RSS
Home
Books 101: Which famous authors live in D.C.?
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
Jonathan Safran Foer is a novelist who was born in D.C., but
moved to Brooklyn, so you will probably not bump into
him at Starbucks on U Street.
There is no doubt the D.C. metro area has inhabited an impressive share of historically important writers. Anne Spencer was the first black woman to have her poetry included in the Norton Anthology of American Poetry, and Frederick Douglass's "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave," greatly impacted the abolitionist movement.
In more modern times, Pulitzer Prize-winning writers and New York Times bestselling authors, including George Pelecanos ("The Way Home"), Tom Clancy ("The Hunt for Red October"), David Baldacci ("First Family") and Ann Brashares ("The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants"), all either live or have lived in the District, Maryland or Virginia.
Chances are, if you live in the District or the neighboring commonwealth or state, you probably have (unknowingly) rubbed elbows with famous authors. Surprisingly, many D.C. area writers seem to live in areas where Potomac McMansions and Georgetown lunching ladies are not the norm.
Charles McCain, whose debut novel "An Honorable German" centers around a German World War II naval officer, lives in the District, and so did Jonathan Safran Foer ("Everything Is Illuminated: A Novel") for a while before he moved to New York. However, he is not the only Washingtonian to leave for greener pastures: Historical novelist Tracy Chevalier ("Girl with a Pearl Earring") was born in the District, but has lived in England for the past 20 years.
Maryland's Silver Spring, with its proximity to buzzing downtown and lush suburban neighborhoods, appears to be the former or current home of numerous well-known writers, including George Pelecanos; Washington Post book critic Michael Dirda; children's book writers Audrey Penn and Valerie Tripp; and romance novelist Nora Roberts.
On the other hand, the Commonwealth of Virginia can boast with having had former or current denizens, such as news anchor Katie Couric who writes children's books; comic book editor and publisher Gary Groth; screenwriter Ehren Kruger; Willard Scott, TV personality and writer of fiction and nonfiction books; novelist and poet Tao Lin; and urban-fiction novelist Nikki Turner.
Although there will not be an equivalent of a Hollywood Celebrity Sightings Map provided here, the best place to spot and talk to your favorite writer is at the upcoming National Book Festival, which takes place Sept. 26 on the National Mall.
For more info: Considerable time and effort have been taken to verify where these authors live, either by checking their own Web sites, their publishers' Web sites, or other trustworthy sources. However, no 100-percent guarantee can be given that the given locations are entirely accurate, as the D.C. metro area is a very transient place and people are constantly on the move.
Related Articles:
Comments
Single, married or something in between? Find what you need for Valentine's Day.
