Patricia McKissack (b. 1944)
Frederick McKissack (b. 1939)

Sometimes the same chemistry that makes a good marriage also makes a good working relationship. For over 20 years, husband and wife authors Patricia and Frederick McKissack have been collaborating on books for young readers. Neither husband nor wife ever expected writing to become a career. They just fell into it, and over 100 books later, they are still writing together.

Both McKissacks grew up in Nashville, Tenessee during an era when the system of segregation was in its final stages. As children, the McKissacks were forced to cope with the indignities of segregated facilities like water fountains, buses, and lunch counters. This later led to their involvement in the civil rights movement, and much later, to writing books about famous African Americans.

Patricia knew and liked Frederick from a young age. It was not until they were both attending Tennessee State University, however, that the two seriously contemplated marriage. Patricia McKissack recalls of the time, "We just had so much fun together that we knew." After their marriage, Frederick started a career as a civil engineer and Patricia as a junior high school English teacher. Both were active in local civil rights demonstrations and participated in a successful campaign to integrate restaurants.

Patricia McKissack began writing books for a variety of reasons in the late 1970s and early 1980s. First, she was concerned that many of the gains made during the civil rights era were vulnerable. Second, as a teacher, she was surprised and frustrated by the lack of books about notable African Americans for young readers. She decided to take matters into her own hands and wrote a biography on the poet Paul Laurence Dunbar for her class of eighth grade students. This quickly led to a writing career, which included many more biographies of famous African Americans, as well as fiction.

When his wife caught the writing bug, Frederick was quickly drawn into the writing business, too. In 1982, he retired from his career in the construction business, so that he could devote his full attention to writing books with his wife. Together, they wrote books on topics ranging from slavery to famous African American teachers, activists, scientists, and artists. Patricia also continued writing books on her own. Her book Mirandy and Brother Wind (1988) was chosen as a Caldecott Honor Book in 1989. The book was inspired by an old photograph of her grandparents as teenagers doing the cakewalk, a popular dance in the South around the turn of the 20th century.

A  |  B  |  C  |  D  |  E  |  F  |  G  |  H  |  I  |  J  |  K  |  L  |  M
N  |  O  |  P  |  Q  |  R  |  S  |  T  |  U  |  V  |  W  |  X  |  Y  |  Z