Karen Cushman (born October 4, 1941) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

writer of historical fiction.

Career

Cushman's 1995 novel '' The Midwife's Apprentice'' won the

Newbery Medal The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished cont ...

for children's literature, and her 1994 novel '' Catherine, Called Birdy'' won a

Newbery Honor Newbery is a surname. People * Chantelle Newbery (born 1977), Australian Olympic diver * David Newbery (born 1943), British economist *Eduardo Newbery (1878–1908), Argentine odontologist and aerostat pilot * Francis Newbery (disambiguation), s ...

. She has a bachelor of arts degree in Greek and English from Stanford University and master's degrees in human behavior and museum studies.sup For 11 years she was adjunct professor in the Museum Studies Department at John F. Kennedy University before resigning in 1996 to write full-time. She lives and writes on

Vashon Island Vashon is a census-designated place (CDP) in King County, Washington, United States. It covers an island alternately called Vashon Island or Vashon–Maury Island, the largest island in Puget Sound south of Admiralty Inlet. The population was 10, ...

, Washington.Author's biography, inside rear cover, "The Midwife's Apprentice" 2nd edition,

Books

* '' Catherine, Called Birdy'' (1994) * '' The Midwife's Apprentice'' (1995) * ''The Ballad of Lucy Whipple'' (1998) * ''Matilda Bone'' (2000) * ''Rodzina'' (2004) * ''The Loud Silence of Francine Green'' (2006) * ''Alchemy and Meggy Swann'' (2010) * ''Will Sparrow's Road'' (2012) * ''Grayling's Song'' (2016) *''War and Millie McGonigle'' (2021)

Other media

''The Ballad of Lucy Whipple'' was made into a TV film, broadcast in 2001. ''Catherine Called Birdy'' was made into a film in 2022, see

Catherine Called Birdy (film) ''Catherine Called Birdy'' is a 2022 medieval comedy film written and directed by Lena Dunham, based on the 1994 novel of the same name by Karen Cushman. It stars Bella Ramsey as the title character, alongside Billie Piper, Andrew Scott, Les ...

Awards

* 1995

for '' Catherine, Called Birdy''ALA
Newbery Medal & Honor Books, 1922-Present
Retrieved 2008-12-19. * 1995

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 ...

for '' Catherine, Called Birdy'' * 1996

for '' The Midwife's Apprentice'' * 1997 John and Patricia Beatty Award for ''The Ballad of Lucy Whipple'', given by the California Library Association. * 2004

Washington State Book Award The Washington State Book Awards is a literary awards program presented annually in recognition of notable books written by Washington authors in the previous year. The program was established in 1967 as the Governor's Writers Awards. Each year, ...

for ''Rodzina'' * 2007

Kerlan Award The Kerlan Award is a literary award given by the University of Minnesota's Kerlan Collection, a special library focusing on children's literature. Many awards focus on the finished product, but the Kerlan Award is given based on the creative proc ...

at the University of Minnesota's Children's Literature Research Collection for her contributions to the Kerlan Collection.CLN. . Retrieved 12-04-04.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cushman, Karen 1941 births American children's writers American historical novelists Newbery Honor winners Newbery Medal winners Writers from Chicago Living people American women children's writers American women novelists Women historical novelists 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American women writers Novelists from Illinois People from Vashon, Washington 21st-century American women