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Erin Bow

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Erin Bow
File:Http://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1269312969p5/3099087.jpg
BornErin Noteboom
April 1, 1972 (1972-04) (age 52)
Des Moines, Iowa, USA
OccupationAuthor
LanguageEnglish
NationalityAmerican
CitizenshipDual: American and Canadian[1]
EducationCreighton University
Alma materCreighton University
Period2001–present
GenreYoung adult, Speculative fiction, Science fiction, Fantasy, Dystopian, Historical fiction, Bildungsroman
Notable worksPlain Kate
Notable awardsTD Canadian Children's Literature Award
SpouseJames Bow
Children2 daughters
Website
www.erinbow.com
Bow's most noted book, Plain Kate.

Erin Bow (born April 1, 1972), born Erin Noteboom, is an American-born Canadian author.

Biography

Early life

Erin Noteboom was born in Des Moines, Iowa, and raised in Omaha, Nebraska.[2] She had at least one sibling, a younger sister named Wendy.[3] As a child she was interested in science, writing, and exploring the woods.[2][4] In her eighth grade year, Noteboom moved from a suburb in Des Moines to a suburb in Omaha.[1] She then attended Mercy High School and graduated in 1990.[1] In high school, she founded the math club and was the captain of the debate team.[1][2]

She went to Creighton University, where she was interested in studying both physics and writing.[1][4][5] Noteboom ultimately chose physics as a major, because she believed that it would be easier to become a self-taught writer rather than a self-taught physicist.[4]

Professional life

Bow began a graduate school doctoral program studying particle physics in Twin Cities, Minnesota.[1][6] She found that physics graduate school offered her little time for anything other than school work, including writing.[1][4] She worked briefly as a physicist, including a job as a summer student at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) near Geneva, Switzerland.[2][7]

During graduate school, Noteboom was diagnosed with a brain tumor.[5] Though doctors initially thought the tumor was fatal, it was ultimately found to be a removable glioma.[1] This diagnosis contributed to a change of priorities for Noteboom, leading her to drop out of graduate school and return to poetry.[5]

She wrote poetry and a memoir before focusing on writing young adult works. Additionally, she worked as the poetry editor for the New Quarterly and led writing workshops in Kitchener, Ontario.[5][8] She also worked as a part-time writer at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics.[3] She participated in the Vancouver Writers Fest Writer-in-Residence program at Rossland Summit School.[9]

Personal life

In 1997, Noteboom moved to Canada.[5] There, she married fellow author and Canadian James Bow, and changed her name to Erin Bow.[2] In 2005, her younger sister, a painter named Wendy Ewell, drowned.[3][10][11] Bow lives with her husband, two daughters, and two pets in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada.[3] She writes in a modified backyard shed[7][12] and enjoys cooking.[2]

Works

Fiction

Fiction novels

In 2010, Bow published her first novel, Plain Kate, in which a wood carver’s daughter faces suspicion from fellow townsfolk for her wood carving abilities.[10][13] The book is also known as Wood Angel in the UK. In 2013, Bow published her second full-length novel, Sorrow’s Knot.[14][15]

Prisoners of Peace Series

Prisoners of Peace is a book series set in a future dystopia on the prairies of Saskatchewan.[16] Children of rulers are hostages to be killed if their country goes to war. The hostages are kept together in a school and must obey the governing AIs who manage it. The first book, The Scorpion Rules (2015), follows Greta Gustafsen Stuart, the Duchess of Halifax and Crown Princess of the Pan Polar Confederacy as she navigates the dystopia.[17][18][19][20] The Swan Riders (2016) is the second book in the series.

Short Fiction

Collaborating with her husband James Bow, Erin Bow published a short piece of fiction titled "A Stone of the Heart" in 2001. Bow also published a short fiction in Missing Pieces (2001), a collection of Doctor Who stories.

Poetry

Under her maiden name Erin Noteboom, Bow published two volumes of poetry: Ghost Maps: Poems for Carl Hruska (2003) and Seal Up the Thunder (2005).[21][22] Her poetry was also published in other collections, including The Malahat Review, PRISM International, Prairie Fire,[8] and online in Rattle.[23]

Other

Bow published a memoir The Mongoose Diaries: Excerpts from a Mother's First Year (2007) under her maiden name, Erin Noteboom.[24] In 2013, Bow wrote A Defense of Fantasy: Classical Literature v. Modern YA (2013) for YA Interrobang.[25] She also published short essays for the Perimeter Institute of Theoretical Physics.[1][3] As part of St. Jerome University’s Reading Series, Bow gave a talk on the intersection between science and literature.[26] Currently, Bow is working on a new novel and a volume of poetry about science.[2]

Writing Influences and Themes

Bow’s novels typically depict young adults in a science fiction and fantasy setting.[10] She has written a defense of young adult fantasy, arguing that fantasy books help young adults to fall in love with reading.[25] Bow also likes to write about unsolvable questions.[12]

She takes inspiration from places, such as the prairies she grew up on, Saskatchewan,[16] and the Black Hills in South Dakota.[3] Bow also draws influence from Lakota[3] and Russian folklore.[10][27] Bow’s characters rarely have a default race or sexual orientation.[6] Her themes generally cover the concepts of acting on faith,[28] doing what is right, and being human.[17][19][29]

Awards

Erin Bow's works have received favorable reviews from multiple sources including Kirkus Reviews,[30] The New York Times,[10] The Globe and Mail,[20] The Times,[31] and The Guardian.[32] Bow received recognition for the following works:

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Grace: Forget the false choices, writer and Omaha Mercy alumna says, and do it all". Omaha World-Herald. October 16, 2015. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Bio". erinbow.com. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Samson, Natalie (October 2010). "Erin Bow Coming through shadow". Quill & Quire. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  4. ^ a b c d Sing, Stewart Ah. "Author Interview with author, editor, and poet Erin Bow". Scribophile. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h "Erin Noteboom". Wolsak and Wynn. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
  6. ^ a b Jones, Michael M. (August 25, 2015). "Q & A with Erin Bow". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
  7. ^ a b Hicks, Jeff (April 24, 2016). "Kitchener sci-fi author Erin Bow finds her muse in backyard shed". The Record. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  8. ^ a b c d e "About the Author Erin Noteboom". All Lit Up. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  9. ^ Novak, Chelsea (October 27, 2016). "Award-winning YA author is writer-in-residence at Rossland Summit School". Rossland News. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  10. ^ a b c d e Posesorski, Sherie (January 14, 2011). "Curses in the Air". The New York Times. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  11. ^ "Wendy Ewell Memorial". Wendy Ewell. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
  12. ^ a b "Erin Bow may be writing in a garden shed right now". CBCbooks. October 1, 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  13. ^ "Plain Kate". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  14. ^ Jia (October 31, 2013). "Review: Sorrow's Knot by Erin Bow". Dear Author. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  15. ^ Quealy-Gainer, Kate. "Sorrow's Knot by Erin Bow (review)". Project Muse. Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Volume 67, Number 4, December 2013 pp. 203–204. doi:10.1353/bcc.2013.0892. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  16. ^ a b "Author envisions dystopia with Saskatchewan as the setting". CBC News. September 22, 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  17. ^ a b "Into the Future with Erin Bow". The Vancouver Writer's Fest. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  18. ^ Ozirny, Shannon (September 25, 2015). "Review: New YA fiction from Julie Murphy, Erin Bow, Chantel Guertin, Erin Bowman, Robert Hough and Nicola Yoon". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  19. ^ a b Spisak, April (December 2015). "The Scorpion Rules by Erin Bow (review)". Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Volume 69, Number 4, December 2015 p. 185. doi:10.1353/bcc.2015.0913. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  20. ^ a b Ozirny, Shannon (November 30, 2015). "Review: The Scorpion Rules is the craziest and best book you'll read all year". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  21. ^ "Ghost Maps". 49th Shelf. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  22. ^ "Seal Up the Thunder". 49th Shelf. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  23. ^ ""Curie in Love" by Erin Noteboom". Rattle. Rattle #49, Fall 2015. October 27, 2015. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  24. ^ "The Mongoose Diaries". 49th Shelf. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  25. ^ a b Bow, Erin (October 27, 2013). "A defense of fantasy: classical literature v. modern YA". YA Interrobang. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  26. ^ "Erin Noteboom Bow: Physicist, Poet". The Quarc Issue. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  27. ^ Di Gregorio, Vanessa (September 19, 2010). "Plain Kate / Erin Bow Blog Tour: Interview and Plain Kate Giveaway!". Let The Words Flow. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  28. ^ Fawcett, Christina. "Speculative Fiction and Faith". Project Muse. Jeunesse: Young People, Texts, Cultures Volume 7, Issue 2, Winter 2015 pp. 194–205. doi:10.1353/jeu.2015.0016. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  29. ^ a b "THE SCORPION RULES WINS CLA'S 2016 BOOK OF THE YEAR FOR YOUNG ADULT AWARD". Canadian Library Association. April 15, 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  30. ^ Roy, Leila (August 24, 2015). "Keeping the Peace". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  31. ^ Craig, Amanda (March 19, 2011). "Bracelet of Bones by Kevin Crossley-Holland, Wood Angel by Erin Bow". The Times. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  32. ^ Hogan, Phil (April 2, 2011). "Fiction for older children – reviews". The Guardian. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  33. ^ "Winners and Jurors 2001 – 2010" (PDF). CBC Radio-Canada. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  34. ^ "Previous Arts Awards Recipients". artsawards waterloo region. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  35. ^ "The Acorn-Plantos Award for Peoples Poetry". The Ontario Poetry Society. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  36. ^ "Acorn-Plantos Award". Geist. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  37. ^ "Plain Kate wins $25K children's book award". CBC News. October 5, 2011. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  38. ^ Baker, Deirdre (October 4, 2011). "Plain Kate a beauty of a book". The Toronto Star. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  39. ^ "CCBC Announces the Winners of the 2011 Canadian Children's Literature Awards". The Canadian Children's Book Centre. October 5, 2011. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  40. ^ "2011 Shortlists". The Sunburst Award Society. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  41. ^ "Shortlists for the 2011 CLA Book Awards Announced". The Canadian Children's Book Centre. March 1, 2011. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  42. ^ "2010 Finalists: Fantasy & Science Fiction (Young Adult)". Cybils Children's and Young Adult Bloggers' Literary Awards. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
  43. ^ a b c "Plain Kate". erinbow.com. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
  44. ^ "2011 Best Fiction for Young Adults". ala.org. YALSA. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  45. ^ "Monica Hughes Award for Science Fiction and Fantasy". The Canadian Children's Book Centre. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  46. ^ "2014 Shortlists". The Sunburst Award Society. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  47. ^ "Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award".
  48. ^ "SHORTLIST FOR 2014 RUTH AND SYLVIA SCHWARTZ CHILDREN'S BOOK AWARDS ANNOUNCED". Ontario Arts Council. April 16, 2014. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  49. ^ "Sorrow's Knot". erinbow.com. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
  50. ^ "BEST TEEN BOOKS OF 2013". Kirkus. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  51. ^ "Quill & Quire's Books of the Year 2013". The Canadian Children's Book Centre. December 5, 2013. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  52. ^ "Kenneth Oppel, Erin Bow and Sydney Smith win Canadian Library Association literary awards". CBCbooks. April 15, 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  53. ^ "2017 MYRCA Nominees". Manitoba Young Readers' Choice Awards. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  54. ^ "Fall 2015 High School Selections". Junior Library Guild. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  55. ^ "Indigo's Best Books of 2015". Indigo. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  56. ^ "Best Teen Science Fiction & Fantasy of 2015". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved October 24, 2016.