Eloise Greenfield is the 2018 recipient of the Coretta Scott King–Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement

DENVER– Eloise Greenfield is the recipient of the 2018 Coretta Scott King–Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement. The announcement was made today by the American Library Association (ALA), during the ALA Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits held Feb. 9 – 13, in Denver, Colorado.

“Eloise Greenfield is a trailblazer whose extraordinary books of poetry and prose have influenced many and continue to resonate with children today. Her rich body of work inspires and enriches readers,” said Award Committee Chair Deborah D. Taylor.

Eloise Greenfield was born in Parmele, North Carolina, and currently resides in Washington, D.C. Early in life, she discovered a love of reading and writing and realized there were few books that showed the fullness of African American life. She published her first book in 1972 and went on to write and publish more than 40 books. From “Honey, I Love” to “The Great Migration,” this multiple award-winning author has captivated audiences through the years.

The Coretta Scott King–Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement is named in memory of beloved children’s author Virginia Hamilton. The annual award is presented in odd years (i.e. 2013, 2015, 2017…), to a practitioner for substantial contributions through active engagement with youth using award winning African American literature for children and/or young adults, via implementation of reading and reading related activities/programs. The recipient may be a public librarian, academic librarian, school librarian (public or private), an educator (pre K-12 or any level therein, or higher education) or youth literature advocate whose vocation, work, volunteer service or ongoing promotion of books with and/or on behalf of youth is significant and sustained.

In even years (i.e. 2016, 2018, 2020…), the award is presented to an African American author, illustrator or author/illustrator for a body of his or her published books for children and/or young adults, and who has made a significant and lasting literary contribution.

Virginia Hamilton was an award-winning author of children's books. She wrote more than 35 books throughout her career, including “M. C. Higgins, the Great,” for which she won the 1975 Newbery Medal.  During her lifetime, Hamilton received numerous awards including the Coretta Scott King Book Award, the Edgar Allan Poe Award, the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award and the Hans Christian Andersen Award.

Members of the 2018 Coretta Scott King–Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement Award Committee are: Chair Deborah D. Taylor, Enoch Pratt Free Library, Baltimore; Therese G. Bigelow, Coupeville, Wash.; Patty Carleton, St. Louis; Dr. Rosalie B. Kiah, Norfolk (Va.) State University; and Ida W. Thompson, Richland Library, Columbia, S.C. 

For more information on the Coretta Scott King–Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement Award and other ALA Youth Media Awards, please visit www.ala.org/yma.

The American Library Association is the oldest and largest library association in the world with more than 57,000 members. Its mission is to provide leadership for the development, promotion and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all.

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