Laurie Halse Anderson |
About Laurie Halse Anderson
An Interview with Laurie Halse Anderson
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Childhood
Laurie Halse Anderson was born on October 23, 1961 in Potsdam, a very cold, cold place in Northern New York State. It was (and still is) close to the border of Canada.
She was born Laurie Beth Halse. This would be a good place to clear up the matter of the pronunciation of her name, because it is, after all, her name, and she is weary of hearing it mangled by well-meaning people. Halse rhymes with waltz. Not “hal-see.” No, no, no, no. Halt-z. If she could have anything she wanted, it would be world peace. But if she could have a second thing, it would be having people say her name correctly.
Breaking Into Writing
For years, Laurie had loved writing, but had considered it little more than a hobby. It eventually dawned on her that people would pay her to write so she became a freelance reporter. She also began to write all types of books and accumulated several inches of rejections letters: hundreds of form rejections that were both intimidating and discouraging. She joined the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI) and found a supportive critique group. That made all the difference.
YA novels
Laurie is probably best known for her Young Adult novels. Award winning Speak – it was a National Book Award Finalist, a New York Times bestseller, and a Printz Honor book - is by far the most popular. Even more thrilling, Speak was quickly placed into curriculum at hundreds of middle schools, high schools, and colleges around the country. (The film version of Speak features Twilight star, Kristen Stewart, as Melinda!)
Her second YA novel, Catalyst; which received many state awards and was the American Library Association’s Best Book for Young Adults, followed three years later.
In 2005, Prom was published; this novel has a lighter subject matter than Laurie’s first two YA novels. Prom spent the spring of 2005 swishing its skirts on the New York Times bestseller list, was nominated for ALA Best Book for Young Adults, and received many state awards.
Twisted, a YA novel told from a male perspective, was published in 2007. This became Laurie’s third novel to appear on the New York Times bestseller list. It received the ALA Best Book for Young Adults award, was named to the International Reading Association’s Young Adults’ Choices List, and was voted a Teen Top Ten.
Wintergirls is Laurie’s most recent YA novel. Wintergirls debuted on the New York Times bestseller list and received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, Booklist, and Kirkus, and was the focus of much media attention for it’s unflinching and raw perspective on eating disorders.
Young Readers
Laurie has also written an elementary chapter book series "Vet Volunteers". Laurie gets the best fan mail in the world about these books. Kids send her pictures and drawings of their pets.
Career Honors
On July 11, 2009, the Young Adult Library Services Association presented Laurie with the 2009 Margaret A. Edwards Award for Catalyst, Fever 1793, and Speak. In doing so, YALSA “recognizes an iconic and classic storyteller who in her character development has created for teens a body of work that continues to be widely read and cherished by a diverse audience.” In 2008, Laurie received the ALAN Award from the high school English teachers of America for her “outstanding contributions to the field of adolescent literature.”
On the Horizon
Laurie will be alternating between contemporary YA novels and historical fiction for the next decade. In addition, she has a few picture books up her sleeve and there is a book about the writing process simmering on the back burner.
Personal Stuff
Laurie lives in Northern New York, with her childhood sweetheart, now husband, Scot. She has four wonderful children and a neurotic dog, all of whom she dearly loves. When not enjoying her family and her large garden, she spends countless hours writing in a woodland cottage designed and built just for that purpose by her Beloved Husband. She also likes to train for marathons, hike in the mountains, and try to coax tomatoes out of the rocky soil in her backyard.
She is quite sure that she leads a charmed life and is deeply grateful for it.
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