Tonya Bolden was born on March 1, 1959, in New York, NY. She studied at Princeton University and Columbia University, receiving degrees in Slavic languages and literatures with a concentration in Russian. Bolden was always interested in literature but did not consider writing books until she was an adult. She held many jobs, including an assistant to a food and wine critic, an English instructor, and editor of several newsletters. Her books range in genre from biography to history to self-help, but most include a theme of African-American history or Black American culture. Bolden's work has won many awards, including the Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book designation and the James Madison Book Award, both in 2006.
Biographical sources: Something About the Author, Vol. 188
From the guide to the Tonya Bolden papers, 2001-2007, (University of Minnesota. Children's Literature Research Collections [clrc])
