Cynthia Rylant
, b. 1954
Cynthia Rylant is an American author of more than 100 picture books, short stories, poetry, and non-fiction for children and young adults. Her parents separated when she was four, and she was raised by her mother’s parents in West Virginia while her mother studied to become a nurse. Her extended family lived a rustic, impoverished life, without electricity, running water, or a car. Many of Rylant’s stories are set in the Appalachian region, and her characters are often misfits. Her books showcase intergenerational relationships and explore confronting themes, including aging and death.
In 1975, Rylant graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Morris Harvey College, now known as the University of Charleston, and the following year received a Master of Arts from Marshall University. Unable to find job teaching English, she instead became the children’s librarian at Cabell County Public Library in Huffington, West Virginia. Having had such limited exposure to children’s literature as a child, her position as a librarian was instrumental in prompting her to begin writing children’s stories.
Several of her books have received literary prizes, including her first book, When I Was Young in the Mountains (1982), and The Relatives Came (1985) which both received Caldecott Honors. A Fine White Dust (1987), won a Newbery Honor, and the novel Missing May (1993) received a Newbery Medal. Rylant now lives in Portland, Oregon.
Sources:
Bio at biography.jrank.org (accessed: September 16, 2020).
Bio at cliffsnotes.com (accessed: September 16, 2020).
Bio prepared by Miriam Riverlea, University of New England, mriverlea@gmail.com
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