An Evening with Jacqueline Woodson - Coretta Scott King, Newbery and National Book Award winning author, Young Person's Poet Laureate in conversation with Harry J. Elam, Jr.

May 23, 2017
Cubberley Auditorium

Jacqueline Woodson has helped redefine what exceptional children’s literature looks like with stories of strong, independent girls, children of every class and color, and families of every shape and size. Her writing invites the next generation to stretch its thinking about racism, American history, and its own coming-of-age, in a way that is at once inclusive, heartbreaking and uplifting. During this special Cubberley Lecture in honor of the Graduate School of Education’s centennial, Woodson read passages from her diverse body of work, shared her personal story about the power of language and learning to change lives, and discussed her lifelong journey as a writer.

• Event coverage by Barbara Wilcox "Good books, like teachers, acknowledge children’s lives, says author Jacqueline Woodson"

About the Speakers

Jacqueline Woodson is the 2014 National Book Award Winner for her New York Times bestselling memoir, Brown Girl Dreaming. Recipient of the Newbery and Coretta Scott King awards, she was named the Young People’s Poet Laureate in 2015 by The Poetry Foundation. She is the author of more than two dozen books for children, young adults and adults, including The Other Side, Each Kindness, Coming On Home Soon, Another Brooklyn and Miracle’s Boys, which received the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and was adapted into a miniseries directed by Spike Lee. Born in Columbus, Ohio, Woodson spent her early life in Greenville, S.C. Her family moved to Brooklyn, N.Y. when she was seven. She lives there today with her family.

Harry J. Elam, Jr. has served as director of the Introduction to Humanities program, the Institute for Diversity in the Arts and the Committee on Black Performing Arts. Elam's scholarly work focuses on contemporary American drama, particularly African American and Chicano theater. While at Stanford, he pioneered the Leland Scholars Program, a summer bridge program for incoming students from under-resourced high schools, and has received six teaching awards, including the Humanities and Sciences Dean’s Distinguished Teaching Award and the Bing Teaching Fellowship for Undergraduate Teaching. 

Event Video: Conversation with Harry J. Elam, Jr.