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Jen Bryant

Jen Bryant
Photo credit Amy Dragoo, 2008, Daily Local News
Jen Bryant writes picturebooks, novels and poems for readers of all ages. Her biography A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams, illustrated by Melissa Sweet, received a Caldecott Honor. Their second collaboration, A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin, won an ALA Schneider Family Book Award, the NCTE Orbis Pictus award, and a Sibert Honor. The third Bryant/Sweet book, The Right Word: Peter Mark Roget and His Thesaurus, won the Sibert Medal and a Caldecott Honor. Jen’s novel in verse, Ringside 1925: Views from the Scopes Trial, is an Oprah Recommended Book for ages 12 and up. Above the Rim: How Elgin Baylor Changed Basketball has won numerous awards including the 2021 Orbis Pictus Award.
Other titles include Pieces of Georgia (IRA Young Adult Choices Pick); The Trial (1935 Lindbergh kidnapping trial, a Borders New Voices Pick); Kaleidoscope Eyes (a 1960’s–era novel, a Junior Library Guild Selection); The Fortune of Carmen Navarro (Paterson Prize for Young People); Georgia’s Bones, celebrating the life of artist Georgia O’Keeffe; and Music for the End of Time, based on a true WWII story. Jen’s poems appear frequently in anthologies for young readers and adults.

Jen has a BA from Gettysburg College, an MA from Arcadia University, and an Honorary Doctorate from Gettysburg College. She has taught writing and children’s literature at West Chester University and Bryn Mawr College and gives school and public lectures throughout the year. She lives with her family in Chester County, PA. When she’s not writing or taming the piles on her desk, Jen enjoys visiting museums, swimming, cycling, listening to music, and cheering wildly for the Phillies. You can learn more about Jen Bryant on her website. 

Jen's Process ​

In this interview, Jen Bryant talks about how she came up with the idea of writing about Elgin Baylor and her immersive process of research. As a prolific biographer, she has developed some useful strategies, such as:

  • Staying organized (time stamp 06:04)
  • Casting a wide net and narrowing down as an idea takes shape (time stamp 04:59)
  • ​Being open to finding inspiration in unexpected places. (time stamp 03:55)
Interview Transcript

Jen's Books ​​

Above the Rim cover
Feed Your Mind cover
Six Dots cover
The Right Word cover
A Splash of Red cover
A River of Words cover
Georgia's Bones cover
Call Me Marianne cover
Music for the End of Time cover
Abe's Fish cover

Other Interviews and Resources about Jen

  • Above the Rim Interview (Fuse 8 Production)
  • A Series of Interviews with Jen Bryant
  • Author Interview (Eerdmans Publishing)
  • ​Author Spotlight (Random House)
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  • Home
  • About Our Work
    • Principles & Framework
  • Chapter Books
    • Almost Astronauts
    • Impossible Escape
    • Maritcha
    • She Persisted: Claudette Colvin
  • Picture books
    • Above the Rim
    • Building Zaha
    • Classified
    • Eleanor Makes Her Mark
    • A Life of Service
    • Make Meatballs Sing
    • Otis and Will Discover the Deep
    • Queen of Physics
    • Sharuko
    • Soldier for Equality
    • The Cat Man of Aleppo
    • Voice of Freedom
    • What Do You Do with a Voice Like That?
    • William Still and His Freedom Stories
  • Authors/Illustrators
    • Chris Barton
    • Tonya Bolden
    • Carole Boston Weatherford
    • Monica Brown
    • Jen Bryant
    • Matthew Burgess
    • Lesa Cline-Ransome
    • Natasha Donovan
    • Edwin Fotheringham
    • Rebecca Huang
    • Barbar Kerley
    • Irene Latham
    • Teresa Robeson
    • Barb Rosenstock
    • Katherine Roy
    • Steve Sheinkin
    • Christina Soontornvat
    • Traci Sorell
    • Tanya Lee Stone
    • Victoria Tentler-Krylov
    • Duncan Tonatiuh
    • Don Tate
  • Collection
  • Stories from the Classroom
    • Teacher Contributors
  • Additional Resources
  • About Us
  • Contact Us