LONG: Irene Latham is a poet and novelist who writes heart-touching tales of unexpected adventure. She was born in Georgia, the third in a family that would eventually include five children. At one time or another she had lived in various parts of Florida, Louisiana and Tennessee. She also traveled worldwide with her family, including a two and a half year stint in Saudi Arabia before settling in Birmingham, Alabama, where she has lived for the past 26 years.
When Irene was eight years old, she wrote in her Dr. Seuss' MY BOOK ABOUT ME that, in addition to mother, veterinarian and farmer, she wanted to be a writer. However, she didn't take a single writing class in college. Instead, she earned degrees in social work from University of Alabama at Birmingham and University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa). Irene also participated in the Walt Disney College Program and is the proud recipient of a Mouster's Degree.
For many years writing was Irene's secret life, but after the birth of her third son, she decided to pull those poems and stories out of drawers and share them with others. Since then she has published over 170 poems in various books, journals and anthologies, and was named Alabama 2006 Poet of the Year. Her full-length collection WHAT CAME BEFORE,(Negative Capability Press, 2007) was named Alabama State Poetry Society's Book of the Year and earned a 2008 Independent Publisher's (IPPY) Award. Her first historical novel for children, LEAVING GEE’S BEND, was released by G.P. Putnam’s Sons in January, 2010. Awarded the Alabama Library Association's 2011 Children's Book Award, it was inspired by the now-famous Quilts of Gee’s Bend and has been called “a beautifully stitched quilt of a novel” by Richard Peck and “authentic and memorable” by Booklist.
Irene especially enjoys sharing her passion for writing with others at school, senior centers, libraries, Girl Scout meetings and writing conferences. She is the co-founder of the Big Table Poets and serves as poetry editor for Birmingham Arts Journal.
Irene loves exploring new places and often uses "research" as an excuse to travel. Her favorite characters in books and real life are those who have the courage to go their own way. Irene is especially excited about bringing her poetry to the children's market. She just sold her first poem to Scholastic's Storyworks magazine! She's also thrilled to be working with Roaring Brook/ Macmillan on her contemporary midgrade novel DON'T FEED THE BOY, about the son of a zoo director mom and elephant keeper dad who struggles to escape the confines of zoo life. Look for it (with illustrations!) in 2012.
 The Dykes Family in Thailand. Irene is the one holding the yellow umbrella.  Little Irene living a life worth writing about. |