Jane Kurtz

Quick Facts

Full Name	Jane Kurtz
Occupation	Children'S Writer
Date Of Birth	Apr 17, 1952(1952-04-17)
Age	72
Birthplace	Portland
Country	United States
Birth City	Oregon
Horoscope	Aries

Jane Kurtz Biography

Jane Kurtz is one of the most popular and richest Children'S Writer who was born on April 17, 1952 in Portland, Oregon, United States. Jane Kurtz, born April 17, 1952, is an American author who has published more than 30 picture books, middle grade novels, nonfiction, ready to-reads and books for educators. Kurtz, a member of the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA program in children’s literature and adult literature, is an international advocate of literacy and writing. Kurtz was also part of the small group of volunteers that created Ethiopia Reads, a non-profit organization which published books and established libraries for children in Ethiopia.

After twenty-years of being away, Kurtz was finally able to return home to Ethiopia in 1997. She was invited to visit the Sandford International School, Sandford Academy, and International Community School. After the author visits were completed, Kurtz traveled to Lalibela, Gondar and wrote Saba: Under The Hyena’s Foot for American Girl. It was set in 1846, when Gondar was losing its capital.

In April 2008, when Kurtz was performing author visits in Indonesia and Cambodia, she was contacted by an editor at American Girl about writing two books to be sold with Lanie, American Girl Doll of the Year 2010. Inspired by the students at Pasir Ridge International School in Palikpapan, Indonesia, who provide support for the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation, Kurtz created a secondary character, Dakota, Lanie’s best friend, who goes to Indonesia and works with orangutans. In 2011, Kurtz returned to the Pasir Ridge International School to show the students the book that had been partially inspired by them. One student wrote, “I would like to help animals, but I can’t help these.” He then listed his favorites and the reasons he couldn’t help them. A seal? Too far. A snake? Too scary. A lion? Too strong. A penguin? Too far. He concluded that he had been inspired to catch krill, an important part of the food web, and ended, “Even poor people can help animals.”

Shortly after returning to clean up the house she and her own children had lived in since they had moved to Grand Forks, she created what became the picture book River Friendly River Wild (Simon & Schuster), the text of which won the Golden Kite Award from the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Kurtz also drew on her flood memories for tornado scenes in her 2013 novel Anna Was Here (Greenwillow/HarperCollins). She often describes that novel as “a story of life’s big questions and a few puny answers.” A reviewer in the New York Times called it “sweetly funny” and “a moving-day classic, destined to sidestep its boxed-up brethren for the important job of steadying someone’s shaky little hands.”

She returned to North Dakota only a few days after she had been home. Her family was forced to evacuate their home, which was the first to be evacuated in the aftermath of the Red River floods of 1997. They spent six weeks in Walhalla in North Dakota. Kurtz then flew to Atlanta for a presentation at the International Reading Association. Kurtz spoke about the power of encouraging children and teens to express themselves through poetry. This was a practice Kurtz started at the Carbondale New School, and has continued throughout Writer in the Schools.

Jane Kurtz Net Worth

Jane Kurtz is one of the richest Children'S Writer from United States. According to our analysis, Wikipedia, Forbes & Business Insider, Jane Kurtz 's net worth $5 Million. (Last Update: December 11, 2023)

Kurtz’s first novel for middle grade, The Storyteller’s Beads by Harcourt, is an attempt to portray life in Ethiopia during “red terror”, the period after her family returned to the United States. Her goal was to show children the reality of conflict and war. Based on true events, the novel depicts Ethiopian children fleeing to Sudanese refugee camps. There were thousands of Beta Israel who flew to Israel by airlifts bearing striking nicknames like Operation Moses or Operation Joshua. Kurtz wrote that she was inspired to write the story after seeing eyewitness accounts from some of the people who had made the journey.

Kurtz followed in the footsteps of her parents and was accepted to Monmouth College (Illinois), where she graduated as a psychology major in 1973. During her graduation ceremony, she was involved with a small plane crash piloted her father while visiting her family in Ethiopia. Before she could start her career, she spent six months in a body cast.

Kurtz has been invited to speak in forty states of the United States and in various countries in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Her presentations are often praised for their wittiness, their ability to connect with young writers, and their emphasis on the life-changing power of reading. She was also invited to be part of “Laura Bush Celebrates America’s Authors,” a day of literacy celebration prior to U.S. President George Bush’s 2001 inauguration, during which fourteen children’s book authors were honored and then conducted presentations in Washington D.C. schools.

Height, Weight & Body Measurements

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Who is Jane Kurtz Dating?

According to our records, Jane Kurtz married to Leonard Goering. As of December 1, 2023, Jane Kurtz’s is not dating anyone.

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Facts & Trivia

Jane Ranked on the list of most popular Children'S Writer. Also ranked in the elit list of famous people born in United States. Jane Kurtz celebrates birthday on April 17 of every year.