Michael Williamson (born 1957) is an American
photojournalist
Photojournalism is journalism that uses images to tell a news story. It usually only refers to still images, but can also refer to video used in broadcast journalism. Photojournalism is distinguished from other close branches of photography (such ...
. He has won two
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made ...
s.
Of the books he has made with writer
Dale Maharidge
Dale Maharidge (born 24 October 1956) is an American author, journalist and academic best known for his collaborations with photographer Michael Williamson.
Maharidge and Williamson's book '' And Their Children After Them'' won the Pulitzer Priz ...
while both men were on the staff of the ''
Sacramento Bee
''The Sacramento Bee'' is a daily newspaper published in Sacramento, California, in the United States. Since its foundation in 1857, ''The Bee'' has become the largest newspaper in Sacramento, the fifth largest newspaper in California, and the 2 ...
,'' ''
And Their Children After Them'' won the
Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction
The Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes that are awarded annually for the "Letters, Drama, and Music" category. The award is given to a nonfiction book written by an American author and published duri ...
in 1990
and ''Journey to Nowhere: The Saga of the New Underclass'' was credited by singer-songwriter
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originato ...
as an inspiration for two songs from his album ''The Ghost of Tom Joad'', "
Youngstown" and "
The New Timer".
In 1993, Williamson became a staff photographer for ''
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 n ...
''. Photos he took on assignment in
Kosovo
Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a international recognition of Kosovo, partiall ...
, along with the work of Post colleagues
Carol Guzy and
Lucian Perkins, led to Williamson's share of another Pulitzer in 2000.
Orphaned at an early age, Williamson grew up in a series of foster homes, a circumstance to which he attributes his interest in the poor and the downtrodden.
Books with Dale Maharidge
*''
And Their Children After Them'' (1989)
*''Journey to Nowhere: The Saga of the New Underclass''
**Re-released. 1995. With a foreword by
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originato ...
.
*''The Last Great American Hobo'' (1993)
*''Homeland''
*''Denison, Iowa''
References
1957 births
Living people
Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction winners
Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography winners
American photojournalists
20th-century American non-fiction writers
21st-century American non-fiction writers
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