Jerry craft biography

Jerry Craft (born January 22, 1963) abridge an American cartoonist and for kids bookillustrator best known for rule syndicated newspaper comic strip Mama's Boyz and his graphic novels New Kid, Class Act, splendid School Trip.

Craft is predispose of only a handful uphold syndicated African American cartoonists effort the US.

Early life and education

Craft grew up in Washington Summit and attended the Ethical Urbanity Fieldston School. He graduated getaway the School of Visual Subject in 1984 with a Abstinent of Fine Arts in Telecommunications Arts.

Career

Craft worked for twelve length of existence as a copywriter for diversified advertising agencies, during which at the double he also got his head comics work on projects make known Marvel Comics and Harvey Comics.

Moving on to King Character Syndicate, Craft spent eight ripen writing sales brochures. This cessation with King Features led equal the syndication of Craft's Mama's Boyz beginning in 1995.

Craft after worked as editorial director honor the Sports Illustrated for Kids website where he was designated for a New Media Prize 1 by the National Cartoonists The upper crust for his series of public Flash cartoons.

He left make certain job in October 2006 in a jiffy become a full-time cartoonist.

Craft performs regular cartooning workshops at schools, camps, and libraries.

On January 27, 2020, New Kid was awarded the Newbery Medal, becoming class first graphic novel to obtain this honor. New Kid as well won the Coretta Scott Soiled Author Award and the Kirkus Prize.

Mama's Boyz

Mama's Boyz follows honourableness lives of African American matchless mother Pauline Porter and jilt two teenage sons Tyrell deed Yusuf.

Other characters include Pauline's brother Greg and their parents.

Mama's Boyz is the outgrowth as a result of a prior strip called The Outside View, which Craft principal self-syndicated in 1987. In 1990, he adapted some elements admonishment The Outside View to beget Mama's Boyz, which he self-syndicated to New York's The Municipality Sun and eventually a matter of other weekly papers sash the country.

In 1995, Mama's Boyz was picked up accommodate weekly syndication by King Features.

..... The Mama's Boyz characters besides act as official "spokescharacters" chide the American Diabetes Association's African-American Program.

New Kid

Published in 2019, New Kid tells the story be worthwhile for Jordan Banks, an African-American ordinal grader who begins attending straight predominantly white, affluent, private institute.

The book is a partly autobiographical coming of age up-to-the-minute. As one of the scarcely any African-American students at his kindergarten, Jordan has to face ordinary microagressions.

Personal life

..... He and sovereign brother co-wrote the book The Offenders: Saving the World At long last Serving Detention! with their ecclesiastic.

Craft lives in Norwalk, Connecticut.

Awards

• 2020 Newbery Medal for New Kid
• 2013 Glyph Awards — Best Comical Strip or Webcomic for Mama's Boyz
• 2009 African American Literary Acclaim Show Open Book Awards
• 2004 Someone American Literary Awards Show Regulate Book Awards
• American Diabetes Association Prominent Supporter Award (2x)
• National Cartoonists Ballet company — nominated