Joy McCullough is an American author of

young adult fiction Young adult fiction (YA) is a category of fiction written for readers from 12 to 18 years of age. While the genre is primarily targeted at adolescents, approximately half of YA readers are adults. The subject matter and genres of YA correlate ...

. She is best known for her

verse novel A verse novel is a type of narrative poetry in which a novel-length narrative is told through the medium of poetry rather than prose. Either simple or complex stanzaic verse-forms may be used, but there will usually be a large cast, multiple voice ...

''Blood Water Paint''. She lives in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

. She attended

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

Writing career

''Blood Water Paint'' is a verse novel of biographical fiction for young adults. Its subject is Italian

baroque painter Baroque painting is the painting associated with the Baroque cultural movement. The movement is often identified with Absolutism, the Counter Reformation and Catholic Revival,Artemisia Gentileschi Artemisia Lomi or Artemisia Gentileschi (, ; 8 July 1593) was an Italian Baroque painter. Gentileschi is considered among the most accomplished seventeenth-century artists, initially working in the style of Caravaggio. She was producing profess ...

, who was raped and took her attacker to court. It is the tenth novel written by McCullough and it was the first of her books published. McCullough, whose background was as a playwright and not as a poet, first developed ''Blood Water Paint'' as a play that was produced in 2015. She read transcripts from the rape trial, which had been translated into English, in her research. ''Blood Water Paint'' received

starred review A starred review is a book review __NOTOC__ A book review is a form of literary criticism in which a book is merely described (summary review) or analyzed based on content, style, and merit. A book review may be a primary source, opinion piece ...

s from ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

'' and ''

School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with ...

''. ''

The Horn Book ''The Horn Book Magazine'', founded in Boston in 1924, is the oldest bimonthly magazine dedicated to reviewing children's literature. It began as a "suggestive purchase list" prepared by Bertha Mahony Miller and Elinor Whitney Field, proprietres ...

'' called it "a powerful novel." ''Publishers Weekly'' wrote, "A haunting, stirring depiction of an unforgettable woman" and ''School Library Journal'' wrote, "McCullough’s beautifully crafted text will inspire upper-middle/high school readers to research the true story upon which this powerful piece of historical fiction is based. The poetry is clear and revelatory, exploring Artemisia’s passion for both art and life." ''Blood Water Paint'' was longlisted for National Book Foundation's 2018 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. It was named one of the year's ten best historical fiction novels for youth by ''

Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...

''. The audiobook was read by Xe Sands. In 2020, McCullough published ''A Field Guide for Getting Lost''. On March 8th, 2022 Tess Sharpe, Caroline Tung Richmond, Jessica Spotswood and her are going to release the novel ''Great or nothing'', a retelling of the classic

Little Women ''Little Women'' is a coming-of-age novel written by American novelist Louisa May Alcott (1832–1888). Alcott wrote the book, originally published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869, at the request of her publisher. The story follows the lives ...

, set in the second World War.

Works

* ''Blood Water Paint''. Dutton, 2017. * ''A Field Guide to Getting Lost''. Atheneum, 2020.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCullough, Joy American writers of young adult literature American young adult novelists Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Writers from Seattle American women novelists 21st-century American novelists 21st-century American women writers

Writing career

Works

References

Further reading

External links