Английская Википедия:Bernette Ford

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Шаблон:Short description Шаблон:Use dmy dates Шаблон:Infobox writer Bernette Ford (June 30, 1950Шаблон:SndJune 20, 2021) was an American author, editor and publisher. She worked as editor-in-chief at Grosset & Dunlap and later Scholastic Books, where she was vice-president of the Cartwheel imprint, which she helped launch. She was known for being one of the few African-American editors working with children's books, having begun her career in the 1970s.[1]

Early life and education

Bernette Ford was born on June 30, 1950, in Brooklyn. She was the daughter of Morton, a white factory worker, and Martha Goldsen, a black actress, music teacher, singer and seamstress. She grew up in Uniondale, Long Island.[2][3] Ford graduated in 1972 from Connecticut College.[4] She was encouraged by family and friends to become a writer, but due to her lack of knowledge with the profession, Ford instead pursued the publishing career as "a way to get a foot in the door".[3]

Career

In the same year she graduated, Ford joined Random House's division of children's books as "editorial assistant in training", as part of their "minorities recruitment program."[4] Ford remained in that position for the first two years there.[5] Around 1975, she met Valerie Flournoy, Phyllis Fogelman and Tom Feelings, who created a workshop "for the few people of color working in publishing in the mid-1970s."[4] They eventually founded a group called Black Creators for Children,[5] which would assist African American authors in creating new works by following a set of philosophies.[6] She met her husband, George Ford, during a meeting with this group.[4]

After seven years working for Random House, Ford was hired by Western Publishing to work as senior editor of their children's books imprint, Golden Books.[4][7] In 1983, she moved to Grosset & Dunlap to work as editor-in-chief, and was then promoted to publisher. During her six years there, Ford worked on expanding The Little Engine That Could property.[4] In 1989 she began working with Scholastic Books and helped the company launch their new imprint, Cartwheel Books.[7] Ford was the vice-president and editorial director of the imprint, and was responsible for starting the I Spy and the Little Bill series, the latter authored by Bill Cosby.[8]

While Ford was working for Scholastic, a friend and co-founder of Just Us Books, Cheryl Willis Hudson, contacted her wanting to turn a poem she had written into a children's book aimed for black children.[9] Bernette decided to turn the poem into a children's picture book instead, which was then illustrated by George. This was the first time she collaborated as a coauthor.[8][9]

Ford worked with Scholastic until 2002,[10] when she decided to leave to found her own company in 2003, a book packaging business called Color-Bridge Books. The company's first job was the production of a new series for beginner readers, called Just for You!.[11] All the books were illustrated and written by people of color.[5]

Personal life and death

Bernette was married to George Ford. She died of lung cancer on June 20, 2021, at her house in Brooklyn.[2]

Selected works

References

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