As we continue our month-to-month series, we look into the heart of Louisville for the literature feature for this month. A very clear choice was made, as we'll be highlighting the work of Marsha Norman.

Considered a playwright, screenwriter, and novelist, this Louisville native grew up immersing herself with the world of music and theatre. She later attended Agnes Scott College and graduated with a degree in philosophy. Post college, she went on to write for The Louisville Times as well as teaching young children and adolescents in mental institutions.

Norman is most notably known for her book, The Color Purple, and play 'night, Mother, which won her a Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1983. She also wrote the book and lyrics for a musical version of The Secret Garden. Her adaptation won her a Tony Award in 1991. However, her very first play, Getting Out, helped Norman achieve enough success that facilitated her move to New York City.

Marsha Norman is no stranger to being recognized for her body of work. Besides winning the Pulitzer Prize, she also won Drama Desk Award, Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, and the prestigious Margo Jones Award with fellow director Christopher Durang. In the video you'll see below, Norman was honored through the Guild Hall Lifetime Achievement Awards in New York City in 2010. This clip is courtesy of VVH-TV Hamptons Television.

Marsha Norman currently teaches at the prominent Juilliard School in New York and is the Vice-President of the Dramatists Guild of America.

Juilliard School Faculty: Julliard
Broadway Database Page: imdb.com