Jeff Burlingame

Jeff Burlingame
Born June 14, 1971
Aberdeen, Washington
Occupation Author
Period 1997-
Genre Nonfiction
Notable works Kurt Cobain: Oh Well, Whatever, Nevermind
Malcolm X: I Believe in the Brotherhood of Man, All Men
Jesse Owens: I Always Loved Running
Notable awards New York Public Library’s Books for the Teen Age
2007 Kurt Cobain: Oh Well, Whatever, Nevermind
NAACP Image Awards
2011 Malcolm X: I Believe in the Brotherhood of Man, All Men (nomination)
NAACP Image Awards
2012 Jesse Owens: I Always Loved Running

Jeff Burlingame (born June 14, 1971, in Aberdeen, Washington) is an NAACP Image Award winning American author of several books, including biographies of musicians John Lennon and Kurt Cobain, and critical looks at the historic and tragic plights of the Lost Boys of Sudan and the crew and passengers of the Titanic. His books have been honored by the New York Public Library and the NAACP, which in 2012 awarded him its highest literary honor at a nationally televised event in Hollywood, California. The previous year, Jeff’s biography of Malcolm X also was nominated for an Image Award. That award ultimately was won by former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Writing career

Jeff Burlingame began his professional writing career as a general assignment reporter for The Willapa Harbor Herald newspaper in Raymond, Washington. In 1997, he began working at The Daily World becoming the Aberdeen, Washington, paper's arts and entertainment editor shortly thereafter. In that capacity, he won numerous awards from the Society of Professional Journalists. In 2006, Burlingame became a copy editor for The News Tribune in Tacoma.

Later that year, Burlingame’s first book, Kurt Cobain: Oh Well, Whatever, Nevermind, was published. The book won recognition from the New York Public Library as a Book for the Teen Age in 2007,[1] and received rave reviews from publications across the United States. Following the success of his first book, Burlingame began working as a full-time author. In the years since, he has written more than a dozen other books, including an unauthorized biography of Malcolm X, which was nominated for a coveted NAACP Image Award, alongside the works of Walter Dean Myers, Sharon Draper, Rita Williams-Garcia, and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

In 2012, Burlingame was once again nominated for an Image Award, this time for his in-depth biography of Olympic track and field legend Jesse Owens, and traveled to Los Angeles, California, for the award ceremonies, held at the historic Shrine Auditorium, in February 2012. Burlingame won the award for Best Literary Work: Youth/Teens,[2] besting fellow authors Walter Dean Myers, Kekla Magoon, Jerdine Nolen, and Nikki Grimes.[3][4]

Kurt Cobain Memorial Foundation

In 2004, Burlingame, along with Aberdeen City Councilman Paul Fritts, founded the nonprofit Kurt Cobain Memorial Foundation (formerly the Kurt Cobain Memorial Committee) to honor the late rock legend in his hometown.[5] In 2005, the group installed a large sign reading "Welcome to Aberdeen: Come As You Are" at the east entrance to town.[6] The non profit's future goals include a youth center and low-key memorial park. In September 2007, the foundation held its first rock concert, Lounge Acts, which drew hundreds of Nirvana fans across the globe. The event has been held each year since, growing larger each time.

Bibliography

References

  1. ↑ New York library selects Cobain book for honor, The Daily World (Aberdeen, WA), March 31, 2007
  2. ↑ NAACP Image Awards: List of winners - Celebrity Circuit - CBS News, CBS News, February 18, 2012
  3. ↑ Tacoma writer wins NAACP award for Olympic track star biography, The News Tribune, February 19, 2012
  4. ↑ Burlingame wins NAACP Award, KXRO, February 17, 2012
  5. ↑ Monica Guzman (April 8, 2009), Cobain legacy still evolving 15 years after suicide, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, retrieved 2009-12-27
  6. ↑ Gil Kaufman (April 11, 2005), ‘Come As You Are’ to Cobain’s hometown, MTV, retrieved 2009-12-27

External links

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