Sherri

Winston

Middle Grade Novelist

Longlisted for the National Book Award

Travels from: Orlando, FL

“Through the eyes of a sprightly, determined student, Winston delivers a powerful message about anti-Blackness, bullying, and institutionalized prejudice.” — Publisher’s Weekly, starred review

Sherri Winston is a proud mama of two beautiful daughters. She is also a lover of cupcakes, cooking shows and spy movies. The Braid Girls is her latest book with Little, Brown.

Lotus Bloom and the Afro Revolution, Jada Sly, Artist & Spy, The Sweetest Sound and President of the Whole Sixth Grade: Girl Code are also among her recent books.

The Sweetest Sound and President of the Whole Fifth Grade, were both selections for the state of Florida’s Libraries Sunshine State Young Readers Award, which recommends the best books for grades 3-5and 6-8. President of the Whole Fifth Grade was also selected to Tennessee’s recommended list and the Sound Summer Recommended Reading List for the New York Public Library. Ms. Winston continues to be amazed that people call her “author” and buy her books. She thanks you!

Ms. Winston, a native of Michigan, spent several years as a newspaper columnist and journalist in sunny South Florida’s Sun-Sentinel newspaper. She was the recipient of the Clarion Award for journalists, as well as winner of a journalism fellowship at the University of Michigan. Winston is also a three-time nominee for the Pulitzer Prize in Commentary for her weekly lifestyle column.

Sherri’s novel Lotus Bloom and the Afro Revolution was recently longlisted for the National Book Award.

Sherri's Featured Titles

FINISH THE WIP!

I take students through my writing process, getting their help on a Work In Progress. We examine choices I’ve made, and why. Then I question the students to get recommendations on where to go next with the story. We will discuss possible outcomes.

PICTURE THIS!

Using an overhead projector, I go through a PowerPoint presentation of different photos and ask students to choose their favorite. For smaller groups, I let students work on writing a paragraph or two about their chosen photo. If it’s a big group, we will choose a photo together, then select a genre, then workshop a book idea based on what we choose as a group.

PRESS CONFERENCE!

Students are split into groups. We give a “press release” to each group and hold a press conference. Then give the students a certain amount of time to answer craft a story based on the information. It’s fun to make the press conference fantastical, such as announcing an alien invasion on the school’s playground. With older kids, it may be beneficial to hold press conference as a historical figure, or literary figure. It can be tailored for infinite applications based on the need.

THE LEGO STORY

If I have three to four hours with the students, I like to walk them through the process creating their own stories using LEGO pieces. LEGO sets provide an excellent medium for storytelling, and built-in prompts. Using a variety of LEGO sets (I owned many, many sets), break the class into groups and have them work together. Usually, to make this type of program successful, I will need help from the classroom instructor to modulate the children’s behavior and keep them on task. Part I, is to have them come up with a story based on the set they have. The must write the story down. Part II, allow them to take pictures in an app called Stop Motion Studio, which is highly intuitive and kid and classroom friendly. They can then arrange their movie and prepare for a “showing” before the end of the period.

THE GRAPHIC NOVEL

Even though I’ve never written one, I often confide in my young people my desire to one day create a graphic novel. Some kids love them, love trying to create them because they love to draw. Other kids are self-conscious of their artistic skills and therefore are not excited about it. Instead of trying to write an entire graphic novel, I focus on creating a character. I show them how to make these pages where they sketch or draw their character but also use creative type to tell us something about them. What is their name? Age? Who are they angry with? What do they want to do? What has them scared? It’s a great way to highlight how authors create the characters who populate our literary world.

THE GRAPHIC NOVEL II

In this program, we focus on creating a relationship between characters. The students must create two to three characters, draw them, and build the relationship between the characters. It’s one thing to come up with a main character, it’s another to get to know the most important people in his or her orbit. We highlight personality traits, likes and dislikes, fears, goals, and how they work together or against one another.

Southern Festival of Books | In Conversation: Kristin Tubb, Sherri Winston

Fairfax County Public Schools | Meet the Author with Sherri Winston

“Lotus is a heroine that everyone can root for. Winston carefully navigates the nuanced waters of Black activism, including the often-overlooked concept of maintaining the status quo. . . . A great introduction to protest, activism, and how to use your voice to change the world.” — Booklist Online

“Winston employs rich descriptions through Lotus’ first-person narration, conveying her love of music. The text brings themes of racism and protest to the forefront, making it a solid conversation starter. . . . A relatable novel that will encourage readers to fight for their rights.” — Kirkus Reviews

“A sweet confection for middle graders… will be a hit with readers who like Wendy Mass and Lauren Myracle.” — Booklist on President of the Whole Fifth Grade

“Brianna’s determination and follow-through make her a great role model, but the true value here is the very real depiction of the ebb and flow of middle-school friendships and the difficulties that come with growing up. An important resource for anyone who’s ever been in Brianna’s shoes.” — Booklist on President of the Whole Sixth Grade

“Winston does an excellent job highlighting the complex race issues that African-American children face. …Thought-provoking and smart and a great springboard for discussions on race and class.” — Kirkus on President of the Whole Sixth Grade: Girl Code, starred review

“Rich and winning… Readers will be rooting for both Cadence as she claims her gift and the community who supports her.” — Kirkus Reviews on The Sweetest Sound, starred review

“A gorgeous song of a book – a story about faith, confidence, finding your voice, and singing out loud to lift up the people around you… [Cadence is] a character who will stay with me for a long, long time.” — Kate Messner, author of The Seventh Wish, on The Sweetest Sound

Honors, Awards & Recognition

Longlisted for the National Book Award
New York Public Library Recommended Summer Reader
Clarion Award for Journalists
Three-time nominee, Pulitzer Prize in Commentary

Media clips

WKAR News | Michigan children’s book author believes stories are magic: ‘And I wanted to perform magic’

Publishers Weekly | Q & A with Sherri Winston

The Washington Informer | BOOK REVIEW: ‘Lotus Bloom and the Afro Revolution’ by Sherri Winston

The Guam Daily Post | A brave main character for today’s teens

Media Kit

By clicking the link below you will be directed to a Google Docs Folder
where you can download author photos and cover images.