ANDERSON, Sheila E. 1957-

PERSONAL: Born June 12, 1957, in Buffalo, NY; daughter of Arthur S. (a lawyer) and Daisy Estelle (a teacher; maiden name, Hood) Anderson; married Mohan Ramachandran, March, 1995 (divorced, March, 1998). Education: Bernard M. Baruch College, B.A. Religion: Christian.

ADDRESSES: Home—620 W. 149th St., Ste. 6E, New York, NY 10031. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Writer. WBGO, Newark, NJ, radio host; Newark Museum, Newark, NJ, manager of public programs. Producer and host of cable television program The Art of Jazz; public speaking and jazz performance teacher.

MEMBER: Jazz Journalists Association.

AWARDS, HONORS: Manhattan Neighborhood Network Award for Community Media, 2001.

WRITINGS:

The Quotable Musician: From Bach to Tupac, Allworth Press (New York, NY), 2003.

How to Grow as a Musician: What All Musicians Must Know to Succeed, Allworth Press (New York, NY), 2005.

SIDELIGHTS: Sheila E. Anderson told CA: "I have always loved music and learning about the people behind the music and what they say. I worked for a short time at a publisher who had a line of quotation books but nothing about jazz, so I proposed to write one. I met all of my deadlines, never complained, worked with my editors, and worked hard to promote The Quotable Musician: From Bach to Tupac. My publisher asked me to write … [How to Grow as a Musician: What All Musicians Must Know to Succeed,] which was perfect for me because it is a book of interviews with musicians. Given that I host and produce my own talk show, I knew that it would be fun, though I was unprepared for the amount of work that it would take. Looking back, I do not know how I did it. How to Grow as a Musician is geared toward people who are interested in the lives of musicians such as Al Jarreau, Ruth Brown, David Randolph, Ron Carter, and many others. They tell their stories and offer guidance on how others can move along in their careers.

"What advice I can give to aspiring writers is that you must be diligent even if you feel discouraged along the way. I tend to work at night and into the morning when it is quiet, though living in New York City can have its challenges. When I work on a book, it consumes me, so I have to isolate myself as much as possible. Also, work hard to get your book noticed. The publisher can not do it all. I was very aggressive in finding people to review my book and getting interviews, book signings, and speaking engagements. My hard work paid off."