Nancy Rawles is an American

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire to ...

, and

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

. She is a 2006 recipient of the

Alex Awards The Alex Awards annually recognize "ten books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults ages 12 through 18". Essentially, the award is a listing by the American Library Association parallel to its annual Best Books for Young A ...

Life

Rawles grew up in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. She graduated from

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 ...

with a degree in Journalism. Rawles studied play writing in Chicago with Linda Walsh Jenkins and Steven Carter. She later studied with C. Bernard Jackson of the Los Angeles (Inner City) Cultural Center and Valerie Curtis Newton of The Hansberry Project. She is a contributor to the Female Sexual Ethics Project at

Brandeis University , mottoeng = "Truth even unto its innermost parts" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = NECHE , president = Ronald D. Liebowitz , pro ...

under the direction of Bernadette Brooten, Kraft-Hiatt Professor of Christian Studies.

Awards

*2009 – Seattle Reads ''My Jim'' *2007 – Artist Trust Fellowship in Fiction *2006 – American Library Association Alex Award *2006 – Hurston/Wright Foundation Legacy Award in Fiction *2000 – Astraea Foundation, Claire of the Moon Award for Fiction *1998 –

American Book Award The American Book Award is an American literary award that annually recognizes a set of books and people for "outstanding literary achievement". According to the 2010 awards press release, it is "a writers' award given by other writers" and "the ...

Before Columbus Foundation The Before Columbus Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded in 1976 by Ishmael Reed, "dedicated to the promotion and dissemination of contemporary American multicultural literature". The Foundation makes annual awards for books published in ...

*1998 – Washington State Governor's Writers Award

Works

Novels

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Criticism

References

External links

"Nancy Rawles Revisits a Twain Character for 'My Jim'", ''NPR'', Alan Cheuse, February 22, 2005
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Writers from Los Angeles 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American women novelists City University of Seattle alumni 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women writers Living people American Book Award winners Year of birth missing (living people) {{US-academic-bio-stub