Here are seven author shoutouts for this week. Check out which authors are your favorites, and discover an author you have not yet read. You can find the books relating to our author shoutouts at our bookshop, on our list of Author Shoutouts.
Support Independent Bookstores.
You can find the books relating to our Author Shoutouts at our bookshop, on our list of LitStack Author Shoutouts.
This Week’s Author Shoutouts:
Richard Wright
Richard Wright, born in Roxie, Mississippi, in the Plantation area, deserves an author shoutout. Despite being born before the civil rights movement and living most of his adult life in France, his literary contributions, including Native Son, Black Boy, and Uncle Tom’s Children, were among the initial and most influential works addressing racism in America. These writings set a precedent for numerous African-American writers who followed in his footsteps. He passed away in Paris in 1960.
Cathy Guisewite
Cartoonist Cathy Guisewite, hailing from Dayton, Ohio, deserves an Author Shoutout. Her renowned comic strip, Cathy, graced the pages of nearly 1,400 newspapers for an impressive 34-year span from 1976 to 2010. This influential strip delved into the obstacles that confronted career-oriented women, tackling the four fundamental guilt groups of eating, work, relationships, and maternal responsibilities.
She was honored with an Emmy Award in 1987 for an exceptional animated program adapted from her comic strip. Additionally, in 1992, she was bestowed with the prestigious Reuben Award for her exceptional skills as a cartoonist. Furthermore, she has been granted a total of seven honorary degrees.
China Miéville
An Author Shoutout to China Miéville. He was born in Norwich, UK, and is an acclaimed fantasy writer known for his distinct style called weird fiction. His exceptional works have garnered him several prestigious accolades, including the Arthur C. Clarke Award, the British Fantasy Award, the Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel, and multiple Hugo Awards. With a commitment to exploring various genres, Miéville, holding both a Masters and a PhD in International Relations from the London School of Economics, stands as a truly original and multi-talented voice in the literary world.
Since 2018, he has been involved in anti-capitalist politics in the United Kingdom. However, he has recently embarked on measures to safeguard his privacy due to an alleged campaign of harassment and online defamation.
Eric Hill
Children’s book writer and illustrator Eric Hill, born in London, England, receives an Author Shoutout. In 1976, he began creating stories for his young son featuring a lively puppy named Spot. These stories included interactive flaps that revealed Spot’s hiding spots. Hill’s concept captured the attention of a literary agent, leading to the publication of his first book, Where’s Spot?, in 1980. The book quickly brought joy to children worldwide.
He authored numerous additional books and received the appointment of Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2008 for his contributions to children’s literature. In 2014, he passed away.
Marianne Wiggins
Novelist Marianne Wiggins, born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, deserves an author shoutout for her literary contributions. With an impressive portfolio of nine novels and two story collections, her 2003 masterpiece, Evidence of Things Unseen, achieved great acclaim as a Pulitzer Prize finalist and a nominee for the National Book Award. Throughout her career, Wiggins has been honored with prestigious accolades such as an NEA grant, the Whiting Writer’s Award, and the Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize. Notably, in 1989, she faced a period of seclusion due to the fatwā issued against her then-husband, Salmon Rushdie, by Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. It is worth mentioning that Wiggins and Rushdie ended their marriage in 1993.
In 2016, she experienced a stroke which resulted in her loss of reading and writing skills. Despite this setback, she dedicated her efforts to recovering those abilities and successfully finished writing her novel, Properties of Thirst, by 2022.
Leo Tolstoy
An Author Shoutout to Leo Tolstoy, who was born in Yasnaya Polyana, Russia, and is celebrated for his renowned literary achievements, particularly his works War and Peace and Anna Karenina. He is widely recognized as a prominent figure in Russian literature. Tolstoy, who identified as a devoted Christian anarchist while distancing himself from socialism, expressed his perspectives on democratic education and nonviolent resistance in his philosophical non-fiction novel The Kingdom of God is Within You, published in 1893. These ideas had a profound impact on influential figures such as Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. At the age of 82, Tolstoy passed away in 1910 due to pneumonia.
Mary Oliver
Poet Mary Oliver, born in Maple Heights, Ohio, deserves an author shoutout for her incredible talent. She not only won a National Book Award but also received the prestigious 1984 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. Oliver draws inspiration from prominent figures like Walt Whitman and Henry David Thoreau. Her distinctive style is characterized by her keen and moving observations of the natural world. Additionally, she has a remarkable connection with nature, often exploring both its haunting depths and its exuberant delights.
“Tell me, what is it you plan to do / With your one wild and precious life?” Sadly, she died in 2019 of lymphoma.
Other LitStack Resources
Be sure to look at other Author Birthdays, a weekly feature on LitStack from contributing writer Sharon Browning, and be sure and support independent bookstores – buy a book today at LitStack Bookshop, with tons of author birthday titles on our list of Sharon’s Birthday Picks.
As a Bookshop affiliate, LitStack may earn a commission at no cost to you when you purchase products through our affiliate links.
Support Independent Bookstores.
You can find the books relating to our Author Shoutouts at our bookshop, on our list of LitStack Author Shoutouts.
It’s Football Time!
