Rosellen Brown
American poet, novelist and teacher
Rosellen Brown (born May 12, 1939) is an American author, and has been an instructor of English and creative writing at several universities, including the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the University of Houston. The 1996 film Before and After was adapted from her novel of the same name.
Early life
Brown was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Barnard College in 1960 and Brandeis University.
Life and work
She has been an instructor of English and creative writing at several universities, including the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the University of Houston.
The TV adaptation Half A Heart was based on Brown's book of the same name which traces the lives of several people who participated in the civil rights movement and continue to live in its shadow. Before and After was released as a film in 1996. Starring Liam Neeson and Meryl Streep, it was directed by Barbet Schroeder from a screenplay by Ted Tally.
Publications
Some Deaths in the Delta and Other Poems, 1970
Whole World Catalog, Teachers and Writers Collaborative, 1972 (co-editor)
Street Games (stories), 1974; 1991
The Autobiography of My Mother (novel), 1976
Cora Fry (poems), 1977
Tender Mercies (novel), 1978
The Secret Garden (play adaptation of the novel), 1983
Civil Wars (novel), 1984
Before and After, 1992
A Rosellen Brown Reader: Selected Poetry and Prose, 1992
Inter-Office (short story), 1994
Cora Fry's Pillow Book (poetry), 1994
Half a Heart (novel), 2000
The Lake on Fire (novel), 2018
Awards
Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize
See also
History of the Jews in Houston
References
External links
Annotation of Tender Mercies at the NYU Literature, Arts, and Medicine Database with link to text and audio of author's commentary and reading.
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Biographical claims are most persuasive when dates, appointments and relationships can be traced to records created close to the events described. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 31, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7368253. VIAF identifies the subject as 85487374. The Library of Congress control number is n50039607. 2 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1939, 1996, 1960 and 1970.
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