Jewell Parker Rhodes is a highly acclaimed American author, renowned for her children, fiction, and nonfiction books. Born and raised in Manchester, a predominantly African-American neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Rhodes discovered her passion for reading and writing at a young age. She initially pursued dance in college, but her life took a significant turn when she discovered novels by African American authors. This discovery ignited her desire to become an author, and she began writing with a newfound purpose.
Throughout her career, Rhodes has written six novels for adults, two writing guides, and a memoir. However, her dream of writing for children became a reality when she published her first children's book, Ghost Boys, which tells the story of a 12-year-old African American boy shot by a white police officer. The book was a New York Times bestseller and was named one of Amazon's Best Children's Books of the Year. Rhodes has since published several other successful children's books, including Black Brother, Black Brother, Paradise on Fire, Towers Falling, and the Louisiana Girls Trilogy: Ninth Ward, Sugar, and Bayou Magic.
Rhodes' work has received numerous accolades, including the American Book Award, the National Endowment of the Arts Award in Fiction, the Black Caucus of the American Library Award for Literary Excellence, the PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Award for Outstanding Writing, and a Coretta Scott King Honor. In addition to her writing, Rhodes is a dedicated educator and has taught at Arizona State University, where she is the Piper Endowed Chair and Founding Artistic Director of the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing. She is also a frequent speaker at schools, colleges, and conferences, where she inspires social justice, equity, and environmental stewardship. Rhodes has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Carnegie-Mellon University and currently resides in Seattle.