Renée Watson

Renée Watson (born July 29, 1978) is an American teaching artist and author of children's books, best known for her Newbery Medal winning All the Blues in the Sky and New York Times bestselling young adult novel Piecing Me Together, She is a member of The Wintergreen Women Writers Collective.

Early life Watson was born in Paterson, New Jersey and grew up in northeast Portland, Oregon after her parents' divorce. Her mother's family is originally from West Virginia. Watson attended Vernon Elementary School, Binnsmead Middle School, and Jefferson High School in Portland. She was a member of Antioch Missionary Baptist Church where she recited poetry on holidays and special occasions. She loved poetry from a young age and read the work of poets like Maya Angelou and Langston Hughes. When she first read poems by Hughes in elementary school, Watson felt a strong connection to them and sense of herself, her family, and her neighbors reflected in his work. From a young age, she knew she was interested in writing and was encouraged to pursue this by her teachers and family. In middle school, she wanted to be a lawyer for a time. This was also when she wrote her first play, which her middle school produced as their spring show. She moved to New York in 2005 where she attended The New School to study creative writing and art therapy. While she was in school she published her first book. and is a member of the DreamYard 2019 Board of Directors. Additionally, Watson has run poetry and theater workshops that aim to help children deal with traumas from various sources (such as natural disasters and sexual assault). Likewise, Watson was a Writer in residence at the Schools and Self Enhancement Inc, a Portland-based nonprofit organization that works with underprivileged youth in the North-Portland area. Watson has also put on professional development workshops for teachers and adult artists. Her first children's book, A Place Where Hurricanes Happen, was published June 22, 2010 and is a product of her nonprofit work in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Watson's second picture book, Harlem's Little Blackbird: The Story of Florence Mills, was published October 23, 2012, and received multiple awards and nominations. Watson's Young Adult novels include This Side of Home (published 2015), Piecing Me Together (published 2017), and Watch Us Rise (2019). Her poem, "Black Like Me," was published by Rethinking Schools, along with other articles and interviews Watson wrote. Her poetry also appears in the Theatre of the Mind and With Hearts Ablaze.

Watson uses her position as an author to speak up about seeking counseling and therapy when needed.

In January 2026, Watson was awarded the Newbery Medal for her novel All the Blues in the Sky, which the committee cited for its "outstanding contribution to children's literature."

I, Too, Arts Collective When Watson first moved to New York and explored Harlem landmarks, she was disappointed to learn that the former home of Harlem Renaissance author Langston Hughes was not open to the public. In 2016, after growing concerned that the historical home may be lost to gentrification,

Selected works Watson's first picture book A Place Where Hurricanes Happen was inspired by her work with students who had experienced Hurricane Katrina. After working with the kids to create their own poetry she wrote this book which follows four kids as they tell about life before, during, and after Hurricane Katrina. It tells the story of Jade, a poor African-American teenager at a predominantly white Portland, Oregon high school who struggles with the prejudice of the people surrounding her. It debuted at number nine on the New York Times young adult hardcover bestseller list on March 18, 2018. It also received several starred reviews, won the Coretta Scott King Author Award and the Bank Street Children's Book Committee's Josette Frank Award for fiction, and was a Newbery Honor Book. Watson's relationships with the black women she knew growing up and a 2014 NAACP report exploring struggles exclusive to African-American girls inspired her to write this novel.

Together with the subject's daughter, Ilyasah Shabazz, she co-authored Betty Before X, a fictionalized account of civil rights leader Dr. Betty Shabazz's life in 1945 Detroit prior to meeting Malcolm X.

Watson's third young adult novel, Watch Us Rise, about two best friends who start a women's rights club in their high school, was published by Bloomsbury in 2019. It's co-written with author Ellen Hagan.

For both her first picture book A Place Where Hurricanes Happen and her latest middle grade novel Some Places More Than Others, Watson worked with illustrator Shadra Strickland.

Awards and honors The Bank Street College of Education has named 13 of Watson's books the best of the year: What Momma Left Me (2011) The 1619 Project: Born on the Water (2022)

Bank Street further indicated that Piecing Me Together (2018), Betty Before X (2019), Black Enough (2019),

The same year, Booklist included Love is a Revolution on their Booklist Editors' Choice: Books for Youth and Top 10 Romance for Youth lists.

In 2022, Booklist included Maya's Song on their Booklist Editors' Choice: Books for Youth and "Top 10 Biographies & Memoirs for Youth" lists.

The audiobook for Black Girl You Are Atlas, which was both written and narrated by Watson, was honored in the 2025 Odyssey Awards. Josette Frank Award Winner| Newbery Medal Honor 2021 The 1619 Project Barnes & Noble Book of the Year Award Finalist

Walter Dean Myers Award - Teen Won''' Coretta Scott King Award - AuthorHonored Odyssey AwardHonored