Ann Kelley
Encyclopedia
Ann Kelley is the author of The Burying Beetle (shortlisted for the Branford Boase Award
) and The Bower Bird (Winner of the Costa Children’s Book of the Year Award
)]. She has written several collections of poetry and photographs before completing her novels which are the first two in a trilogy.
, a rare heart disease. Gussie is marked by her vivacity and thirst for knowledge, living every day to the full.
The character is modelled on Ann’s late son, Nathan Kelley, who suffered from the same congenital heart condition. When her son was born doctors said he would not survive the week and later said he would never walk. But Nathan defied predictions and lived to become an accomplished student. He had a passion for marine life and discovered two new fish cancers at the age of 16 (both registered with the Smithsonianhttp://www.si.edu/ in America). Nathan went on to study biology and space sciences at Reading University and University College London
. Nathan died at age 24, a week after receiving a heart and lung transplant in December 1985.
Ann began writing poetry years after Nathan’s death and published The Poetry Remedy in 1999 and then Paper Whites in 2001. Ann’s first novel, The Burying Beetle, was published in 2005 by Luath Press Ltd and Because We Have Reached That Place (poetry) was published by Oversteps Books in 2006.
Her most recent work, The Bower Bird (also published by Luath) won the Costa Children’s Book of the Year Award
(formerly the Whitbread Prize) in 2007.
Ann has said about her books:
‘Gussie just came to me. I don’t write for children, I write for a reader. It’s a glimpse into the head of a child with a chronic disease, who has to find a way to live her short life to the full… Gussie isn’t my son. She is an amalgamation of several people – my daughter, my grand daughter, my son and me – and she is mostly herself. My son knew that even with a successful transplant, in those days he would only have had a few more years. But he was so happy to have been given that chance. I think that is why I write about Gussie – to make people see the importance of being an organ donor. Please be an Organ Donor.’
Ann has won several prizes for her poetry and has run courses for aspiring poets from her home. She also conducts special study units in poetry writing for medical students and speaks about her work with patients at medical conferences. She is an honorary teaching fellow at Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry
, University of Exeter and Plymouth. Her collected photographic works are Born and Bred (1988) and Sea Front (2005).
Ann Kelley also has a daughter, Caroline, and two grandchildren. She lives with her second husband in St Ives, Cornwall
.
The Bower Bird, 2007 ISBN 1906307326
The Burying Beetle, 2005 ISBN 1905222084 ISBN 9781842820990
Inchworm, 2008
Poetry
Because We Have Reached That Place, 2006
Paper Whites (poetry and photography), 2001
The Poetry Remedy, 1999
Photography
Sea Front, 2005
Born and Bred, 1988
Audio Books
Nine Lives: Cat Tales
Branford Boase Award
The Branford Boase Award is a British literary award presented annually to an outstanding novel for young people by a first-time writer.Wendy Boase, Editorial Director of Walker Books and Henrietta Branford worked together previously to produce a great number of books. Both Wendy Boase and...
) and The Bower Bird (Winner of the Costa Children’s Book of the Year Award
Costa Book Awards
The Costa Book Awards are a series of literary awards given to books by authors based in Great Britain and Ireland. They were known as the Whitbread Book Awards until 2005, after which Costa Coffee, a subsidiary of Whitbread, took over sponsorship....
)]. She has written several collections of poetry and photographs before completing her novels which are the first two in a trilogy.
Biography
The Burying Beetle and The Bower Bird chronicle the story of Gussie, a 12 year-old girl who suffers from pulmonary atresiaPulmonary atresia
Pulmonary atresia is a congenital malformation of the pulmonary valve in which the valve orifice fails to develop. The valve is completely closed thereby obstructing the outflow of blood from the heart to the lungs. The pulmonary valve is located on the right side of the heart between the right...
, a rare heart disease. Gussie is marked by her vivacity and thirst for knowledge, living every day to the full.
The character is modelled on Ann’s late son, Nathan Kelley, who suffered from the same congenital heart condition. When her son was born doctors said he would not survive the week and later said he would never walk. But Nathan defied predictions and lived to become an accomplished student. He had a passion for marine life and discovered two new fish cancers at the age of 16 (both registered with the Smithsonianhttp://www.si.edu/ in America). Nathan went on to study biology and space sciences at Reading University and University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
. Nathan died at age 24, a week after receiving a heart and lung transplant in December 1985.
Ann began writing poetry years after Nathan’s death and published The Poetry Remedy in 1999 and then Paper Whites in 2001. Ann’s first novel, The Burying Beetle, was published in 2005 by Luath Press Ltd and Because We Have Reached That Place (poetry) was published by Oversteps Books in 2006.
Her most recent work, The Bower Bird (also published by Luath) won the Costa Children’s Book of the Year Award
2007 Costa Book Awards
The shortlists were announced on 20 November 2007. The winners in each category were announced on 3 January 2008, and the overall winner for Book of the Year was announced on 22 January 2008.-Children's Book:Winner:*Ann Kelley, The Bower BirdShortlist:...
(formerly the Whitbread Prize) in 2007.
Ann has said about her books:
‘Gussie just came to me. I don’t write for children, I write for a reader. It’s a glimpse into the head of a child with a chronic disease, who has to find a way to live her short life to the full… Gussie isn’t my son. She is an amalgamation of several people – my daughter, my grand daughter, my son and me – and she is mostly herself. My son knew that even with a successful transplant, in those days he would only have had a few more years. But he was so happy to have been given that chance. I think that is why I write about Gussie – to make people see the importance of being an organ donor. Please be an Organ Donor.’
Ann has won several prizes for her poetry and has run courses for aspiring poets from her home. She also conducts special study units in poetry writing for medical students and speaks about her work with patients at medical conferences. She is an honorary teaching fellow at Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry
Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry
Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry is a Medical and Dental school in England, run in partnership with the University of Exeter, the University of Plymouth and the...
, University of Exeter and Plymouth. Her collected photographic works are Born and Bred (1988) and Sea Front (2005).
Ann Kelley also has a daughter, Caroline, and two grandchildren. She lives with her second husband in St Ives, Cornwall
St Ives, Cornwall
St Ives is a seaside town, civil parish and port in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town lies north of Penzance and west of Camborne on the coast of the Celtic Sea. In former times it was commercially dependent on fishing. The decline in fishing, however, caused a shift in commercial...
.
Works
NovelsThe Bower Bird, 2007 ISBN 1906307326
The Burying Beetle, 2005 ISBN 1905222084 ISBN 9781842820990
Inchworm, 2008
Poetry
Because We Have Reached That Place, 2006
Paper Whites (poetry and photography), 2001
The Poetry Remedy, 1999
Photography
Sea Front, 2005
Born and Bred, 1988
Audio Books
Nine Lives: Cat Tales
External links
- http://www.annkelley.co.uk/
- http://www.luath.co.uk/