About Patricia McKissack
Patricia C. McKissack (née Carwell; August 9, 1944 – April 7, 2017) was a prolific African-American children's writer. She was the author of more than 100 books, including Dear America books A Picture of Freedom: The Diary of Clotee, a Slave Girl; Color Me Dark: The Diary of Nellie Lee Love, The Great Migration North; and Look to the Hills: The Diary of Lozette Moreau, a French Slave Girl. She also wrote a novel for The Royal Diaries series: Nzingha: Warrior Queen of Matamba. Notable standalone works include Flossie & the Fox (1986), The Dark-Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural (1992), and Sojourner Truth: Ain't I a Woman? (1992). What is Given from the Heart was published posthumously in 2019. McKissack lived in St. Louis. In addition to her solo work, she co-wrote many books with her husband, Fredrick, with whom she also co-won the Regina Medal in 1998. McKissack died in April 2017 at the age of 73. Patricia McKissack was also a board member of the National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance, a national not-for-profit that actively advocates for literacy, literature, and libraries. She also published under the names L'Ann Carwell, Pat McKissack, and Patricia C. McKissack. The library was one of the few places in downtown Nashville that was not segregated, so it became a place where McKissack always felt welcome and where she learned her love for reading.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.