Akemi Dawn Bowman
Asian-American author
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Akemi Dawn Bowman[1] is an American author, best known for her William C. Morris Award Finalist young adult novel Starfish, which follows a Japanese-American teenager named Kiko Himura who grapples with a toxic home life and attempts to find a back-up plan after being rejected for a place at her dream art school.[2] Bowman's earlier work centered around realistic fiction, but she now writes across genres, starting with her sci-fi series The Infinity Courts which was released in April 2021.[3]
Akemi Dawn Bowman | |
|---|---|
Bowman autographing a book at the American Library Association's Youth Media Awards in 2018 | |
| Born | |
| Education | BA in social science |
| Alma mater | University of Nevada, Las Vegas |
| Writing career | |
| Language | English |
| Years active | 2017-now |
| Genres | Young Adult fiction, Middle Grade fiction |
| Notable works | Starfish, Summer Bird Blue, Harley in the Sky, The Infinity Courts series, Generation Misfits |
| Notable awards | 2018 William C. Morris Award Finalist, 2022 Locus Award Finalist |
| Website | www |
Personal life
Bowman was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, when she was a toddler.[1] Her father is from Hawaii[4] and has Japanese and Chinese heritage, and her mother is mostly Italian and Irish.[1] Bowman was home-schooled for four years,[5] and attended the Las Vegas Academy as a band major in high school.[1] After graduating, she served with the United States Navy for five years.[6] She started writing her first full-length novel while on deployment.[6] She has a degree in social studies from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.[1]
Bowman credits music as one of her big writing inspirations and had flute and piano lessons when she was younger.[5] She often centers mental health in her novels because of her own experiences growing up.[7]
In addition to writing novels, Bowman has written short fiction for the Magic: The Gathering online web story "Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty".[8]
Works
Novels
Short stories
- in Kaito Origin Stories: A Test of Loyalty & The Path Forward[15] (Magic: The Gathering online fiction, 2021)
- in Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty[16] (Magic: The Gathering online fiction, 2022)
- in Being Ace: An Anthology of Queer, Trans, Femme, and Disabled Stories of Asexual Love and Connection[17] (Page Street YA, 2023)
Accolades
Starred reviews
- Starfish received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly[18] and Booklist.[19]
- Summer Bird Blue received starred reviews from Kirkus,[20] Booklist,[21] and School Library Journal.[22]
- The Infinity Courts received a starred review from School Library Journal.[23]
- Generation Misfits received starred reviews from School Library Journal[24] and The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books.[25]
Honors
Starfish, Summer Bird Blue and Generation Misfits were each named a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection.[26] Bowman's first middle-grade novel Generation Misfits was featured on the July/August 2021 cover of The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books,[25] and received a Big Picture honor and a starred review.[27] Starfish was chosen as a New York Public Library 2017 Best Book for Teens,[28] and Summer Bird Blue was chosen for the same honor in 2018.[29] Paste magazine called Starfish "the best debut YA novel the year" in 2017,[30] and later declared it one of the top 30 young adult books of the 2010s.[31] In 2021, Harley in the Sky was named a top pick for the Kansas NEA Reading Circle List High School Title.[32] Locus magazine included The Infinity Courts in its annual Recommended Reading List for the year 2021.[33]
Awards
Won
- 2020 Winner of the MéMO Award for Best Teen Novel for Starfish[34]
Nominated
- 2018 William C. Morris YA Debut Award for Starfish[35]
- 2019 Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award Nominee for Starfish[36]
- 2020 Scottish Teenage Book Prize Finalist for Starfish[37]
- 2020 Falkirk Red Book Award for Summer Bird Blue[38]
- 2022 Locus Award Finalist in the Young Adult Novel category for The Infinity Courts[39]