Jay Coles

Jay Coles
Born (1995-12-17) December 17, 1995 (age 29)
Occupation
  • author
  • composer
Notable worksBlack Enough (2019)

Jay Coles (born December 17, 1995) is an American author of young adult fiction and composer of concert band music and member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. His debut piece, Orchesis: The Legends of Thailand, premiered in Wakayama-shi, Japan in December 2011.[1] In addition to composing, Jay has written several novels over the years, including the Black Lives Matter-inspired stand-alone, Tyler Johnson Was Here, which was published March 20, 2018 by Little Brown Books for Young Readers.[2]

Biography

Coles was born in Indianapolis and raised in the Haughville neighborhood. He is a music composer best known for his works published with Carl Fischer Music and C.L. Barnhouse Company as well as his novel Tyler Johnson Was Here. Jay studied at Vincennes University and Ball State University, respectively, and earned degrees in Liberal Arts, English, and Education. Coles now lives in Muncie, Indiana, where he works for a church Union Chapel as a youth pastor, and continues to write. He is also a math teacher for Northside Middle school in the same city. Jay Coles presented one of his songs in 2011, when he was 15.

Awards and honors

Tyler Johnson Was Here was nominated for the 2018 Goodreads Choice Award for Young Adult Fiction.[3]

The American Library Association included Tyler Johnson was Here (2019)[4] and Black Enough (2020)[5] on their list of Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults.

Works

Musical compositions

  • Galactic Episode (Concert Band piece) published by Carl Fischer music (2016)
  • Insurrection (Concert Band piece) published by C.L. Barnhouse (2016)
  • Dystopia (Concert Band Piece)

Novels

  • Things We Couldn't Say. Scholastic Press. 2021. ISBN 9781338734188.[6]
  • Tyler Johnson Was Here. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. 2018. ISBN 9780316440776.[7]

Short stories

References

  1. ^ "Coles, Jay | Carl Fischer Music". Carl Fischer. Archived from the original on 2017-02-22.
  2. ^ "Rights Report: Week of January 23, 2017". PublishersWeekly.com. Archived from the original on February 22, 2017. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  3. ^ "Goodreads Choice Award Winners". Goodreads. Archived from the original on 2023-12-17. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
  4. ^ "2019 Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). 2019-01-10. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
  5. ^ "2020 Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). 2020-01-06. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
  6. ^ "Things We Couldn't Say by Jay Coles". Publishers Weekly. 2021-09-29. Archived from the original on 2023-09-09. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
  7. ^ "Tyler Johnson Was Here by Jay Coles". Publishers Weekly. 2018-01-15. Archived from the original on 2023-09-11. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
  8. ^ "Black Enough: Stories of Being Young and Black in America by Tracey Baptiste (et al.)". Publishers Weekly. October 22, 2018. Archived from the original on June 8, 2023. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  9. ^ "Hungry Hearts: 13 Tales of Food & Love by Sangu Mandanna (et al.)". Publishers Weekly. 2019-04-18. Archived from the original on 2023-09-09. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
  10. ^ "Black Boy Joy: 17 Stories Celebrating Black Boyhood by". Publishers Weekly. 2021-08-04. Archived from the original on 2021-10-22. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
  11. ^ "Battle of the Bands". Publishers Weekly. 2021-08-05. Archived from the original on 2023-03-28. Retrieved 2023-12-18.