Jacqueline Woodson Biography: Author of 30+ Books With 4 Newbery Honors and a 2014 National Book Award

Meta description: Jacqueline Woodson biography covers her 1963 birth in Columbus, Adelphi education, 1990 debut, Brown Girl Dreaming, and awards from 2006 to 2020.

Jacqueline Woodson is an American writer of books for children, young adults, and adults, born on February 12, 1963, in Columbus, Ohio. She has written more than 30 books. She is a four-time Newbery Honor winner and won the 2014 National Book Award for Brown Girl Dreaming. She also received the 2018 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award and the 2020 Hans Christian Andersen Award.

Who is Jacqueline Woodson?

Jacqueline Woodson is an American author known for books about race, family, and identity for young readers and adults. She writes picture books such as The Other Side, middle-grade books such as Locomotion, and young adult books such as Hush. Her characters face issues including race relations, foster care, and incarceration.

What are the key facts about Jacqueline Woodson?

Table 1 lists the core facts about Jacqueline Woodson. Each row is one attribute. The columns show the attribute name and the recorded value.

When and where was Jacqueline Woodson born?

Jacqueline Woodson was born on February 12, 1963, in Columbus, Ohio. Her memoir Brown Girl Dreaming opens with a poem titled for her birth date. One library profile lists 1964 as the birth year, but the memoir, Wikipedia, and Britannica list 1963.

Where did Jacqueline Woodson grow up?

Jacqueline Woodson grew up in Greenville, South Carolina, and Brooklyn, New York. Her family lived in Nelsonville, Ohio, before moving south. She moved to Brooklyn at about age 7. Brown Girl Dreaming is a novel in verse about her family and segregation in the South.

What did Jacqueline Woodson study?

Jacqueline Woodson earned a B.A. in English from Adelphi University in 1985. Her concentration was British literature and Middle English. She also studied at the New School for Social Research.

How did Jacqueline Woodson start her writing career?

Jacqueline Woodson began her career after college, working with homeless and runaway children while writing her first novel. After graduating from Adelphi, she worked in a program for homeless and runaway children. The career timeline has 6 stages:

1. 1963: Was born in Columbus, Ohio.
2. 1985: Earned a B.A. in English from Adelphi University.
3. After college: Worked with homeless and runaway children in New York.
4. 1990: Published Last Summer with Maizon with Delacorte Press.
5. 1992 to 1993: Completed the Maizon trilogy with Maizon at Blue Hill and Between Madison and Palmetto.
6. 2014: Published Brown Girl Dreaming.

Sources: Cleveland Public Library, the IBBY author dossier, and Britannica.

How was her first book published?

Woodson enrolled in a children’s book writing class at The New School. An editor at Delacorte heard a reading from Last Summer with Maizon and requested the manuscript. Wendy Lamb edited the book.

What are Jacqueline Woodson’s best-known books?

Jacqueline Woodson’s best-known books include Brown Girl Dreaming, Miracle’s Boys, Another Brooklyn, and Red at the Bone.

Table 2 lists selected books. Each row is one book. The columns show the title, the publication year, and the recorded recognition.

What is Brown Girl Dreaming?

Brown Girl Dreaming is Jacqueline Woodson’s 2014 memoir written in verse about her childhood in the 1960s and 1970s. The book follows her growing up between South Carolina and New York. It also received the NAACP Image Award and a Sibert Honor. Woodson interviewed relatives in Ohio and South Carolina to reconstruct her family’s stories.

What awards has Jacqueline Woodson won?

Jacqueline Woodson has won 8 major honors from 2006 to 2020, including the Margaret A. Edwards Award, the National Book Award, and the MacArthur Fellowship.

Table 3 lists selected honors. Each row is one honor. The columns show the year and the recognition.

What themes does Jacqueline Woodson write about?

Jacqueline Woodson writes about race, identity, friendship, family, and social class. The Edwards Award committee described her books as explorations of how identity and friendship go beyond stereotype. Woodson states that she writes against stereotypes about race, class, and sexuality. She wrote her first novel because few books featured Black girls and the neighborhoods she knew in Brooklyn.

What is Jacqueline Woodson working on in 2026?

A 2026 PBS animated television special adapts Jacqueline Woodson’s picture book The Day You Begin. Rafael López illustrated the 2018 book. She also teaches teens at the National Book Foundation’s summer writing camp and co-edits its annual anthology.

People Also Ask

How old is Jacqueline Woodson?

Jacqueline Woodson is 63 years old as of October 2026.

What is Jacqueline Woodson best known for?

Jacqueline Woodson is best known for the memoir Brown Girl Dreaming and the novel Miracle’s Boys.

How many Newbery Honors has Jacqueline Woodson won?

Jacqueline Woodson has won 4 Newbery Honors.

Where was Jacqueline Woodson born?

Jacqueline Woodson was born in Columbus, Ohio.

What was Jacqueline Woodson’s first book?

Jacqueline Woodson’s first book was Last Summer with Maizon, published in 1990.

Did Jacqueline Woodson win a National Book Award?

Jacqueline Woodson won the 2014 National Book Award for Brown Girl Dreaming.

What is the summary of the Jacqueline Woodson biography?

The Jacqueline Woodson biography records an author born on February 12, 1963, in Columbus, Ohio, who debuted in 1990 and has written more than 30 books. The biography has 6 core facts:

• Upbringing: Greenville, South Carolina, and Brooklyn, New York
• Education: B.A. in English from Adelphi University, 1985
• Debut: Last Summer with Maizon, 1990
• Breakthrough: Brown Girl Dreaming, 2014 National Book Award
• Honors: 4 Newbery Honors, the 2018 Astrid Lindgren Award, and the 2020 Hans Christian Andersen Award
• Recent: a 2026 PBS adaptation of The Day You Begin