RHYNES, Martha E. 1939-

PERSONAL: Born December 5, 1939, in Dallas, TX; daughter of Raymond Jerome (an oil pipeline superintendent) and Juanita (a schoolteacher; maiden name, Wallace) Eubank; married Willard E. Rhynes (a veterinarian and rancher); children: six. Ethnicity: "White." Education: Attended Texas Women's University and Oklahoma State University; East Central University, B.A. (with honors), 1975, M.A., 1980; graduate study at University of Oklahoma, 1985, Drake University, 1989, and Tulsa Junior College, 1992. Religion: United Methodist. Hobbies and other interests: Square dancing, duplicate bridge.

ADDRESSES: Home—Route 1, Box 192, Stonewall, OK 74871. Offıce—605 Ann, Ada, OK 74820. E-mail— [email protected].

CAREER: Stonewall School, Stonewall, OK, middle and high school English teacher, 1976-94; East Central University, Ada, OK, adjunct professor of composition, 1994-98. Public speaker; judge of essay contests.

MEMBER: National Council of Teachers of English, Oklahoma Council of Teachers of English, Oklahoma Writing project, Oklahoma Writer's Federation, Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, Ada Library Friends (member of board of directors), Ada Writer's Club, Douglas Bible Club, Owls Book Club.

AWARDS, HONORS: Fellow of National Endowment for the Humanities, 1989; lifetime achievement award, Oklahoma Council of Teachers of English.

WRITINGS:

The Secret of the Pack Rat's Nest (young-adult novel), 1stBooks Library (Bloomington, IN), 2002.

I, Too, Sing America: The Story of Langston Hughes (young adult biography), Morgan Reynolds (Greensboro, NC), 2002.

Gwendolyn Brooks: Poet from Chicago (young adult biography), Morgan Reynolds (Greensboro, NC), 2003.

Contributor to periodicals, e-zines, and literary encyclopedias, including Living with Teens, Institute of Children's Literature, Inscriptions, Critical Survey of Short Fiction, Cyclopedia of Literary Places, and Cyclopedia of World Authors.

WORK IN PROGRESS: Wrinkled Sox, a historical novel set in the 1940s; How to Write Scary Stories, for young adults; Reading and Writing with the Five Senses, for young adults; Ralph Ellison: A Biography.

SIDELIGHTS: Martha E. Rhynes told CA: "In my teens I, a city girl from Houston, married a large-animal veterinarian and rancher from Oklahoma. I was a stay-at-home wife and mother of six (four boys and two girls) until my youngest children (twins) started school. At that time I returned to college and eventually graduated from East Central University in Oklahoma.

"I began a second career by teaching literature and composition to students in grades seven through twelve at Stonewall, a rural school located near my ranch home. Later I served as an adjunct professor of freshman composition at East Central University. Encouraging teens to enjoy reading and writing was a challenge, but I loved it.

"After twenty years in the classroom, I retired to care for my elderly parents. From my home office I began a third career, writing articles for 'e-zines,' journals, encyclopedias, book reviews, and author profiles. Morgan Reynolds published I, Too, Sing America: The Story of Langston Hughes in 2002. I chose to research and write about Hughes because my students liked his jazzy rhythms and dream themes.

"My husband and I live on our family-operated commercial ranch, where we raise black baldy cattle. Two sons and their families live nearby. When I am not writing at the computer, I enjoy square dancing, playing duplicate bridge, and reading."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

periodicals

Booklist, February 15, 2002, Gillian Engberg, review of I, Too, Sing America: The Story of Langston Hughes, p. 1033

School Library Journal, May, 2002, Carol Jones Collins, review of I, Too, Sing America: The Story of Langston Hughes, p. 176; April, 2003, Sunny Shore, review of Gwendolyn Brooks: Poet from Bronzeville, p. 190.