'Every writer's foremost requirement'

 

“Over the years, my students influenced me greatly, and I’ve learned many lessons from

them. I have an immense amount of respect for them, and I think that respect for your

audience is the foremost requirement for anyone who wants to write.” – Susan Campbell

Bartoletti

 

Born in Pennsylvania in November of 1958, Bartoletti was a writing teacher for 20 years

before turning to writing herself, inspired by the junior high students she was teaching at

the time. Working with kids also gave her many of the traits and patterns she uses in

developing her characters.  “I felt immense satisfaction in watching my students grow as

writers and I wanted to practice what I preached.”  

 

After publishing her first short story in 1989, she wrote her first children’s book, Silver at

Night, in 1992. Since then she's authored 15  more books, both fiction and nonfiction,

including Growing Up in Coal Country, Dancing With Dziadziu, and Hitler Youth:

Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow, winner of the Newbery Medal.

 

The winner of numerous other awards including the Golden Kite Award for Nonfiction,

and the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award, she still teaches but now her students are

Master’s degree candidates in various writing programs as well as enrollees in writing

workshops across the nation.  

 

Character development remains at the heart of every piece that she does and what she

stresses to her writing students.   “When I create a character, it happens in layers,” she

said.  “The more I write and revise, the better I understand my characters.”