Akemi Dawn Bowman[1] is an American author, best known for her William C. Morris Award Finalist young adult novel Starfish, which follows a Japanese-American teenager named Kiko Himura who grapples with a toxic home life and attempts to find a back-up plan after being rejected for a place at her dream art school.[2] Bowman's earlier work centered around realistic fiction, but she now writes across genres, starting with her sci-fi series The Infinity Courts which was released in April 2021.[3]
Akemi Dawn Bowman | |
---|---|
Born | United States |
Language | English |
Nationality | American |
Education | BA in social science |
Alma mater | University of Nevada, Las Vegas |
Genre | Young Adult fiction, Middle Grade fiction |
Years active | 2017-now |
Notable works | Starfish, Summer Bird Blue, Harley in the Sky, The Infinity Courts series, Generation Misfits |
Notable awards | 2018 William C. Morris Award Finalist, 2022 Locus Award Finalist |
Website | |
www |
Personal life
editBowman was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, when she was a toddler.[1] Her father is from Hawaii[4] and has Japanese and Chinese heritage, and her mother is mostly Italian and Irish.[1] Bowman was home-schooled for four years,[5] and attended the Las Vegas Academy as a band major in high school.[1] After graduating, she served with the United States Navy for five years.[6] She started writing her first full-length novel while on deployment.[6] She has a degree in social studies from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.[1]
Bowman credits music as one of her big writing inspirations and had flute and piano lessons when she was younger.[5] She often centers mental health in her novels because of her own experiences growing up.[7]
In addition to writing novels, Bowman has written short fiction for the Magic: The Gathering online web story "Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty".[8]
Works
editNovels
edit- Starfish (Simon & Schuster, 2017)[9]
- Summer Bird Blue (Simon & Schuster, 2018)[10]
- Harley in the Sky (Simon & Schuster, 2020)[11]
- The Infinity Courts (Simon & Schuster, 2021)[12]
- Generation Misfits (Macmillan, 2021)[13]
- The Genesis Wars (Simon & Schuster, 2022)[14]
Short stories
edit- in Kaito Origin Stories: A Test of Loyalty & The Path Forward[15] (Magic: The Gathering online fiction, 2021)
- in Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty[16] (Magic: The Gathering online fiction, 2022)
- in Being Ace: An Anthology of Queer, Trans, Femme, and Disabled Stories of Asexual Love and Connection[17] (Page Street YA, 2023)
Accolades
editStarred reviews
edit- Starfish received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly[18] and Booklist.[19]
- Summer Bird Blue received starred reviews from Kirkus,[20] Booklist,[21] and School Library Journal.[22]
- The Infinity Courts received a starred review from School Library Journal.[23]
- Generation Misfits received starred reviews from School Library Journal[24] and The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books.[25]
Honors
editStarfish, Summer Bird Blue and Generation Misfits were each named a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection.[26] Bowman's first middle-grade novel Generation Misfits was featured on the July/August 2021 cover of The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books,[25] and received a Big Picture honor and a starred review.[27] Starfish was chosen as a New York Public Library 2017 Best Book for Teens,[28] and Summer Bird Blue was chosen for the same honor in 2018.[29] Paste magazine called Starfish "the best debut YA novel the year" in 2017,[30] and later declared it one of the top 30 young adult books of the 2010s.[31] In 2021, Harley in the Sky was named a top pick for the Kansas NEA Reading Circle List High School Title.[32] Locus magazine included The Infinity Courts in its annual Recommended Reading List for the year 2021.[33]
Awards
editWon
- 2020 Winner of the MéMO Award for Best Teen Novel for Starfish[34]
Nominated
- 2018 William C. Morris YA Debut Award for Starfish[35]
- 2019 Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award Nominee for Starfish[36]
- 2020 Scottish Teenage Book Prize Finalist for Starfish[37]
- 2020 Falkirk Red Book Award for Summer Bird Blue[38]
- 2022 Locus Award Finalist in the Young Adult Novel category for The Infinity Courts[39]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "Media Kit". Akemi Dawn Bowman. 30 August 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
- ^ Emma Carbone (24 January 2018). "2018 Morris Award Finalists: An Interview with Akemi Dawn Bowman on Starfish". The Hub. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
- ^ Tami Orendain (April 2021). "The Infinity Courts". BookPage. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
- ^ "My Favourite Holiday: Hawaii is more than a getaway for author Akemi Dawn Bowman . . . it's home". Sunday Post. 23 March 2018. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
- ^ a b Samantha Lumetta (7 July 2021). "Akemi Dawn Bowman Explores J-pop and Found Family in Her Middle Grade Debut". School Library Journal. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
- ^ a b c Jenny Morrison (15 March 2020). "Too polite to tun down US Navy.. but it helped me launch a fantastic new chapter in my life". Sunday Mail. Retrieved 6 August 2023 – via Press Reader.
- ^ Robin Willis (9 March 2020). ""A Place at the Table" a guest post by Akemi Dawn Bowman". School Library Journal. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
- ^ "Kaito Origin Stories: A Test of Loyalty & The Path Forward". 16 December 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
- ^ "COVER REVEAL FOR STARFISH BY AKEMI DAWN BOWMAN". Book Riot. 23 January 2017. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
- ^ "10 of the Best Young Adult Novels of September 2018". Paste. 12 September 2018. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
- ^ "The 10 Best Young Adult Books of March 2020". Paste. 5 March 2020. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
- ^ "Q&A: Akemi Dawn Bowman, Author of 'The Infinity Courts'". The Nerd Daily. 1 April 2021. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
- ^ "Incredible Middle Grade Book Releases To Look Out For In 2021". The Nerd Daily. 27 January 2021. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
- ^ "The Genesis Wars, from The Infinity Courts series, Volume 2". Kirkus Reviews. 2 March 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
- ^ "KAITO ORIGIN STORIES: A TEST OF LOYALTY & THE PATH FORWARD". Magic - The Gathering. 16 December 2021. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
- ^ "Article Archives". Magic - The Gathering. 24 January 2022. Archived from the original on 27 May 2022. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
- ^ Jensen, Kelly (1 August 2022). "New and Forthcoming 2022-2023 YA Anthologies to TBR". Book Riot. Retrieved 28 November 2024.
- ^ "Starfish by Akemi Dawn Bowman". Publishers Weekly. 26 September 2017. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
- ^ Starfish. 1 September 2017. Retrieved 27 December 2021 – via Booklist.
- ^ "Summer Bird Blue". Kirkus. 18 June 2018. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
- ^ Summer Bird Blue. 1 June 2018. Retrieved 27 December 2021 – via Booklist.
- ^ "Summer Bird Blue". School Library Journal. 1 August 2018. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
- ^ "The Infinity Courts". School Library Journal. 1 February 2021. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
- ^ "Generation Misfits". School Library Journal. 1 July 2021. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
- ^ a b Stevenson, Deborah (18 June 2018). "Generation Misfits by Akemi Dawn Bowman". Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. 74 (11): 453–454. doi:10.1353/bcc.2021.0356. S2CID 242917577. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
- ^ "Akemi Dawn Bowman". Junior Library Guild. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
- ^ Deborah Stevenson (July 2021). "July/August 2021 Stars & Big Picture". Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
- ^ "New York Public Library Announces Its Best Books of 2017 for Kids and Teens" (Press release). New York Public Library. 20 November 2017. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
- ^ "Best Books for Teens 2018". New York Public Library. 18 November 2018. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
- ^ Eric Smith (6 December 2017). "The 30 Best Young Adult Books of 2017". Paste. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
- ^ Eric Smith & Paste Staff (30 October 2019). "The 30 Best Young Adult Novels of the 2010s". Paste. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
- ^ "KANSAS NEA READING CIRCLE RECOMMENDED TITLES". Kansas National Education Association. 1 June 2021. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
- ^ "2021 Locus Recommended Reading List". Locus. February 2022. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
- ^ "MéMO Awards - Meilleur roman ado 2020 : L'Esquisse du bonheur". bibliotheques.cergypontoise.fr (in French). 24 February 2021. Archived from the original on 19 August 2013. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
- ^ "William C. Morris Debut YA Award". American Library Association. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
- ^ "Awards & Grants". Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award. Archived from the original on 26 December 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
- ^ Kenny Smith (2 September 2019). "Three contend 2020 Scottish Teenage Book Prize". Scottish Field. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
- ^ "RED Book Award". Falkirk Council Learning Resource Service. Archived from the original on 29 May 2022. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
- ^ "2022 Locus Awards Top Ten Finalists". Locus. 10 May 2022. Retrieved 11 May 2022.