A Song for August: The Inspiring Life of Playwright August Wilson

by Sally Denmead, Alleanna Harris (Illustrator)

Overview

An ode to one of America's foremost Black playwrights, August Wilson, and a meditation on culture, erasure, and what ultimately drives an artist's desire to create.

August Wilson grew up open to the creative inspiration in everything he encountered: in library books, in music, in artworks, in the lively conversations overheard in the restaurants and barbershops lining the Pittsburgh neighborhood of his childhood. August paid attention. He listened. And when he got older, he got ideas about what to do with everything he’d seen and heard — ideas that would make him one of the greatest playwrights in American history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781646144402
Publisher:	Levine Querido
Publication date:	08/06/2024
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Sally Denmead is an opera singer, director, and actor who moved from Brooklyn to Pittsburgh, where she fell in love with the plays of August Wilson. This is her first book.

Author Residency: Pittsburgh, PA

Alleanna Harris is a children's book illustrator and artist. As a kid, she would doodle on notebooks in school and on programs in church. She graduated from the University of the Arts with a BFA in animation with honors. Harris lives in New Jersey.

llustrator Residency: New Jersey


 

Editorial Reviews

A warm introduction to a master of American drama.” – Kirkus

“Debut author Denmead takes readers on the journey through the life of American playwright August Wilson… Readers will appreciate the obstacles August overcame to become an iconic playwright… Highlighting Wilson’s talent and determination, Denmead helps readers appreciate his genius.” – Booklist

From the Publisher

2024-04-20
A playwright draws inspiration from his community and his history.

August Wilson (1945-2005) was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, just as World War II was ending. His father, a German immigrant, abandoned the family; his mother, a Black woman, earned a living by cleaning houses. August learned to read at an early age; he loved words and their musical sounds but struggled in school, where racist white students bullied him. He worked tirelessly on a history report on Napoleon, but when the teacher refused to believe August had written the paper, he stopped going to school, instead spending his days reading in the public library. He tried, unsuccessfully, to write about the people his artist friends depicted in their work, but once he imagined the characters describing their own experiences, his writing took off. Eventually he created the Century Cycle, a series of plays each representing a different decade of the 20th century. They captured the experiences of African Americans: “a story of family and history, of slavery and freedom.” Writing in straightforward prose, Denmead illustrates how August Wilson turned a difficult childhood, his love of learning, and his connection to his people’s stories into a body of literature with major cultural impact. The detailed author’s note provides enlightening context about the reception of August’s work and the many accolades he received. Capturing August’s loneliness, frustration, and joy, Harris’ digital art enhances the text with period details.

A warm introduction to a master of American drama. (August Wilson’s Century Cycle) (Picture-book biography. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews