Maureen Wartski

Maureen Wartski
Maureen Wartski in 2009
Born	Maureen Ann Crane January 25, 1940 (1940-01-25) (age 71) Ashiya[disambiguation needed ], Japan
Occupation	author, novels and short stories
Genres	Children's books, Young adult, novels
Notable work(s)	A Boat to Nowhere
sleepyhollowbooks.com

Maureen Crane Wartski (born Maureen Ann Crane, January 25, 1940) is a naturalized American author^[1] She has written many novels for children and young adults.^[2] Wartski's Eurasian heritage and her deep connection to the natural world have inspired many of her novels which address such issues as racism (The Face in My Mirror), (Candle in the Wind), (A Boat to Nowhere), identity (My Brother is Special), (The Lake is on Fire, The Promise), and bullying (Yuri's Brush with Magic).^[3]

Background

Maureen Crane Wartski was born in Ashiya,^{[disambiguation needed ]} Japan, to Albert Edwin Crane, a businessman, and Josephine Wagen Crane, a teacher from Geneva, Switzerland.^[1]

Long before she told her first story at 14, Wartski was in love with writing. As a child, she listened to stories and folktales told by her aunts. Inspired by these folktales, and by an uncle who gave her an early introduction to classical literature, Wartski realized that words are magical things. Her Eurasian heritage and a deep connection with the natural world have influenced many of Wartski's young adult and middle-grade novels. A former high school English teacher, Wartski has conducted writing workshops, and has authored many books.^[4]

Wartski attended the University of the Redlands from 1958-1958, and received a B.A. in 1962 from Sophia University. That same year she became a naturalized U.S. citizen.^[5] She is married to Maximillian Wartski; they have two sons and three grandchildren. The Wartskis currently reside in North Carolina.

Career

Maureen Ann Crane Wartski has worked as a history teacher, a reporter and a lecturer on creative writing. Her first juvenile book, My Brother Is Special, was published in 1979.^[5] She also contributes plays and short stories to children's magazines such as Highlights, Boy's Life, and Scholastic under the pseudonym of M. A. Crane.^[6]

In 1980, Wartski won the Josette Frank Award from the Bank Street College of Education for her young adult novel A Boat to Nowhere.^[7] In 2010, Wartski wrote her 13th children's book, Yuri's Brush With Magic, an adventure story about a young Japanese-American girl who must spend the summer on the North Carolina coast with her mysterious and magical "Aunt Yuri" from Japan.^[8] In Yuri's Brush with Magic, is a Next Generation Indie Book Awards Finalist in Children's/Juvenile Fiction, Wartski integrates Japanese folk tales, such as Urashima Taro, and the Ginger Seller, into a contemporary adventure story for a middle school audience.^{[9] [10]} Wartski is also an accomplished artist.^[11]

Wartski believes that race and ancestry are important parts of identity and uses these themes in her writing. Yet it is the similarities, the shared memories that allow her characters – and, she hopes, her readers as well – to move past difference and into friendship and trust.^[12]

Bibliography

Main article: Bibliography of Maureen Crane Wartski

• Candle in the Wind, 1999, Turtleback Books, ISBN 978-0-613-13338-8
• A Boat to Nowhere, 1980, Signet Books, ISBN 978-0-451-16285-4
• My Brother is Special, 1979, Westminster John Knox Press, ISBN 978-0-664-32644-9
• The Promise, 2003, Perfection Learning, ISBN 978-0-7891-5936-6
• A Long Way from Home, 1980, Westminster Press, ISBN 978-0-451-11434-1
• The Face in My Mirror, 1994, Random House, ISBN 978-0-449-70443-1
• The Lake is on Fire,1981, Westminter John Knox Press, ISBN 978-0-664-32687-6
• Yuri's Brush with Magic, 2010, Sleepy Hollow Books, ISBN 978-0-9824542-5-1

Sources

• "The Importance of Multicultural Themes in Writing and Teaching". JSTOR: The English Journal - Vol. 94, No. 3, Jan. 2005, pp. 49–51, by Maureen Crane Wartski
• "Refugees and Immigrants: The Southeast Asian Experience as Depicted in Recent American Children's Books". The Lion and the Unicorn - Volume 23, Number 2, April 1999, pp. 219–237, by Michael M. Levy

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Karen Spillman. "Maureen Wartski Papers". http://special.lib.umn.edu/findaid/xml/CLRC-1576.xml. Retrieved 2010-05-17. 
2. ^ Sleepyhollowbooks.com/books.html from [1]
3. ^ "About Maureen Crane Wartski". JacketFlap. http://www.jacketflap.com/persondetail.asp?person=108608. Retrieved 2010-05-17. 
4. ^ Official homepage
5. ^ ^{a b} [2]
6. ^ "Maureen Crane Wartski Biography". Scholastic. http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/contributor.jsp?id=179098. 
7. ^ Levy, Michael M. (1999). "Refugees and Immigrants: The Southeast Asian Experience as Depicted in Recent American Children's Books". The Lion and the Unicorn 23 (2): 219–237. http://muse.jhu.edu/login?uri=/journals/lion_and_the_unicorn/v023/23.2levy.html. Retrieved 17 May 2010. 
8. ^ http://www.sleepyhollowbooks.com/books.htm
9. ^ http://www.sleepyhollowbooks.com/books.htm
10. ^ http://www.indiebookawards.com/2011_winners_and_finalists.php
11. ^ "Maureen Wartski". FineArtAmerica. http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/maureen-wartski.html. 
12. ^ http://www.jstor.org/pss/30046418

External links

• Official homepage
• [3]
• Michael M. Levy, [4], "Refugees and Immigrants: The Southeast Asian Experience as Depicted in Recent American Children's Books"

The Lion and the Unicorn - Volume 23, Number 2, April 1999, pp. 219–237

• "The Importance of Multicultural Themes in Writing and Teaching" from the JSTOR
• The Maureen Crane Wartski Papers, de Grummond Collection, McCain Library and Archives, University Libraries, University of Southern Mississippi [5]

Persondata
Name	Wartski, Maureen Crane
Alternative names	Crane, M.A.
Short description	American author of novels and short stories
Date of birth	January 25, 1940 (1940-01-25) (age 71)
Place of birth	Ashiya, Japan
Date of death
Place of death