Tate, Eleanora (b. 1948), author of children's and young adult literature, poet, short fiction writer, journalist, storyteller, and media consultant. A former journalist in Iowa and Tennessee, a former president of the National Association of Black Storytellers, and a poet, Eleanora Tate has been most successful as a writer of children's and young adult literature. The film version of her first book, Just an Overnight Guest (1980), was aired as a part of PBS's Wonderworks series. The Secret of Gumbo Grove (1987) is not only a mystery but a story with a strong message about the importance of history and heritage. Thank You, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.! (1990) chronicles young Raisin Stackhouse's journey toward self-appreciation. Retold African Myths (1993), illustrated by Tate's nephew, Don Tate, demonstrates her storytelling prowess. The same is true of Front Porch Stories at the One-Room School (1992) in which a father tells his daughter and niece the stories of his youth in their community.
The value of education is a recurring theme in Tate's work. The novel's front porch is modeled upon the Lincoln One-Room School in Canton, Ohio, that Tate attended as a girl. (She is a graduate of Roosevelt High School and Drake University, both in Des Moines, Iowa.) More important, the father is a central figure in this book, as is also the case in A Blessing in Disguise (1995). Tate believes that the need for “father-daughter love” among blacks often goes unrecognized, but that it is connected to black girls' self-image and self-esteem. She is one of the first young people's writers to address openly the issue of self-esteem in the context of skin color and African heritage, accomplishing what Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye does in adult literature.
Bibliography
- “Tate, Eleanora E(laine),” in Something about the Author,
vol. 38 , ed. Anne Commire, 1985, pp. 199–201
Dianne Johnson-Feelings
