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M.E. Kerr |
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M.E. Kerr |
| M.E. Kerrr was born in Auburn, New York and remembers as a child being
fascinated by a man in her town who was a writer. She says she can't remember
a time when she didn't want to be a writer. Kerr attended Stuart Hall,
a boarding school in Virginia. She was not a good student and was expelled
in her senior year for throwing darts at a dartboard decorated with the
pictures of her teachers. Despite being allowed to graduate, Kerr could
not attend a university right away, but attended a junior college for a
year before going to the University of Missouri. She says she was not a
good student at college either because she "daydreamed and read and partied."
She also wrote constantly and sent many stories to publishers, which were
all rejected, and worked briefly as an assistant at E.P. Dutton. Finally,
a story was published in Ladies Home Journal in 1951, and in 1952
she published her first novel. After reading Harriet the Spy by
her friend Louise Fitzhugh and The Pigman by Paul Zindel, Kerr decided
to try writing a book for young adults. Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack
was followed by many popular novels, many of which deal with serious themes
such as the Holocaust, AIDS, and the effects of the Gulf War. She also
writes love stories and mysteries and has begun to write books for younger
readers under the name of Mary James. M.E. Kerr is well known for her ability
to appeal to both boys and girls because of her captivating characters
and the thought provoking issues in her novels.
For more information about M.E. Kerr, check out these sites: |
| Deliver us From Evie
Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack Fell Fell Back Fell Down Gentlehands "Hello", I Lied Me, Me, Me, Me, Me. Not a Novel Night Kites |