You can find and buy the books relating to our author birthdays at the LitStack Bookshop on our list of Sharon’s Birthday Picks.
Here are seven author birthdays for this week.
Check out which authors are your favorites, and find out who shares your day.
In This Week’s Author Birthdays:
Judy Blume – February 12
On this day, February 12, in 1938, author Judy Blume was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Author of 28 novels, most geared towards children and young adults (such as Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing and Superfudge), her works have been translated into 31 languages, and have sold over 80 million copies.
Her non-judgmental style allowed her to cover touchy and often forbidden subjects that are very important to youngsters who are approaching maturity, such as masturbation, menstruation and teen sex, as well as social issues such as racism, bullying, sibling rivalry and divorce. At age 86, she currently lives in Key West, Florida.
The Final Peanuts – February 13
On February 13, in 2000, the final “Peanuts” comic strip was published. In it, cartoonist Charles Schulz penned his farewell.
“Dear Friends, I have been fortunate to draw Charlie Brown and his friends for almost fifty years. It has been the fulfillment of my childhood ambition. Unfortunately, I am no longer able to maintain the schedule demanded by a daily comic strip. My family does not wish ‘Peanuts’ to be continued by anyone else, therefore I am announcing my retirement. I have been grateful over the years for the loyalty of our editors and the wonderful support and love expressed to me by fans of the comic strip. Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus, Lucy… how can I ever forget them…”
Poignantly, Schulz died the day before this final strip appeared.
Frederick Douglass – February 14
On this day, February 14, in 1817 (or possibly 1818), Frederick Douglass was born into slavery on a plantation in Maryland. There was no record of his birth, but it was believed to be in February; he chose to celebrate February 14 as his birthday, as his mother would call him her little valentine. After escaping slavery, he became the most important leader of the movement for African-American civil rights in the 19th century.
He wrote three autobiographies; Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, became a bestseller and was influential in promoting the cause of abolition, as was his second book, My Bondage and My Freedom. Following the Civil War, he was an active campaigner for the rights of freed slaves and wrote his last autobiography, Life and Times of Frederick Douglass. He died in 1895 of a massive heart attack; he was 77.
Norman Bridwell – February 15
On this day, February 15, in 1928, Norman Bridwell, the man who wrote and illustrated the delightful series of children’s books about Clifford, the Big Red Dog was born in Kokomo, Indiana. He was looking for work illustrating children’s picture books when an editor suggested that he turn a sketch of a young girl and her horse-sized dog into a story.
That simple sketch eventually spawned over 40 Clifford books, two television series, and a live musical. (They also helped to catapult Scholastic into a children’s literature publishing powerhouse.) A generous man who lived a simple life in Martha’s Vineyard, Mr. Bridwell died in 2014 of heart failure; he was 86.
Levar Burton – February 16
On this day, February 16, in 1957, Levar Burton was born in Landstuhl, West Germany (his parents were in the Army). Although not primarily known as an author (he has written one novel, Aftermath, and co-written two children’s books), his work as host and executive producer for the popular children’s television show, Reading Rainbow, has endeared him to readers of all ages (it won 26 Emmys during its 23 year run; Burton himself won 11 of the statuettes for his work on the show).
Also known as Kunta Kinte on the groundbreaking TV miniseries Roots (his first acting job, following his first professional audition) and as Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge in Star Trek: The Next Generation, today he turns 67.
Alice Mary (Andre) Norton – February 17
On this day, February 17, in 1912, science fiction and fantasy writer Alice Mary Norton was born in Cleveland, Ohio; she legally changed her name to Andre Norton in 1934 to make her sound more marketable for the perceived primary market for science fiction: boys. Incredibly prolific for 50 years, she has over 70 works to her name, mainly for children and young adults. She was the first woman to be named a Gandalf Grand Master of Fantasy, to be given the title of SFWA Grand Master, and to be named to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame.
She died in 2005 at age 93; later that year, the Andre Norton Award was created by the SFWA to honor an outstanding work of fantasy or science fiction for the young adult literature market.
Toni Morrison – February 18
On this day, February 18, in 1931, award-winning novelist Toni Morrison was born in Lorain, Ohio. She grew up reading Jane Austen and Leo Tolstoy, and listening to her grandfather tell African American folktales.
She has been awarded a National Book Critics Award (Song of Solomon – 1977), American Book Award (Beloved – 1988), Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (Beloved – 1988), Nobel Prize for Literature (1993), National Humanities Medal (2000), an honorary doctorate from Oxford University (2005), Officier de la Légion d’Honneur (2010), and a Presidential Medal of Honor (2012), just to name a few. She died in 2019 from complications of pneumonia; she was 88.
Other LitStack Resources
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