Joyce Carol Thomas was born in Ponca City, Oklahoma in May 1938. She received a bachelor's degree in Spanish and a master's degree in education. She was a poet, playwright, and children's book author. Her first young-adult novel, Marked by Fire, was published in 1982 and won the National Book Award for children's fiction in 1983. Her other young adult novels include Bright Shadow and House of Light. Her illustrated poetry collections include The Blacker the Berry and Brown Honey in Broomwheat Tea, both of which were honored by the Coretta Scott King Book Awards. In 1987, Marked by Fire was adapted into a gospel musical Abyssinia. She died from cirrhosis of the liver August 13, 2016 at the age of 78.
030