From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Following is a list of Michigan writers , who are noteworthy either by having been born in Michigan or by living there during their writing career.
Children's books
Verna Aardema , author of ethnic-themed works (Ashanti, Zanzibari, Akamba and Ayutla Mexican sources), winner of
Caldecott Medal (born in
New Era )
Chris Van Allsburg , author of
The Polar Express , twice winner of
Caldecott Medal (born in
East Grand Rapids )
Marguerite de Angeli , writer and illustrator, won 1950
Newbery Award , one of first inductees of Michigan Women's Hall in of Fame (born in
Lapeer )
K. A. Applegate , children's and young adult author (born in
Ann Arbor )
Mark Crilley , manga creator, children's book author/illustrator; creator of Miki Falls , Akiko , Brody's Ghost , and POP! Goes the Weasel (born in
Detroit )
Christopher Paul Curtis , author, won
Newbery Medal and
Coretta Scott King award (born in
Flint )
Meindert DeJong , received 1962 Hans Christian Andersen Award, awarded Newbery Medal and National Book Award (resided in
Grand Rapids , attended Calvin College)
Aileen Fisher (1906–2002), author (born in
Iron River )
Margaret Hillert , poet and author of children's literature (born in
Saginaw , taught in
Royal Oak School District )
Laurie Keller , writer and illustrator (born in
Muskegon )
Patricia Polacco , author (
Union City )
Robert Sabuda ,
pop-up book artist and paper engineer (born in
Pinckney )
Gary Schmidt , author of children's literature and young adult fiction (college professor in Grand Rapids)
Jon Scieszka , author (born in
Flint )
Devin Scillian , author (broadcaster in Detroit)
Philip C. Stead , author (born in
Farmington Hills )
Gloria Whelan , author
[1] born in Detroit,
[2] winner of National Book Award for Young People's Literature for 2000
[3]
Christopher Wright , author of
American Chillers and
Michigan Chillers (born in
Pontiac, Michigan )
Fiction
Nelson Algren , novelist (born in Detroit)
John Edward Ames , western writer (born in
Monroe County )
Harriette Simpson Arnow , novelist (resided in Ann Arbor)
Robert Asprin , science-fiction and fantasy writer (born in
St. Johns )
Mathis Bailey , novelist and fiction writer
Deb Baker , author (born in
Escanaba )
Emma Pow Bauder , novelist (born in
North Adams )
Rex Beach , novelist (born in
Atwood )
John Bellairs , mystery novelist (born in
Marshall )
Mary K. Buck , author (lived and died in
Traverse City )
Bonnie Jo Campbell , author (born in
Kalamazoo )
Jaqueline Carey , fantasy author (resides in Michigan)
Mary A. Cornelius (1829–1918), author, social reformer (born in
Pontiac )
Katherine Cowley , taught at
Western Michigan University
James Oliver Curwood , novelist and conservationist (born in
Owosso )
Loren D. Estleman , crime fiction author (born in Ann Arbor; graduate of
Eastern Michigan University )
Jeffrey Eugenides , novelist (born in Detroit)
Edna Ferber , novelist (born in Kalamazoo)
Alice Fulton , short-story writer (born in
Troy, New York ; moved to
Ypsilanti )
J. Gabriel Gates , young adult and science-fiction writer (raised in Michigan)
Donald Goines , novelist (born in Detroit)
Jaimy Gordon , novelist (born in Baltimore, taught at
Western Michigan University , lives in Kalamazoo)
Charlotte E. Gray , novelist and religious writer (born in
Reading )
Judith Guest , novelist and screenwriter (born in Detroit)
Aaron Hamburger , short-story writer and novelist (born in Detroit)
Steve Hamilton , mystery and thriller novelist (born in Detroit)
Jim Harrison , novelist, poet, screenwriter (born in
Grayling , attended
Michigan State University )
Jim C. Hines , fantasy novelist and short-story writer (attended
Michigan State and
Eastern Michigan )
Joan Carol Holly , science fiction novelist, graduate of
Michigan State University
James Hynes , author (born in
Okemos )
Alex Irvine , novelist and short-story writer (born in Ann Arbor, raised in
Ypsilanti )
Jerry B. Jenkins , novelist, author of Left Behind series (born in Kalamazoo)
Janet Kauffman , novelist (born in
Lancaster, Pennsylvania ; moved to
Hudson )
Clarence Budington Kelland , short-story writer and novelist (born in
Portland )
William X. Kienzle , Catholic priest, mystery author (born in Detroit, resided in Grand Rapids)
Brad Leithauser , poet, novelist, essayist (born in Detroit)
Elmore Leonard , novelist and screenwriter (raised in Detroit, resided in
Bloomfield Hills )
Thomas Ligotti , reclusive writer of fiction and poetry (born and raised in Detroit)
Josh Malerman , horror and fiction novelist (born in Southfield)
Thomas McGuane , novelist and screenwriter (born in
Wyandotte )
Terry McMillan , author (born in
Port Huron )
Ander Monson , poet, essayist, novelist (born in
Houghton )
Joyce Carol Oates , novelist, winner of
National Book Award (born in
Lockport, New York , lived in metro Detroit and
Windsor, Ontario )
Alice Randall , author (born in Detroit)
Lev Raphael , crime fiction author and author across genres (born in New York City)
Marcus Sakey , crime novelist (born in
Flint )
K.J. Stevens , novelist and short-story writer (born in
Alpena )
Glendon Swarthout , novelist and short-story writer, winner of the
O. Henry Prize (born in
Pinckney )
Lee Upton , novelist and short-story writer (born in
St Johns )
John D. Voelker , novelist who wrote
Anatomy of a Murder under pen name
Robert Traver (born in
Ishpeming )
Maritta Wolff , novelist (born in
Grass Lake )
Michael Zadoorian , novelist and short-story writer (born in
Detroit )
Journalists and nonfiction
Bruce Ableson , inventor of
Open Diary (born in
West Bloomfield )
Mitch Albom , author, sportswriter, radio talk show host (born in
Trenton, New Jersey ; lives in metro Detroit)
Ruth Alice Armstrong , non-fiction writer (born in
Cassopolis )
Ella H. Brockway Avann , religious writer (born in
Newaygo )
Catharine H. T. Avery , editor of The American Monthly , the official organ of the
Daughters of the American Revolution (born in
Dundee )
Lepha Eliza Bailey , non-fiction writer (born in Battle Creek)
Joel Bakan , legal writer and Canadian lawyer (born in
Lansing )
Ray Stannard Baker , 19th-century
muckraking journalist (born in
Lansing )
Michael Barone , journalist, pundit, editor (born in
Highland Park )
M. E. C. Bates , writer, journalist, and newspaper editor
Octavia Williams Bates , suffragist, clubwoman, writer (born in Detroit)
Jim Bellows , newspaper editor in Washington, New York and Los Angeles (born in Detroit)
Emma E. Bower , newspaper owner, publisher, and editor; physician (born and died in Ann Arbor)
Robert K. Brown , war correspondent, founder of
Soldier of Fortune magazine (born in
Monroe )
Martha A. Boughton , biographer, poet, songwriter (born in
Corunna )
Gene Caesar , writer of outdoor fiction (born in
Saginaw, Michigan )
Amanda Carpenter , author, former correspondent (born in
Montrose )
E. Jean Carroll , magazine writer and advice columnist (born in Detroit)
Jill Carroll , journalist, Iraqi terrorists' kidnap victim (born in Ann Arbor)
Bruce Catton , Pulitzer Prize-winning historian (born in
Petoskey )
Zev Chafets , journalist and columnist (born in
Pontiac )
Jonathan Chait , senior editor and columnist (grew up in metro Detroit)
David Chardavoyne , legal writer (born in
Ohio , moved to metro Detroit)
Lydia J. Newcomb Comings , non-fiction writer (born in
Spring Lake )
Arthur Danto , art critic for
The Nation (born in Ann Arbor)
Paul de Kruif , science writer and microbiologist (born in
Zeeland )
Rachael Denhollander , author, lawyer, advocate (born in Kalamazoo)
James Deren , literary nonfiction writer (born in Detroit (resides in
White Lake )
Joe Falls , sportswriter for Detroit newspapers 1956–2004 (born in New York, moved to Detroit)
M. F. K. Fisher , food writer (born in
Albion )
Terry Foster , sportswriter and radio personality (born in Detroit)
Ron Fournier , national political journalist (born in Detroit)
Jennifer Eaton Gökmen , literary nonfiction writer (born in
Wayne , raised in
West Bloomfield , in 1994 moved to
Istanbul, Turkey )
Lou Gordon , radio and TV commentator, talk show host, columnist, political reporter (born and based in Detroit)
Jerry Green , sportswriter for Detroit newspapers 1963–2004
John Grogan , columnist and author (born in Detroit)
Ben Hamper , journalist and non-fiction writer (born in
Flint )
Jemele Hill , sports commentator and columnist for
ESPN (born in Detroit)
Loraine Immen , non-fiction writer (born in
Mount Clemens
Martha Waldron Janes , minister, reformer, columnist (born in
Northfield Township ; died in
Muskegon )
Michael Kinsley , editor, columnist (born in Detroit)
Charlie LeDuff , journalist, author (born in Virginia, grew up in
Westland )
Karl Ludvigsen , editor of
Car and Driver ,
Motor Trend (born in [Kalamazoo)
Betty Mahmoody , author (born in
Alma, Michigan )
Lucy A. Mallory , magazine publisher, editor (born in Michigan)
William McPherson , author and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist (born in
Sault Ste. Marie )
John J. Miller , national political reporter (born in Detroit)
Elvis Mitchell , film critic (born in Detroit)
Michael Moore , documentary filmmaker and nonfiction writer (born in
Flint )
Jay Nordlinger , senior editor (born in Ann Arbor)
Isabel Paterson , author, co-founder of
libertarianism (born on
Manitoulin Island, Canada ; grew up on a rural
Upper Peninsula ranch)
Pauline Periwinkle , journalist, columnist, poet (born in
Battle Creek )
Neal Rubin , columnist, writer of comic strip
Gil Thorp (born in California, lives in
Farmington Hills )
Tom Stanton , author of the New York Times bestseller "Terror in the City of Champions" and other non-fiction books (born in Warren)
Joseph Sobran , paleo-conservative syndicated columnist (raised in
Ypsilanti )
Jennie O. Starkey , first woman in Detroit to adopt journalism as a profession (born and died in Detroit)
Louise Reed Stowell , scientist, non-fiction writer (born in
Grand Blanc )
Helen Thomas , journalist, White House correspondent (born in
Winchester, Kentucky ; moved to Detroit)
Heather Ann Thompson , winner of
2017 Pulitzer Prize for History (born in Detroit)
Paul Vachon , freelance journalist and local historian (born in Detroit in 1959)
Bob Wojnowski , sports columnist and radio personality (born in
Buffalo, New York , lives in metro Detroit)
Playwrights and screenwriters
Ron Allen , playwright (born in Detroit)
Mike Binder , actor, director, screenwriter (born in Detroit, raised in
Birmingham )
Bruce Campbell , actor and autobiographer (born in
Royal Oak )
Jim Cash , screenwriter(born in
Boyne City , lived in Grand Rapids)
Francis Ford Coppola , screenwriter, director (born in Detroit)
Pete Dexter , novelist, screenwriter (born in
Pontiac )
Gerald Di Pego , screenwriter (born in
Flint )
Jack Epps, Jr. , screenwriter (attended
Michigan State )
Jim Harrison , novelist, screenwriter (attended
Michigan State )
Alice Emma Ives , dramatist, journalist (born in Detroit)
Jake Kasdan , screenwriter, director (born in Detroit)
Lawrence Kasdan , screenwriter, director (attended
University of Michigan )
Neil LaBute , playwright, director, screenwriter (born in Detroit)
Elmore Leonard , novelist, screenwriter (lived in
Bloomfield Hills )
Thomas McGuane , novelist, screenwriter (attended
Michigan State )
Arthur Miller , playwright (attended
University of Michigan )
Ron Milner , playwright (born in Detroit)
Jane Murfin , playwright, screenwriter (born in
Quincy )
Heather Raffo , playwright, actress (raised in Michigan)
Ivan Raimi , screenwriter (born in
Royal Oak )
Sam Raimi , screenwriter, director, producer (born in
Royal Oak )
Terry Rossio , screenwriter, producer (born in Kalamazoo)
Leonard Schrader , screenwriter (born in Grand Rapids)
Paul Schrader , screenwriter, director (born in Grand Rapids)
Sandra Seaton , playwright, librettist (lives in Michigan)
Donald E. Stewart , screenwriter (born in Detroit)
Poets
Clara Doty Bates , poet, children's writer (born in Ann Arbor)
John Malcolm Brinnin , poet (born in
Halifax
Nova Scotia ; raised in Detroit)
Eudora Bumstead , poet, hymnwriter (born in
Bedford Charter Township )
Jim Daniels , poet (born in Detroit)
Toi Derricotte , poet (born in
Hamtramck )
Dorothy Donnelly , poet and prose writer (born in Detroit, raised in
Grosse Pointe Park , resided in Ann Arbor)
Myra Douglas , poet, short story writer (born in
Adrian )
Stuart Dybek , poet (born in
Chicago ; lives in Kalamazoo)
Max Ellison , poet
[4] (lived in
Bellaire )
Clayton Eshleman , poet (born in
Indianapolis , moved to Ypsilanti)
Carolyn Forché , poet (born in Detroit)
Robert Frost , poet (born in
San Francisco , resided and taught in Ann Arbor)
Alice Fulton , MacArthur "Genius Award" poet (born in
Troy, New York ; moved to Ypsilanti)
Edgar Guest , poet (born in
Birmingham ,
England ; moved to Detroit)
Jim Harrison , poet and novelist (born in
Grayling )
Robert Hayden , poet (born in Detroit; moved to Ann Arbor)
Bob Hicok , poet (born in Grand Ledge)
Conrad Hilberry , poet (born in
Ferndale ; moved to Kalamazoo)
Lawrence Joseph , poet (born in Detroit)
Ruth Ward Kahn , poet, non-fiction writer (born in
Jackson, Michigan ; attended University of Michigan)
Jane Kenyon , poet (born in Ann Arbor)
Mary Torrans Lathrap , poet (born and died in Jackson)
Margaret Wynne Lawless , poet, non-fiction writer (born in Adrian)
Philip Levine , poet (born in Detroit)
Thomas Lynch , poet (born in Detroit)
Naomi Long Madgett , poet (born in
Norfolk, Virginia , raised in
East Orange, New Jersey , moved to Detroit and
Ypsilanti )
Douglas Malloch , poet (born in
Muskegon ), known as the Lumberman's Poet
Angel Nafis , poet, graduated from
Huron High School
John Frederick Nims , poet (born in
Muskegon )
Marge Piercy , poet and novelist (born in Detroit)
Dudley Randall , poet, Broadside Press founder (born in Detroit)
Theodore Roethke ,
Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning poet (born in
Saginaw )
Carol Smallwood , poet (born in
Cheboygan )
Richard Tillinghast , poet (born in
Memphis , resides in Ann Arbor)
Mary Frances Tucker , poet (born in
York Township )
Nancy Willard , poet, novelist, children's writer and literary critic (born in Ann Arbor)
Others
Wayne Dyer , self-help book writer (born in Detroit)
James Finn Garner , humorist (born in
Dearborn )
Jerry B. Jenkins , religious writer, "as told to" biographer, romance writer (born in Kalamazoo)
Ring Lardner , Sr., satirist, short story writer and sports columnist (born in
Niles )
Robert McKee , well-known
creative writing instructor (born in Detroit)
Peter McWilliams , writer and cannabis legalization advocate (born in Detroit)
Stewart Edward White , writer (born in Grand Rapids)
See also
References and further reading
Gavrilovich, Peter and Bill McGraw (2000). The Detroit Almanac . Detroit Free Press.
ISBN
0-937247-34-0 .
Gavrilovich, Peter and Bill McGraw (2006). The Detroit Almanac, 2nd edition . Detroit Free Press.
ISBN
978-0-937247-48-8 .