Devin Scillian

Devin Scillian (pronounced /ˈskɪljən/ skil-yən; born January 11, 1963) is an American journalist and children's author.^[1] His thirteen books include the national bestseller A Is For America (2001), Fibblestax (2000), and Memoirs of a Goldfish (2010). His most recent book is D Is For Down Under: An Australia Alphabet illustrated by Geoff Cook, published by Sleeping Bear Press in 2010. He's co-written two books with his wife, Corey. "One Kansas Farmer," illustrated by Doug Bowles, was released in 2009. Their previous book, S Is For Sunflower, won the Bill Martin, Jr. Picture Book Award^[2] in 2007. Among his fans is former First Lady Laura Bush who invited him to read at the White House for the 2004 Easter Egg Roll.

As a broadcast journalist, Scillian rose to prominence for his marathon coverage of the bombing of the Oklahoma City Federal Building from the anchor desk of NBC affiliate KFOR-TV in 1995. The coverage he led brought the station a Peabody Award. He currently anchors the primary newscasts for WDIV-TV, the NBC affiliate in Detroit. In 2009, his documentary on the search for the automotive fuel of the future, "Fuel's Gold," won an Edward R. Murrow Award, one of the highest honors in journalism. He previously won a Murrow Award in 2007 for "The China Syndrome", a documentary about the crisis in American manufacturing. He also hosts the Sunday morning news program "Flashpoint" on WDIV.

While still a student at the University of Kansas, Scillian began his television career at WIBW-TV in Topeka, Kansas. After graduating from the William Allen White School of Journalism at Kansas, Scillian worked from 1985 to 1986 at WAND-TV in Decatur, Illinois. He spent the next three years as the main anchor at KLTV in Tyler, Texas, before moving to KFOR in Oklahoma City in 1989.

His first published children's book was Fibblestax, the story of a boy who wins the right to name every single thing in the world. A is For America followed in 2001. It's serendipitous release just before the 9/11 terrorist attacks made it a national bestseller, especially popular among teachers. Also a songwriter and musician, Scillian released a companion CD of the same title. The A Is For America album is a child's country and western musical tour of American history.

Scillian's music has found success in Europe. His 2000 album, Tulsa, released on High Heel Records received little airplay in the United States, but several singles landed on the country charts in Europe including "Half Past You" which hit number one in Denmark in the spring of 2005.

References

1. ^ http://imgsrv.wycd.com/image/wycd2/UserFiles/Image/Hoedown%20Artists%2007/Devin%20Scillian%201.JPG
2. ^ http://www.kansasread.org/Bill_Martin_Jr_Award.htm

External links

• Devin Scillian's website
• WDIV-TV's website
• Sleeping Bear Press website

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Name	Scillian, Devin
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Date of birth	January 11, 1963
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