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Jerry Spinelli

Award-Winning Children's Author

Jerry Spinelli
Travels From Travels From:
West Chester, PA, USA
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Authors, Television & Film
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Jerry Spinelli Biography

Growing up, Jerry Spinelli was really serious about baseball. He played for the Green Sox Little League team in his hometown of Norristown, Pennsylvania, and dreamed of one day playing for the major leagues, preferably as shortstop for the New York Yankees.

One night during high school, Spinelli watched the football team win an exciting game against one of the best teams in the country. While everyone else rode about town tooting horns in celebration, Spinelli went home and wrote "Goal to Go," a poem about the game's defining moment, a goal-line stand. His father submitted the poem to the Norristown Times-Herald and it was featured in the middle of the sports page a few days later. He then traded in his baseball bat for a pencil, because he knew that he wanted to become a writer.

After graduating from Gettysburg College with an English degree, Spinelli worked full time as a magazine editor. Every day on his lunch hour, he would close his office door and craft novels on yellow magazine copy paper. He wrote four adult novels in 12 years of lunchtime writing, but none of these were accepted for publication. When he submitted a fifth novel about a 13-year-old boy, adult publishers once again rejected his work, but children's publishers embraced it. Spinelli feels that he accidentally became an author of children's books.

Spinelli's hilarious books entertain both children and young adults. Readers see his life in his autobiography Knots in My Yo-Yo String, as well as in his fiction. Crash came out of his desire to include the beloved Penn Relays of his home state of Pennsylvania in a book, while Maniac Magee is set in a fictional town based on his own hometown.

When asked if he does research for his writing, Spinelli says: "The answer is yes and no. No, in the sense that I seldom plow through books at the library to gather material. Yes, in the sense that the first 15 years of my life turned out to be one big research project. I thought I was simply growing up in Norristown, Pennsylvania; looking back now I can see that I was also gathering material that would one day find its way into my books."

On inspiration, the author says: "Ideas come from ordinary, everyday life. And from imagination. And from feelings. And from memories. Memories of dust in my sneakers and humming whitewalls down a hill called Monkey."

Spinelli lives with his wife and fellow writer, Eileen, in West Chester, Pennsylvania. While they write in separate rooms of the house, the couple edits and celebrates one another's work. Their six children have given Jerry Spinelli a plethora of clever material for his writing.

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Speaker profile last updated by AAE Talent Team on 07/23/2024.

Jerry Spinelli Videos

  • Jerry Spinelli '63 addresses the Class of 2019
    Jerry Spinelli '63 addresses the Class of 2019
    Newbery-prize winning author Jerry Spinelli '63 gave the Commencement Address to the Class of 2019.
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FAQs on booking Jerry Spinelli

  • How do I book Jerry Spinelli to speak at my event?

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  • What are the speaker fees for Jerry Spinelli

    Speaking fees for Jerry Spinelli, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book Jerry Spinelli are for live events and for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire Jerry Spinelli, click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent.

  • What topics does Jerry Spinelli speak about?

    Jerry Spinelli is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Authors, Television & Film.

  • Where does Jerry Spinelli travel from?

    Jerry Spinelli generally travels from West Chester, PA, USA, but can be booked for private corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. For more details, please contact an AAE Booking agent.

  • Who is Jerry Spinelli’s agent?

    AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully booked keynote speakers like Jerry Spinelli for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Jerry Spinelli for your next private or corporate function.

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Jerry Spinelli is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics . The estimated speaking fee range to book Jerry Spinelli for your event is available upon request. Jerry Spinelli generally travels from West Chester, PA, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Gordon Korman, Pam Muñoz Ryan, Laura Numeroff, Kabir Sehgal and Simon Lovell. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Jerry Spinelli for an upcoming live or virtual event.

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