Kathleen Karr (née Csere; April 21, 1946 – December 6, 2017) was an American author of

historical novels Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other ty ...

for children and young adults. She is the winner of the

Golden Kite Award The Golden Kite Awards are given annually by the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, an international children's writing organization, to recognize excellence in children’s literature. The award is a golden medallion showing a ...

for her book, ''The Boxer''.

Early life and education

Karr was born April 21, 1946, in

Allentown, Pennsylvania Allentown (Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Allenschteddel'', ''Allenschtadt'', or ''Ellsdaun'') is a city in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. The city has a population of 125,845 as of the 2020 United ...

and grew up on a chicken farm in the

Dorothy Dorothy may refer to: *Dorothy (given name), a list of people with that name. Arts and entertainment Characters *Dorothy Gale, protagonist of ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' by L. Frank Baum * Ace (''Doctor Who'') or Dorothy, a character playe ...

section of

Weymouth Township, New Jersey Weymouth Township is a township in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States census, the township's population was 2,715, reflecting an increase of 458 (+20.3%) from the 2,257 counted in the 2000 Census, which h ...

She graduated from

Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by U.S. ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

in 1968 and received a master's degree in

English literature English literature is literature written in the English language from United Kingdom, its crown dependencies, the Republic of Ireland, the United States, and the countries of the former British Empire. ''The Encyclopaedia Britannica'' defines E ...

from

Providence College Providence College is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Catholic university in Providence, Rhode Island. Founded in 1917 by the Dominican Order and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence, local diocese, it offers 47 undergradua ...

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...

in 1971.

Career

Karr worked at the newly formed

American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Leade ...

in 1971. After a year there, she worked for the Circle Theatre chain until her daughter was born. She wrote her first novel, ''Light of My Heart'', in 1984. After her young children asked her to write a story for them, she published her first children's book, ''It Ain't Always Easy'' (1990), and began a full-time career writing for children and young adults. In her novel ''The Great Turkey Walk'', she depicts the movement of poultry from county to countysee The Great Turkey Walk by Kathleen Karr for an example of the poultry drives in

Fort Spring, West Virginia Fort Spring is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community and town in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, Greenbrier County, West Virginia, United States. It is situated along the Greenbrier River within the Greenbrier River Watershed. It was ...

where poultry was walked from

Union, West Virginia Union is a town in Monroe County, West Virginia, United States. Union’s population is 427 as of 2020. It is the county seat of Monroe County. History Monroe County was established by an act of the Assembly of Virginia on January 14, 1799, occup ...

Monroe County Monroe County may refer to seventeen counties in the United States, all named for James Monroe: * Monroe County, Alabama *Monroe County, Arkansas * Monroe County, Florida * Monroe County, Georgia *Monroe County, Illinois *Monroe County, Indian ...

to the stockpens in much the same way it was done for centuries. She is the author of ''Gilbert and Sullivan Set Me Free'' about a women's prison. Based on a historical event in 1914, the inmates of Sherborn Women's Prison in

Sherborn, Massachusetts Sherborn is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. Located in Boston's MetroWest region, is in area code 508 and has the ZIP code 01770. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the town population was 4,401. Sherborn shares its highly ...

put on a performance of ''

The Pirates of Penzance ''The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, W. S. Gilbert. Its official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 31 ...

''. In her novel, the prison's chaplain uses the transformative power of music and theater in helping reform inmates and in bringing them together in spirited community.

Death

Karr died December 6, 2017, in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

Titles

*''Fortune's Fool'' (2008) *''Born for Adventure'' (2007) *''Worlds Apart'' (2005) *''Mama Went to Jail for the Vote'' (2005) *''Exiled: Memoirs of a Camel'' (2004) *''Gilbert & Sullivan Set Me Free'' (2003) *''The 7th Knot'' (2003) *''Bone Dry'' (2002) *''Playing With Fire'' (2001) *''The Boxer'' (2000) *''It Happened In the White House'' (2000) *''Skullduggery'' (2000) *''Man of the Family'' (1999) *''The Great Turkey Walk'' (1998) *''Oregon, Sweet Oregon'' (1998) *''Lighthouse Mermaid'' (1998) *''Gold Rush Phoebe'' (1998) *''Phoebe's Folly'' (1997) *''Spy in the Sky'' (1997) *''Go West, Young Women'' (1997) *''In The Kaiser's Clutch'' (1995) *''Oh, Those Harper Girls'' (1995) *''The Cave'' (1994) *''The Promised Land'' (1993) *''Gideon and the Mummy Professor'' (1993) *''It Ain't Always Easy'' (1990)

References

External links

*
"Obituary: Kathleen Karr"
''

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 ...

'', December 12, 2017
"Kathleen Karr, children's writer who entwined history and humor, dies at 71"
''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'', January 10, 2018 {{DEFAULTSORT:Karr, Kathleen 1946 births 2017 deaths American children's writers American historical novelists Agatha Award winners Catholic University of America alumni Writers from Allentown, Pennsylvania People from Weymouth Township, New Jersey Providence College alumni Writers from Washington, D.C. American women historical novelists American women mystery writers Novelists from Pennsylvania Novelists from New Jersey 21st-century American women