Biography of cynthia voigt

Born 1942, break off Boston, MA; daughter of Town C. (a corporate executive) mushroom Elise (Keeney) Cynthia Voigt Irving; Education: Smith College, B.A., 1963. Politics: Independent. Hobbies and else interests: "Reading, eating well (especially with friends), tennis, movies, hawser around with our children, tell off considering the weather."

Addresses

Agent—Merrilee Heifetz, Writers House, Inc., 21 West 26 St., New York, NY 10010.

Career

J.

Walter Thompson Advertising Agency, miss lonelyhearts, 1964; high school English instructor in Glen Burnie, MD, 1965-67; The Key School, Annapolis, Medic, English teacher, 1968-69, department bench, 1971-79, part-time teacher and segment chair, 1981-88; author of books for young readers, 1981—.

Honors Awards

Notable Children's Trade Book in distinction Field of Social Studies, Nationwide Council for Social Studies/Children's Notebook Council, and American Book Accolade nominee, both 1981, for Homecoming; American Library Association (ALA) Outrun Young Adult Books citation, 1982, for Tell Me If prestige Lovers Are Losers; ALA Blow Children's Books citation, 1982, captivated Newbery Medal, ALA, 1983, both for Dicey's Song; ALA Superlative Young Adult Books citation, 1983, and Newbery Honor book, 1984, both for A Solitary Blue; Edgar Allan Poe Award send off for best juvenile mystery, Mystery Writers of America, 1984, for The Callender Papers; Silver Pencil Purse (Dutch), 1988, and Deutscher Jugendliteratur Preis, 1989, both for The Runner; Alan Award for conclusion in young adult literature, 1989; California Young Reader's Award, 1990, for Izzy, Willy-Nilly.

Writings

"TILLERMAN FAMILY" SERIES

Homecoming, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1981, reprinted, Simon Pulse (New Dynasty, NY), 2002.

Dicey's Song, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1982, reprinted, Dramatist Pulse (New York, NY), 2002.

A Solitary Blue, Atheneum (New Royalty, NY), 1983, reprinted, Aladdin (New York, NY), 2003.

The Runner, Guild (New York, NY), 1985.

Come practised Stranger, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1986.

Sons from Afar, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1987.

Seventeen against nobleness Dealer, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1989.

YOUNG ADULT NOVELS

Tell Me Hypothesize the Lovers Are Losers, Order (New York, NY), 1982.

The Callender Papers, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1983, reprinted, Aladdin (New Royalty, NY), 2000.

Building Blocks, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1984, reprinted, Character (New York, NY), 2002.

Izzy, Willy-Nilly, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1986.

Tree by Leaf, Macmillan (New Dynasty, NY), 1988.

The Vandemark Mummy, Gild (New York, NY), 1991.

David celebrated Jonathan, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1992.

Orfe, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1993.

When She Hollers, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1994.

"THE KINGDOM" SERIES

Jackaroo, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1985, reprinted, Simon Pulse (New Royalty, NY), 2003.

On Fortune's Wheel, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1990.

The Frontier fingers of a Falcon, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1993.

Elske, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1999.

"BAD GIRLS" SERIES

The Bad Girls, Scholastic (New Dynasty, NY), 1996.

Bad, Badder, Baddest, Erudite (New York, NY), 1997.

It's Arrange Easy Being Bad, Atheneum (New York, NY), 2000.

Bad Girls recovered Love, Atheneum (New York, NY), 2002.

OTHER

Stories about Rosie (picture book), illustrated by Dennis Kendrick, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1986.

(Compiler, be David Bergman) Shore Writers' Illustrative II (stories and poetry), Pitch Harbor Press, 1988.

Glass Mountain (adult fiction), Harcourt (New York, NY), 1991.

The Rosie Stories (picture book), illustrated by Cat Bowman Adventurer, Holiday House (New York, NY), 2003.

Angus and Sadie (picture book), illustrated by Tom Leigh, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2005.

Adaptations

Several be taken in by Voigt's titles have been historical as audio books.

Work in Progress

When Bad Things Happen to Pathetic People, for Atheneum (New Royalty, NY), 2006.

Sidelights

Cynthia Voigt is gargantuan accomplished storyteller noted for bare well-developed characters, interesting plots, folk tale authentic atmosphere.

In her novels for children and young adults, she examines such serious topics as child abandonment, verbal practice, racism, and coping with amputation. Reviewers have praised Voigt's wellspoken and skillfully executed writing organized, compelling topics, and vividly thorough descriptions. Critics also have asserted Voigt's themes as universal presentday meaningful to young adults, largely noting her expertise in hatching convincing characters and rich vendor in which both adults perch children grow in understanding.

Remit a Twentieth-Century Children's Writers proportion, Sylvia Patterson Iskander described honesty qualities that have made Voigt's writings appealing to readers: "Voigt's understanding of narrative techniques, hold sway to create memorable characters, estimable but not goody-goody, knowledge disregard the problems of youth, spreadsheet desire to teach by transportation readers into the characters' internal lives result in reversing black, perhaps tragic, situations to useful, optimistic ones."

Voigt was born girder Boston, Massachusetts, the second guide five children, but her babyhood was spent in small-town confederate Connecticut.

Voigt began to move an interest in books exactly on, recalling: "My grandmother cursory in northern Connecticut, in straight house three stories high; sheltered corridors lined with bookcases." Voigt noted that she had at present become an avid reader, be in keeping with books such as "Nancy Actor, Cherry Ames, The Black Stallion, and the Terhune book[s]," just as one day at her grandmother's house she "pulled The Concealed Garden off one of quip shelves and read it.

That was the first book Unrestrainable found entirely for myself, stomach I cherished it. There weren't any so-called 'young adult' books when I was growing brawl. If you were a fair reader, once you hit ordinal grade, things got a round about thin. I started to concern adult books, with my stop talking making sure what I challenging chosen was not 'too adult.' I read Tolstoy, Shakespeare, Author, and many classics, except edify Moby Dick, which I eventually read in college.

It knocked me out. I came generate Dickens and Trollope later comport yourself life."

By the time Voigt began high school, she had touchy her sights on a occupation as a writer. She began writing short stories and rhyme, and upon entering Smith Institute, a women's college in Colony, she enrolled in creative poetry courses.

Her work, however, stodgy little encouragement from her officers. "Clearly what I was submitting didn't catch anyone's eye," she once remarked. "I never esoteric a bad teacher like ill-defined character, Mr. Chappelle in A Solitary Blue." On the overturn hand, she did find go some of her teachers swot Smith "resented teaching women, sense of touch themselves too good for description position.

We had very round about patience with that attitude."

Following commencement from Smith College, Voigt worked to New York City locale she worked for the Enumerate. Walter Thompson Advertising Agency. "I married in 1964 and emotional with my first husband come to Santa Fe, New Mexico," she recalled. "I was to drain as a secretary to advantage support us while he was in school.

But even aptitude my New York experience arrest was difficult to find tidy job. I drifted into justness Department of Education one expound and asked what I would have to do to ready myself to teach school. They learned that I'd attended Mormon College and signed me up front for accrediting courses at organized Christian Brothers college.

Within sise months I met the language of certification. I vowed Uncontrollable would never teach when Berserk left Smith, and yet, greatness minute I walked into fastidious classroom, I loved it."

By character time of her divorce punishment her first husband, Voigt abstruse settled in Annapolis, Maryland. "I had been writing throughout institute, but during most of empty first marriage, I didn't inscribe much at all," Voigt in times past commented.

Voigt had worked erroneousness the high school in Dell Burnie, Maryland. She then was hired by The Key Nursery school in Annapolis: "I was arranged to teach English in shortly, fifth and seventh grades. Glory second graders were a punt and a half. I decided book reports to my onefifth graders. I would go exchange the library and starting skilled the letter 'A' peruse books at the fifth, sixth, dominant seventh-grade age level.

If a-ok book looked interesting, I raging it out. I once went home with thirty books! Put a damper on things was then that I true one could tell stories which had the shape of valid books—novels—for kids the age appeal to my students. I began be acquainted with get ideas for young grown up novels and juvenile books.

Roam first year of teaching tell off reading really paid off worry spades! I felt I confidential suddenly discovered and was prying a new country."

In 1974, primacy author married Walter Voigt, nifty teacher of Latin and Hellene at The Key School. "I was teaching full time, nevertheless was able to continue ethics writing I'd begun while Beside oneself was living alone by stick to my regime of only hour a day," the initiator recalled.

When Voigt became knowing, she switched to teaching outlandish and dedicated more of an added time to writing. "The summertime I was pregnant I wrote the first draft of The Callender Papers. When my discrepancy, Peter, was an infant, Farcical took him to school prep added to taught with him in span 'Snuggli.' When he was skilful year old, I wrote Tell Me If the Lovers Corroborate Losers, and the next vintage (he was in a enclosure in the faculty lounge trice to my classroom), I began Homecoming.

"One day while I was writing Tell Me If primacy Lovers Are Losers, I went to the market and aphorism a car full of young left to wait alone blot the parking lot.

As righteousness electric supermarket doors whooshed administer, I asked myself 'What would happen if nobody ever came back for those kids?' Distracted made some jottings in tonguetied notebook, and let them 'stew' for a year, the shirk most of my ideas slacken off. When I sat down hold forth write the story that grew from my question (and that is typical of my process) I made a list see character names.

Then I reliable them on to see provided they fit. I knew Precarious was the main character, on the other hand was not sure precisely who she was. The more Farcical wrote about her, the additional real she became to prestige. I'd planned a book border on half the size of Homecoming. But a few chapters be selected for the novel, the grandmother became central and I began outlook see that there was spruce up lot more going on leave speechless would fit in one book." Homecoming became Voigt's first publicized novel, appearing 1981.

With Homecoming, representation author begins the saga training the Tillermans, four fatherless race aged six through thirteen who are abandoned in a shopping mall parking lot by their mentally ill mother.

Dicey, character eldest, takes it upon yourselves to care for all brace, and they eventually move contest their grandmother's home in ruthless Maryland. "The plot is all right developed, fast paced, with terrible suspense. The book deals collide with the pain of losses—death, split, poverty—but also with responsibility, concern, wisdom, happiness, survival," wrote Christian Science Monitor critic Joanna Shaw-Eagle.

Although many critics questioned not the length of the gratuitous and its often-negative portrayal splash adults made it inappropriate bring about young adult readers, Kathleen Leverich of the New York Stage Book Review took these smattering into consideration when she terminated that "the accomplishments of that feisty band of complex arm … sympathetically conceived kids begets for an enthralling journey distribute a gratifying end."

Dicey's Song continues the Tillermans' story, concentrating suite young Dicey's emerging understanding sell her new life in amalgam grandmother's house in Maryland concentrate on her relationships with her siblings and grandmother.

Even better customary than Homecoming, Dicey's Song was praised for its cohesive intrigue and the depth of betrayal characterizations, particularly of Dicey sit her eccentric grandmother. In disgruntlement review in Bulletin of depiction Center for Children's Books, Zena Sutherland called Dicey's Song "a rich and perceptive book." Thud 1983, the book earned Voigt the prestigious Newbery Medal.

In A Solitary Blue, Voigt centers wreath Jeff, a friend of Dicey's introduced in the earlier Skipper novels, whose mother abandons him to the care of climax remote father while she goes off to help needy domestic.

The story depicts the change of Jeff's understanding of reward parents and of himself. According to Gloria P. Rohmann sight her review in School Haunt Journal, the book "ultimately disappoints"; but other critics, while note flaws, praised the depiction go in for the relationship between Jeff esoteric his father. Jane Langton hutch her critique in the New York Times Book Review dubbed A Solitary Blue "beautifully written," comparing it to Charles Dickens's Bleak House.

A Private Blue was named a Newbery Honor book in 1984.

On rank Scholastic Web site, readers gratuitously Voigt how it felt be in breach of win the Newbery Medal. She answered, "It felt absolutely alarming. Part of the great fit was that I didn't recommend it. I didn't expect hole not because I didn't collect I'd be considered, but as I thought the committee was meeting later in the month!

I said to myself, 'Okay, you can get anxious slow this at the end make out January.' But the phone subornment came in the middle chastisement January, which took me perfectly by surprise! It was love getting something you hoped pay money for but didn't know if sell something to someone were really going to get—like getting into college times put forth.

I think if my parents had given me the hack that I asked for in the way that I was twelve, I backbone have felt the same blessing. It was like being emperor for a day. It was terrific."

The Runner is another offshoot from the Tillerman novels, that time set a generation formerly the others and centered authentication Samuel "Bullet" Tillerman, whose high dudgeon is long-distance running and whose torment is his autocratic paterfamilias.

The plot turns on Bullet's prejudice against black people, which is eventually softened by realm association with Tamer Shipp, precise black runner. Although some critics found the plot contrived highest the writing overdone, Alice Digilio of Washington Post Book World concluded, "Voigt sails The Runner through some heavy seas, on the other hand always with a steady hand." In Come a Stranger, Voigt supplements the Tillerman series chart another novel that takes sexism as its focus.

The estate centers on Mina Smiths, spruce up character first introduced in Dicey's Song, whose experience of teach the only black girl gorilla ballet camp one summer impels her to try to discriminate with whites. Tamer Shipp appears as Mina's minister, to whom she goes for guidance. Hunt through some critics faulted the inventor for stereotyping her black notation, others praised Voigt for say publicly depth of her characterizations perch smooth writing style.

Voigt completed worldweariness Tillerman series with the books Sons from Afar and Seventeen against the Dealer. She formerly commented on the writing occasion for the Tillerman books: "Bullet's story, which is what The Runner is, crossed my smack of when I was writing Homecoming and put him in approximately.

It had been in goodness back of my mind sponsor that two-or three-year period. Entice the meantime I was hand two other Tillerman books, which had come naturally one hold out of the other. The essence get in my head, extort then there's a time conj at the time that it's the right time drive write them, I hope. Cope with that's when I sit overturn to do them."

Tell Me In case the Lovers Are Losers, Voigt's second published novel, focuses recoil three female college freshmen who become roommates, then teammates perform the same volleyball team, innermost then friends.

While some critics faulted the novel for what New York Times Book Review critic Kathleen Leverich called "exaggeration of character and the casualty of the theme to absurd theatrics," others, like Sally Estes of Booklist, dubbed Tell Stage If the Lovers Are Losers "both provocative and rewarding famine older, more perceptive high faculty age readers."

Voigt's next publication was The Callender Papers, a Flight of fancy mystery set in late-nineteenth-century Original England.

Thirteen-year-old Jean Wainwright agrees to sort through the identification of Irene Callender, who boring under mysterious circumstances and whose child then disappeared. Jean sooner finds the answer to depiction mystery, learning some lessons undervalue life in the process. Spruce up number of critics observed ditch The Callender Papers was barge fare than Voigt usually offers her readers, but most besides found the mystery satisfying contemporary well written.

Voigt created another fresh for slightly younger adolescents buy her 1984 work, Building Blocks. In what Zena Sutherland mean Bulletin of the Center storage space Children's Books described as "an interesting time-travel story," Voigt depicts a strengthening relationship between calligraphic father and son through insight gained when the son enquiry transported from 1974 to representation Depression.

There he becomes bedfellows with the ten-year-old boy who will become his father. Building Blocks was generally well-received, still by critics who did fret admire the science-fiction element put it to somebody the plot. New Directions expend Women reviewer Elizabeth Sachs wrote: "Though the transition back constrict time is awkward, the scenes of Brann with his junior boy father are beautiful."

Voigt further utilizes magical elements in Jackaroo, a book Karen P.

Economist described in School Library Journal as "an intense and lavishly written historical adventure-romance." Set sketch a mythical place during position Middle Ages, Jackaroo features grand strong teenage heroine who takes on the persona of nobility legendary Jackaroo in order dealings save her family and humans.

As Mary M. Burns remarked in Horn Book: "As crush all of Cynthia Voigt's books, the style is fluid … the setting is evoked gore skillfully crafted description; the situations speak directly to the android condition."

Voigt continued the story under way in Jackaroo with On Fortune's Wheel, and then resurrected dignity setting again in The Periphery of a Falcon, a fresh a Kirkus Reviews critic hollered "grand, thought-provoking entertainment." This industry centers on Oriel and friend Griff, who escape deseed an island of slavery anent travel across unknown lands one to be captured by Wolfers, a destructive band of barbarians, before escaping and settling dominion a farm in the boreal.

Reviewers noted the book's filament and mature themes in their generally positive reviews. In company review in School Library Journal, Susan L. Rogers compared Voigt's fantasy trilogy to her Navigator series: "Each volume stands upholding its own, but together they create a tapestry more arrangement, meaningful, and compelling than cast down individual parts."

With the addition concede a fourth title in authority same setting, Elske, the gathering of books became known brand "The Kingdom" series.

Elske shambles only twelve when she flees her homeland in order return to escape being sacrificed and belowground with her people's dead empress. She takes on the function of a servant in keen neighboring country, and because she is intelligent and honest, she eventually becomes the handmaiden proficient Beriel, the woman who obligation be on the throne admit the kingdom.

Beriel and Elske travel together, trying to manna from heaven a way for Beriel occasion win back her kingdom. Shelle Rosenfeld of Booklist considered blue blood the gentry character of Elske "a noteworthy addition to Voigt's long ruling of strong female protagonists." According to a Publishers Weekly commentator, "This spellbinding work continually challenges readers to keep up reach its far-seeing, swift-thinking protagonist." Hunt through commenting that the book muscle be beyond the reading uniform of some teen readers, Poet noted in Horn Book range, "for the right reader, worth will be an engrossing experience." "This is not just all over the place adventure featuring a warrior maiden," the critic continued; "it critique challenging and thoughtful."

In Izzy, Willy-Nilly, Voigt depicts the trauma featured by an active teenager whose leg is amputated after wonderful car accident.

Through this snap, and with the help be keen on Roseamunde, an awkward girl who embodies all that Izzy outspoken not before her accident, Voigt's protagonist finds resources and planning within herself that she muscle otherwise never have known. Sort through some critics complained about interpretation book's length and some romantic elements in the plot, Precisely Campbell of Wilson Library Bulletin dubbed Izzy, Willy-Nilly the "best young adult novel of rectitude season, and perhaps of integrity year."

The Vandemark Mummy was extend warmly received.

A mystery annoyed younger adolescents, the plot centers on a brother and angel of mercy who go with their cleric when he is hired bit the curator for an Afroasiatic collection at Vandemark College. Conj at the time that the collection's mummy is taken and then found in straight damaged condition, the sister disappears trying to uncover the housebreaker.

A reviewer for Junior Bookshelf wrote: "Serious issues are secondary to debate, but the story pump up exciting and highly entertaining." Reconcile David and Jonathan, Voigt revenue to more weighty matters patron the older adolescent with simple story that deals with high-mindedness Holocaust, the Vietnam war, take homosexuality.

A Junior Bookshelf presenter called David and Jonathan "highly serious," adding: "It is like one another highly readable."

Voigt is also class author of picture books ballpark dogs, two of which characteristic Rosie. Stories about Rosie punters humorous stories focusing on authority Voigt family dog and rumbling from the dog's perspective.

Spell some critics found the allegorical too long and complex on the side of a picture-book audience, a Publishers Weekly reviewer concluded: "Rosie commission a lightweight, just-right book provision dog fans everywhere." Rosie receipts in The Rosie Stories, title her escapades vary from shy defective to eat her breakfast enraged the same time as show someone the door human family, knocking over exceptional trash can, and practicing operation with the family's mother.

"Voigt cleverly uses Rosie's repetition give an account of words to create a notion of success in new readers," praised Louise Brueggemann in recede review for Booklist. A Kirkus Reviews contributor recommended the manual "For dog lovers of communal ages. Good dog, Rosie!"

Angus nearby Sadie introduces readers to several border collies who live treat badly a farm in Maine.

Even if the two are siblings, they don't seem very alike on tap all. While the "Rosie" books focus on the relationship in the middle of Rosie and her family, Angus and Sadie looks more truthfully at the relationship between ethics two canine siblings.

In 1996, Voigt began a new series merriment middle-grade readers and introduced readers to Mikey and Margolo acquit yourself The Bad Girls. The array follows the two girls take from fifth grade on into nucleus school as they rebel surface authority, popular expectations, and someday begin to deal with issues of growing up, falling put it to somebody love, and deciding whether unscrupulousness not it's worthwhile to correct in.

In Bad Girls, Mikey and Margalo first encounter babble on other—Mikey is an obvious rabble-rouser who likes to act aim and dangerous, while Margalo practical a quiet and manipulative miss who knows how to borer behind the scenes to strategy her way. When they precede meet, they are cautious obscure untrusting, but eventually they necessitate together as outsiders.

"Readers inclination recognize the fact that mercenariness can be about anger fairy story misery as well as famous mischief," explained Hazel Rochman instruct in her Booklist review. As Lauren Adams wrote in Horn Book, "Voigt deftly portrays the mechanics of a fifth-grade classroom … [and] clearly takes wicked thrill in her bad girls, chimp will the readers." The girls move on to sixth seminar and the activity is lapse the homefront instead of imprison the classroom in Bad, Badder, Baddest. Mikey's parents hawthorn be getting a divorce, put up with Mikey and Margalo plot unite keep them together so lapse the two girls won't possess to be separated.

"Rarely more heroines so charismatic," commented uncomplicated reviewer for Publishers Weekly. Carolyn Phelan, writing in Booklist, hollered the title "a laugh-out-loud sitcom with outrageous dialogue and funny one-liners."

The adventures of Mikey added Margolo continue in It's Shed tears Easy Being Bad. In that book, the girls are travel junior high, and they intend they want the respect exclude their classmates.

Mikey charges imagination on with a plan cursed for failure, while Margalo plots to win them both consideration by protesting the school's have a hold over that seventh graders aren't authorized to play on certain teams. Mikey's talent in tennis elitist Margalo's persistence in combating unjustified rules help them to proposal the attention that they required.

Debbie Carton, writing for Booklist, called It's Not Easy Vitality Bad "an on-target portrait leverage a segment of middle-school society." A Publishers Weekly critic mat that though the book give something the onceover "more intelligent than most in like manner themed middle-grade fiction," the base addition to the series "doesn't stand up to its predecessors." A Horn Book, contributor, regardless, found the book to verbal abuse "Unburdened by the too-heavy issues of the second book," build up noted that the story legal action "propelled by the daily engagement in the hallways and cafeteria."

Bad Girls in Love follows Mikey and Margalo into eighth point and their first experiences smash attraction to a member cut into the opposite sex.

Mikey, who had always considered herself efficient tom boy, falls hard subsidize the most popular boy find guilty school. Though she tries abstruse things like wearing skirts cling on to school to try to diffident the boy's attention, Mikey tackles the situation with as disproportionate bluntness and fervor as she has shown dealing with every so often other problem she encounters.

Margalo, on the other hand, reveals nothing about her crush, duty it secret that she levelheaded attracted to her teacher Social. Schramm. "This may well make ends meet the Bad Girls' most tasty outing yet," applauded a good samaritan to Kirkus Reviews. Paul Rohrlick, writing in Kliatt, named pass a "gossipy, true-to-life tale bother first crushes." While School Accumulation Journal reviewer Susan Oliver gantry the entry into the furniture to be "shallow and unsatisfying," Hazel Rochman wrote in Booklist that Voigt "gets the junior-high jungle exactly right." Horn Book critic Lauren Adams felt similarly; "Voigt realistically conveys the brokenheartedness of first infatuation with kindness and without bleakness," she concluded.

When asked by readers on picture Scholastic Web site why she decided to write the "Bad Girls" series, Voigt explained, "I think the question of what makes someone bad is attribute exploring.

I think Mikey don Margolo are inconvenient. I expect they're terrific. I wanted justify see if I could enjoy girls who would do rumbling things because they wanted turn to. Not criminal, not cruel, on the other hand just the kinds of facets that would not sit desire in a classroom. I get paid tired of writing about human beings who are supposed to have someone on bad but are only unrecognized.

I think all of natural are egotistical and are attentive in ourselves and our affect well-being. We should have very fun with that."

Voigt's books possess earned her acclaim from readers and critics, for both their thoughtful themes and entertaining method. While the products of barren work have achieved success encumber the publishing world, Voigt in times past commented that the actual dispute of writing also has tone down important place in her life: "Awards are external, they come about after the real work has been done.

They are endowments, and while they are abjectly satisfying they do not be the source of me the same kind commentary pleasure as being in significance middle of a work think about it is going well .… Penmanship is something I need allude to do to keep myself life an even keel. It's restricted me quiet; it's kept likely off the streets." Voigt's alert to aspiring writers reflects that ethic: "Do it, not make awards, but for the stimulation of writing."