Lee Bennett Hopkins

Born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Lee Bennett Hopkins graduated Kean University, Bank Street College of Education, and holds a Professional Diploma in Educational Supervision and Administration from Hunter College. In 1980 he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Kean University.  In 1989 he received the University of Southern Mississippi Medallion for “outstanding contributions to the field of children’s literature” in recognition of his work; 2009 brought him the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Excellence in Poetry for Children, recognizing his aggregate body of work. In 2010 he received the Florida Libraries’ Lifetime Achievement Award.  In addition to his anthologies, his own works include:  Been to Yesterdays: Poems of a Life (Boyds Mills Press), an autobiographical book of poetry that received the prestigious Christopher Medal and a Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) Golden Kite Honor Award; City I Love (Abrams, 2009), illustrated by jazz musician Marcellus Hall, starred in both PW and SLJ; and Mama & Her Boys: A Novel (Boyds Mills Pess) paperback, among others. His creativity is the result of his passion for poetry and his unflagging belief that poetry is a necessity for children, at home and in the classroom.  His award winning series of American History through poetry for children and young adults includes: Hand in Hand: An American History Through Poetry, illustrated by Peter Fiore and America At War, illustrated by Stephen Alcorn (all Simon & Schuster/McElderry Books). To encourage the recognition of poetry, he has established two major awards: the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, presented annually by Penn State University for a single volume of poetry, and the Lee Bennett Hopkins/International Reading Association Promising Poet Award, presented every three years by IRA. One of the nation’s most sought-after speakers on the subject of children’s literature, Mr. Hopkins lived in Cape Coral, Florida until his death in 2019. Source