Sheri Booker is an American author, poet, spoken word artist, and teacher. She is the author of Nine Years Under: Coming of Age in an Inner-City Funeral Home, a memoir about the near-decade she spent working at an inner-city funeral home in West Baltimore.[1][2] Following the book's publication, she won an NAACP Image Award in the category of "Outstanding Literary Work from a Debut Author." She was nominated for the 2014 Hurston/Wright Legacy Award in the category of nonfiction.[3]
Sheri Booker | |
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Born | Baltimore, Maryland, United States |
Occupation | Author, poet |
Notable awards | NAACP Image Award |
Website | |
www |
Early life and education
editBooker grew up in Baltimore, Maryland. She began working at the Wylie Funeral Home in West Baltimore in 1997, when she was 15, partly to help her cope with her grief after the death of her aunt. Shortly thereafter, her mother was diagnosed with multiple myeloma.
Booker attended Notre Dame of Maryland University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in political science. She received a master's degree in creative nonfiction from Goucher College.[4]
Career
editWhile studying for her master's degree, Booker began writing the memoir, Nine Years Under: Coming of Age in an Inner-City Funeral Home, which was published in 2013.[5] Her other published works include One Woman, One Hustle (2003) and the video book I Am the Poem (2011).[6][7] In 2007, she lived in South Africa, where she helped teach young African women the fundamental skills of journalism and worked as an editorial assistant for an international literary magazine.[3] [4][8]
References
edit- ^ NPR Staff (June 1, 2013). "'Nine Years' In A Baltimore Funeral Home". npr.org. NPR. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
- ^ Meisel, Abigail (August 23, 2013). "Chronicle: Memoirs by Women". New York Times. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
- ^ a b Rector, Kevin (February 23, 2014). "Baltimore author Sheri Booker wins NAACP Image Award". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
- ^ a b McCauley, Mary Carole (June 1, 2013). "'Nine Years Under' tells of author's coming of age in a Baltimore funeral home". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
- ^ "Nonfiction Book Review: Nine Years Under: Coming of Age in an Inner City Funeral Home by Sheri Booker. Gotham, $26 (261) ISBN 978-1-592-40712-5". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
- ^ Scribner, Cristina (August 19, 2014). "Q&A Session with Award-Winning Author, Sheri Booker". huffingtonpost.com. Huffington Post. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
- ^ "NDMU Grad Sheri Booker Nominated for NAACP Image Award". ndmu.edu. Notre Dame Maryland Newsroom. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
- ^ Bailey, Lee (June 10, 2014). "EUR Spotlight On: Brilliant Award Winning Author Sheri Booker". eurweb.com. Electronic Urban Report.