Erin Bow (born April 1, 1972) (née Noteboom) is an American-born Canadian author.
Erin Bow | |
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Born | Erin Noteboom April 1, 1972 (age 52) Des Moines, Iowa, USA |
Occupation | Author |
Sprache | Englisch |
Nationality | American |
Citizenship | Dual: American and Canadian[1] |
Bildung | Creighton University |
Alma mater | Creighton University |
Period | 2001–present |
Genre | Young adult, Speculative fiction, Science fiction, Fantasy, Dystopian, Historical fiction, Bildungsroman |
Notable works | Plain Kate |
Notable awards | TD Canadian Children's Literature Award |
Spouse | James Bow |
Children | 2 children |
Website | |
www |
Biography
Early life
Erin Noteboom was born in Des Moines, Iowa, and raised in Omaha, Nebraska.[2] She had one sibling, a younger sister named Wendy.[3] As a child, she was interested in science, writing, and exploring the woods.[2][4] In her eighth grade year, Noteboom moved from a suburb in Des Moines to a suburb in Omaha.[1] She then attended Mercy High School and graduated in 1990.[1] In high school, she founded the math club and was the captain of the debate team.[1][2]
She graduated from Creighton University, where she studied physics as a major and writing as a minor.[1][4][5] Noteboom chose physics because she believed that it was "easier to become a self-taught writer rather than a self-taught physicist."[4]
Professional life
After her undergraduate, Noteboom attended a doctoral program in particle physics in Twin Cities, Minnesota.[1][6] As part of her research, she worked a summer student at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) near Geneva, Switzerland.[2][7]
During graduate school, Noteboom was diagnosed with a brain tumor.[5] Though doctors initially thought the tumor was fatal, it was ultimately found to be a removable glioma.[1] This diagnosis contributed to a change of priorities for Noteboom, leading her to drop out of graduate school and return full-time to poetry.[5]
She wrote poetry and a memoir before focusing on writing young adult works. During this time, she worked various jobs but all related to her passion as a writer. She was the poetry editor for the New Quarterly and organised writing workshops in Kitchener, Ontario.[5][8] She also worked as a part-time writer at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics[3] and participated in the Vancouver Writers Fest Writer-in-Residence program at Rossland Summit School.[9]
Personal life
In 1997, Noteboom moved to Canada.[5] There, she married fellow author and Canadian James Bow, and changed her name to Erin Bow.[2] In 2005, her younger sister, a painter named Wendy Ewell, drowned.[3][10][11] Bow lives with her husband, two children, and two pets in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada.[3] She writes in a modified backyard shed[7][12] and enjoys cooking.[2]
Works
Fiction
Novels
In 2010, Bow published her first novel, Plain Kate, in which a wood carver's daughter faces suspicion from fellow townsfolk for her wood carving abilities.[10][13] The book is also known as Wood Angel in the UK. In 2013, Bow published her second full-length novel, Sorrow's Knot.[14][15]
Prisoners of Peace series
Prisoners of Peace is a book series set in a future dystopia on the prairies of Saskatchewan.[16] Children of rulers are hostages to be killed if their country goes to war. The hostages are kept together in a school and must obey the governing AIs who manage it. The first book, The Scorpion Rules (2015), follows Greta Gustafsen Stuart, the Duchess of Halifax and Crown Princess of the Pan Polar Confederacy as she navigates the dystopia.[17][18][19][20] The Swan Riders (2016) is the second book in the series.
Short fiction
Collaborating with her husband James Bow, Erin Bow published a short piece of fiction titled "A Stone of the Heart" in 2001. "A Stone of the Heart" was published in Missing Pieces (2001), a collection of Doctor Who stories.
Poetry
Under her maiden name Erin Noteboom, Bow published two volumes of poetry: Ghost Maps: Poems for Carl Hruska (2003) and Seal Up the Thunder (2005).[21][22] Her poetry was also published in other collections, including The Malahat Review, PRISM International, Prairie Fire,[8] and online in Rattle.[23]
Other
Bow published a memoir The Mongoose Diaries: Excerpts from a Mother's First Year (2007) under her maiden name, Erin Noteboom.[24] In 2013, Bow wrote A Defense of Fantasy: Classical Literature v. Modern YA (2013) for YA Interrobang.[25] She also published short essays for the Perimeter Institute of Theoretical Physics.[1][3] As part of St. Jerome University's Reading Series, Bow gave a talk on the intersection between science and literature.[26] Currently, Bow is working on a new novel and a volume of poetry about science.[2]
Writing influences and themes
Bow's novels typically depict young adults in a science fiction and fantasy setting.[10] She has written a defense of young adult fantasy, arguing that fantasy books help young adults to fall in love with reading.[25] Bow also likes to write about unsolvable questions.[12]
She takes inspiration from places, such as the prairies she grew up on, Saskatchewan,[16] and the Black Hills in South Dakota.[3] Bow also draws influence from Lakota[3] and Russian folklore.[10][27] Bow's characters rarely have a default race or sexual orientation.[6] Her themes generally cover the concepts of acting on faith,[28] doing what is right, and being human.[17][19][29]
Awards
Erin Bow's works have received favorable reviews from multiple sources including Kirkus Reviews,[30] The New York Times,[10] The Globe and Mail,[20] The Times,[31] and The Guardian.[32] Bow received recognition for the following works:
- Ghost Maps: Poems for Carl Hruska (2003):
- Received the 2001 CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) Canadian Literary Award.[2][5][8][33]
- Won the 2003 KW (Kitchener Waterloo) Arts Award – Literary Award.[5][34]
- Won the 2004 Acorn-Plantos Award for Peoples Poetry from the Ontario Poetry Society.[5][8][35][36]
- Shortlisted for the 2004 Pat Lowther Memorial Award for best book by a woman.[8]
- Plain Kate (2010):
- Won the 2011 TD Canadian Children's Literature Award for the English Language.[37][38][39]
- Nominated for the 2011 Sunburst Award for Excellence in Canadian Literature of the Fantastic, for Young Adult Work.[40]
- Nominated for the 2011 Canadian Library Association Book of the Year for Children Award.[41]
- Nominated for the 2010 Cybils Award for Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction.[42]
- Nominated for a CBC Reader's Choice Award.[43]
- Listed as a 2011 YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) Best Fiction for Young Adults book.[44]
- Selected as Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2010.[43]
- Selected to be part of the Junior Library Guild.[43]
- Sorrow's Knot (2013):
- Won the 2014 Monica Hughes Award for Science Fiction and Fantasy.[45]
- Nominated for the 2014 Sunburst Award for Excellence in Canadian Literature of the Fantastic, for Young Adult Work.[46]
- Nominated for the 2014 Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Award[47] for best book for children from the Ontario Arts Foundation.[48]
- Nominated for a CBC Reader's Choice Award.[49]
- Listed in Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Books of 2013.[50]
- Selected as Quill & Quire's Best Book of 2013.[51]
- The Scorpion Rules (2015):
- Won the 2016 Canadian Library Association Book of the Year for Young Adults Award.[29][52]
- Shortlisted for the 2017 Manitoba Young Readers' Choice Award.[53]
- Selected to be part of the Junior Library Guild Fall 2015 High School Selection.[54]
- Listed as Chapters Indigo Best Book of 2015.[55]
- Listed in Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Books of 2015.[56]
- Stand on the Sky (2019)
- Simon Sort of Says (2023)
- Selected as 2024 Newbery Honor book[58]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Grace: Forget the false choices, writer and Omaha Mercy alumna says, and do it all". Omaha World-Herald. October 16, 2015. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Bio". erinbow.com. Archived from the original on October 19, 2016. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g Samson, Natalie (October 2010). "Erin Bow Coming through shadow". Quill & Quire. Archived from the original on October 22, 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- ^ a b c Sing, Stewart Ah. "Author Interview with author, editor, and poet Erin Bow". Scribophile. Archived from the original on September 1, 2016. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Erin Noteboom". Wolsak and Wynn. 28 May 2007. Archived from the original on September 10, 2016. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
- ^ a b Jones, Michael M. (August 25, 2015). "Q & A with Erin Bow". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on October 20, 2016. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
- ^ a b Hicks, Jeff (April 24, 2016). "Kitchener sci-fi author Erin Bow finds her muse in backyard shed". The Record. Archived from the original on May 30, 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e "About the Author Erin Noteboom". All Lit Up. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- ^ Novak, Chelsea (October 27, 2016). "Award-winning YA author is writer-in-residence at Rossland Summit School". Rossland News. Archived from the original on October 29, 2016. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e Posesorski, Sherie (January 14, 2011). "Curses in the Air". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 21, 2018. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- ^ "Wendy Ewell Memorial". Wendy Ewell. Archived from the original on April 16, 2016. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
- ^ a b "Erin Bow may be writing in a garden shed right now". CBCbooks. October 1, 2016. Archived from the original on October 13, 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- ^ "Plain Kate". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on October 25, 2016. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
- ^ Jia (October 31, 2013). "Review: Sorrow's Knot by Erin Bow". Dear Author. Archived from the original on October 22, 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- ^ Quealy-Gainer, Kate (2013). "Sorrow's Knot by Erin Bow (review)". Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. 67 (4). Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Volume 67, Number 4, December 2013 pp. 203–204: 203–204. doi:10.1353/bcc.2013.0892. S2CID 142439297. Archived from the original on October 22, 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- ^ a b "Author envisions dystopia with Saskatchewan as the setting". CBC News. September 22, 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- ^ a b "Into the Future with Erin Bow". The Vancouver Writer's Fest. Archived from the original on October 22, 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- ^ Ozirny, Shannon (September 25, 2015). "Review: New YA fiction from Julie Murphy, Erin Bow, Chantel Guertin, Erin Bowman, Robert Hough and Nicola Yoon". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on October 22, 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- ^ a b Spisak, April (December 2015). "The Scorpion Rules by Erin Bow (review)". Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. 69 (4). Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Volume 69, Number 4, December 2015 p. 185: 185. doi:10.1353/bcc.2015.0913. S2CID 201768235. Archived from the original on October 22, 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- ^ a b Ozirny, Shannon (November 30, 2015). "Review: The Scorpion Rules is the craziest and best book you'll read all year". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
- ^ Ghost Maps. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
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ignored (help) - ^ Seal Up the Thunder. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
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ignored (help) - ^ ""Curie in Love" by Erin Noteboom". Rattle. Rattle #49, Fall 2015. October 27, 2015. Archived from the original on October 22, 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- ^ The Mongoose Diaries. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
{{cite book}}
:|website=
ignored (help) - ^ a b Bow, Erin (October 27, 2013). "A defense of fantasy: classical literature v. modern YA". YA Interrobang. Archived from the original on October 22, 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- ^ "Erin Noteboom Bow: Physicist, Poet". The Quarc Issue. 20 July 2011. Archived from the original on 22 October 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- ^ Di Gregorio, Vanessa (September 19, 2010). "Plain Kate / Erin Bow Blog Tour: Interview and Plain Kate Giveaway!". Let The Words Flow. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- ^ Fawcett, Christina (2015). "Speculative Fiction and Faith". Jeunesse: Young People, Texts, Cultures. 7 (2). Jeunesse: Young People, Texts, Cultures Volume 7, Issue 2, Winter 2015 pp. 194–205: 194–205. doi:10.1353/jeu.2015.0016. S2CID 163062853. Archived from the original on October 22, 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- ^ a b "THE SCORPION RULES WINS CLA'S 2016 BOOK OF THE YEAR FOR YOUNG ADULT AWARD". Canadian Library Association. April 15, 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- ^ Roy, Leila (August 24, 2015). "Keeping the Peace". Kirkus Reviews. Archived from the original on October 25, 2016. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
- ^ Craig, Amanda (March 19, 2011). "Bracelet of Bones by Kevin Crossley-Holland, Wood Angel by Erin Bow". The Times. Archived from the original on October 25, 2016. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
- ^ Hogan, Phil (April 2, 2011). "Fiction for older children – reviews". The Guardian. Archived from the original on October 25, 2016. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
- ^ "Winners and Jurors 2001 – 2010" (PDF). CBC Radio-Canada. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- ^ "Previous Arts Awards Recipients". artsawards waterloo region. Archived from the original on January 15, 2019. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- ^ "The Acorn-Plantos Award for Peoples Poetry". The Ontario Poetry Society. Archived from the original on October 7, 2018. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- ^ "Acorn-Plantos Award". Geist. 12 March 2010. Archived from the original on 22 October 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- ^ "Plain Kate wins $25K children's book award". CBC News. October 5, 2011. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
- ^ Baker, Deirdre (October 4, 2011). "Plain Kate a beauty of a book". The Toronto Star. Archived from the original on October 25, 2016. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
- ^ "CCBC Announces the Winners of the 2011 Canadian Children's Literature Awards". The Canadian Children's Book Centre. October 5, 2011. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- ^ "2011 Shortlists". The Sunburst Award Society. Archived from the original on October 22, 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- ^ "Shortlists for the 2011 CLA Book Awards Announced". The Canadian Children's Book Centre. March 1, 2011. Archived from the original on October 22, 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- ^ "2010 Finalists: Fantasy & Science Fiction (Young Adult)". Cybils Children's and Young Adult Bloggers' Literary Awards. 31 December 2010. Archived from the original on August 16, 2016. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
- ^ a b c "Plain Kate". erinbow.com. Archived from the original on October 19, 2016. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
- ^ "2011 Best Fiction for Young Adults". ala.org. YALSA. Archived from the original on March 27, 2017. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- ^ "Monica Hughes Award for Science Fiction and Fantasy". The Canadian Children's Book Centre. Archived from the original on October 22, 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- ^ "2014 Shortlists". The Sunburst Award Society. Archived from the original on October 22, 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- ^ "Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award". Archived from the original on 2016-11-18. Retrieved 2016-11-18.
- ^ "SHORTLIST FOR 2014 RUTH AND SYLVIA SCHWARTZ CHILDREN'S BOOK AWARDS ANNOUNCED". Ontario Arts Council. April 16, 2014. Archived from the original on June 28, 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- ^ "Sorrow's Knot". erinbow.com. Archived from the original on October 19, 2016. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
- ^ "BEST TEEN BOOKS OF 2013". Kirkus. Archived from the original on October 22, 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- ^ "Quill & Quire's Books of the Year 2013". The Canadian Children's Book Centre. December 5, 2013. Archived from the original on October 22, 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- ^ "Kenneth Oppel, Erin Bow and Sydney Smith win Canadian Library Association literary awards". CBCbooks. April 15, 2016. Archived from the original on October 13, 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- ^ "2017 MYRCA Nominees". Manitoba Young Readers' Choice Awards. Archived from the original on October 22, 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- ^ "Fall 2015 High School Selections". Junior Library Guild. Archived from the original on August 26, 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- ^ "Indigo's Best Books of 2015". Indigo. Archived from the original on October 22, 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- ^ "Best Teen Science Fiction & Fantasy of 2015". Kirkus Reviews. Archived from the original on September 10, 2016. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
- ^ Jane van Koeverden, "Here are the winners of the 2019 Governor General's Literary Awards" Archived 2019-10-29 at the Wayback Machine. CBC Books, October 29, 2019.
- ^ Roback, Diane; Kantor, Emma; Jones |, Iyana. "Eggers, Harrison, King Win 2024 Newbery, Caldecott, Printz Awards". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
External links
- Personal Website
- Erin Bow at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
- Erin Noteboom at Library of Congress, with 2 library catalog records
- Erin Bow at Library of Congress, with 3 library catalog records