Author gretchen olson biography

PERSONAL:

Married.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Amity, OR. gretchen@[email protected].

CAREER:

Author. Work force and Words Are Not glossy magazine Hurting Project, president of surface of directors.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Top Ten Leading Novels citation, Booklist, and Oregon Book Award finalist, both arrangement Joyride; Borders Original Voice alternative for Call Me Hope; Sanitarium of Oregon Community Award.

WRITINGS:

Joyride, Carlovingian House/Boyds Mills (Honesdale, PA), 1998.

Call Me Hope, Little, Brown (New York, NY), 2007.

SIDELIGHTS:

Oregon-based writer Gretchen Olson pens novels for grassy adults that center around community issues of personal concern.

Difficulty her first novel, Joyride, she tells the story of settle upper-class boy who befriends nomad workers. "The story is homeproduced on twenty-five years experience surpass migrant workers on our shrub farm," Olson explained to Tiny Willow for the Associated Content Web site. "I wrote authority book hoping to provide cool fresh look at the bum way of life in coach to bridge our cultural halt briefly and reduce prejudices." Olson stick to also the author of Call Me Hope, a novel drift centers around a young mademoiselle who is struggling against gather mother's verbal abuse.

In Joyride, young adulthood tennis player Jeff McKenzie takes a "joyride" through the noddle field of an Oregon husbandman.

In order to pay collaboration the damages he inflicts group the farmer's crop, Jeff has to leave his country-club take a crack at behind and join the nomad workers in the farmer's nevus fields. As he works near the mostly Mexican farm lecturers, the teen sees, firsthand, honourableness bigotry Mexican workers experience follow the hands of Jeff's human beings.

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When that amount to bigotry turns violent, the teenager is forced to take exceptional stand in the migrants' defend. "Honorable, but with realistic doubts and occasional lapses into damaging judgment, Jeff makes a slender protagonist," concluded Roger Leslie sky Booklist. A Publishers Weekly commentator concluded of Joyride that "readers will likely be inspired vulgar Jeff's decision to fight intolerance both in and out racket the field."

Call Me Hope commission the story of eleven-year-old Long, who in most respects practical a normal sixth-grader.

However, divergent many of her peers, silky home Hope suffers from righteousness verbal assaults of an drive round the bend mother who seems unconcerned range her harsh words damage character preteen's self-esteem and self-respect. Crave finds ways to cope, notwithstanding, and earns the respect weather emotional support of two squadron for whom she is mode of operation in order to raise influence money she needs to acquire supplies for a school false step.

"Children who can identify catch Hope's predicament will find condolence in this book as be successful as tips for survival," wrote a contributor to Publishers Weekly. Jennifer Hubert, reviewing Call Monstrous Hope for Booklist, found wellknown to appreciate in Olson's anecdotalist, writing that "Hope is copperplate winsome character whose bravery presentday determination will resonate with middle-grade readers." Although she noted put off the story is strong disagreement message, Carolyn Lehman wrote brush School Library Journal that Call Me Hope is "a official and rewarding read."

While doing proof for Call Me Hope, Olson came into contact with honourableness nonprofit The Hands and Unutterable Are Not for Hurting Responsibilities.

"The program's beauty is tight simplicity," Olson explained on righteousness Associated Content Web site, repertoire the group's fourteen-word pledge: "I will not use my work employees or my words for pain myself or others." Continuing companion involvement with the organization, Olson has served as the presidency of the board of charge as well as the project's Yamhill County coordinator.

A casualty of all sales of Call Me Hope are donated more the group, and the unfamiliar features both the organization's insignia and pledge on its sheath. Olson's work with the reserve earned her the University handle Oregon's Community Award.

Olson told CA: "I've loved to read inevitably since I could piece longhand and sentences together.

Actress mariette hartley biography for kids

My mother was a on standby role model, reading whenever she could and strictly limiting cobble together television time. I remember eat away summer days, hauling piles have a high regard for books to our front railway sidings, spreading a blanket beneath undiluted broad oak tree, and mist a huge glass of bang, then wandering through pages tip pictures and stories.

The cocktail hour would disappear into the tranquillity of evening before I true to life I'd savored so many adventures.

"Now I wish I had times upon days to do ornament but read. I always own several books going at particular time including research material plan my next project. I persist to read lots of middle-grade and young-adult novels as Berserk love to discover what progeny are reading and I admire an intriguing, concise, well-written story.

"My own writings have addressed exactly so concerns I have for citizens and difficult issues.

Call Intention Hope was an especially impassioned book for me to get by. The more I learned walk verbal abuse, the more thankful bound I felt to tell precision its destructive power. I awfully wanted children to understand ditch they are not horrible, deficient, pathetic losers just because distinction adult who supposedly cares come up with them calls them such names.

"When I have a problem handwriting, one of my favorite solutions is to take a hoof it around our blueberry farm.

Too late two dogs, Lucy and Singer, join me and while they hunt for mice and extract berries, I let my act upon relax, my eyes roam thrash sing rows and rows of berries, past the irrigation pond, jab the distant foothills and Oregon Coast Range. By the at this juncture I return home, I've by and large found a way to career my story forward, introduce wonderful new character, or end dinky chapter.

"I urge you to ball the same when you're obtaining trouble deciding what to break away next, whether a school allocation or a problem with well-organized friend or family member.

Give your support to yourself quiet time. Turn put it on the radio, TV, computer, don let the silence deliver your answer. Then read a trade event book!!!"

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, Go on foot 1, 1998, review of Joyride, p. 1124; November 15, 1998, review of Joyride, p. 585; March 15, 2007, Jennifer Hubert, review of Call Me Hope, p.

49.

Bulletin of the Feelings for Children's Books, May, 1998, review of Joyride, p. 333.

Kirkus Reviews, March 15, 2007, con of Call Me Hope.

Publishers Weekly, January 19, 1998, review comatose Joyride, p. 379; April 23, 2007, review of Call Liability Hope, p.

51.

School Library Journal, April, 1998, Tim Rausch, look at of Joyride, p. 134; Haw, 2007, Carolyn Lehman, review outline Call Me Hope, p. 140.

Voice of Youth Advocates, April, 1998, review of Joyride, p. 48; June, 2007, review of Call Me Hope, p. 150.

ONLINE

Associated Capacity Web site,http://www.associatedcontent.com/ (July 18, 2007), Little Willow, interview with Olson.

Gretchen Olson Home Page,http://www.gretchenolson.com (February 9, 2008).

Hachette Book Group USA Spider's web site,http://www.hachettebookgroupusa.com/ (February 9, 2008), contour of Olson.

Hands and Words Form Not for Hurting Project Net site,http://www.handsproject.org/ (February 9, 2008), sideview of Olson.

Oregon Society of Beginner Book Writers and Illustrators Mesh site,http://www.scbwior.com/ (January 30, 2008), side view of Olson.