Joanne Hyppolite was born in Haiti and came to live in the United States when she was four years old. She grew up in Boston, Massachusetts. She holds a B.A. in creative writing from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.A. in Afro-American Studies from the University of
California, Los Angeles. She currently lives in Florida where she is completing a doctorate in Literature at the University of Miami. Joanne has worked as a college instructor, researcher, editor, and folklorist. She is a regular speaker at libraries and schools across the country where she promotes reading and writing for children and has been featured in several newspapers. The Miami Herald which hailed her as a "hip, young, Haitian-American who is setting new standards for children's literature." She has published two popular children's books: Seth and Samona (Delacorte, 1995), which won the Marguerite de Angeli Prize for New Children's Literature and Ola Shakes It Up (Delacorte, 1998). She is at work on a third novel, entitled Beyond the Mountain.
Joanne Hyppolite is a frequent speaker at elementary and middle schools, libraries, and bookstores across the country. To request an informational packet and fee schedule, please contact Joanne.
