Marie-Elena John
Marie-Elena John is an Antiguan writer whose novel, Unburnable, was published in 2006. She is an Africanist, development and women's rights specialist, currently serving as the Senior Racial Justice Lead at UN Women.
Biography
John was born and raised in Antigua. After writing, she continued her career in international development and human rights. She has worked for the last decade at UN Women, the agency of the United Nations mandated with advancing gender equality and the empowerment of women. She currently serves as the Senior Racial Justice Lead.
Earlier in her career, she was a development specialist, working at the
Marie-Elena John made history in 1986 as the first Black woman valedictorian of New York's City College (CCNY).[4] She later earned a Masters of International Affairs from Columbia University, specializing in culture and development in Africa.
John made her literary debut with
Awards and recognition
Unburnable, was named "Best Debut of 2006" by Black Issues Book Review, was short-listed for a 2007 Hurston/Wright Legacy Award in the Debut Fiction Category,[7] was nominated for the 2008 International Dublin Literary Award,[8] and was identified by the Modern Language Association as a new title of note in Caribbean literature.[citation needed] She was also selected by Book Expo America as one of ten "emerging voices" for 2006, chosen from among the debut novelists reviewed by Publishers Weekly for the 2005–06 period.[9]
References
- ^ "Nigeria: Widows From the East" Archived 18 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine. allAfrica.com, 10 September 2001.
- ^ John, Marie-Elena. "Women's Inheritance Rights in Africa" (letter), BRC-News, 6 July 1999.
- ^ West Africa: Women's Rights Archived 5 April 2007 at the Wayback Machine. Africa Policy E-Journal. 14 July 1999. Document reposted by APIC.
- ^ Moore, Keith. "She's the Class of the Class". The New York Daily News, 30 May 1986, p. 4.
- ^ Harris, Ena. "Dominica as Spiritual Landscape: Representations of Nature and Ritual in Jean Rhys' Wide Sargasso Sea and Marie-Elena John's Unburnable". Trajectories of Freedom: Caribbean Societies Past and Present Archived 8 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine. Abstracts. Biennial Conference 2007, University of the West Indies, Cavehill. (Abstract by Dr. Ena Harris of Bard College, NJ, USA).
- ^ Yanique, Tiphanie. "Unburnable" (review). LiterateNubian, 2006.
- ^ The Hurston/Wright Foundation
- ^ International IMPAC DUBLIN Literary Award
- ^ Publishers Weekly BEA Show Daily, "Emerging Writers, Part 2", Saturday 20 May 2006, p. 8. See also Emerging Voices Archived 23 March 2006 at the Wayback Machine, Session 1:00-2:15 pm. Online program for Book Expo America 2006.
External links
- Marie-Elena John - official website
- Global Rights - human rights advocacy group
- Bryce, Jane. "Unforgettable fire" (review). Caribbean Review of Books, August 2006.
- Doig, Denise M. "Unburnable" (review). Black Issues Book Review, May–June 2006.
- Nicholas Laughlin, "Talking to Marie-Elena John" (interview), Antilles, weblog of The Caribbean Review of Books, 23 May 2007.