of her own. The resulting short story, “One Small Torch,” won a writing contest sponsored by Ebony magazine. A decade later, Draper retired from teaching to focus on writing instead. Over the course of her career, she’s won awards both for her teaching and for her writing. She’s won five Coretta Scott King Book Awards (one of which was for Copper Sun) and has had several of her novels listed as ALA Best Books. Several of her books have won local and regional awards as well. Many of Draper’s books focus on the experience of Black Americans or of racial tensions in the U.S. more broadly.