When she was young, it bothered – no, angered – Jacqueline Woodson that none of the characters she saw and read about in books looked and lived like her. As Woodson later told The New York Times, “My ordinary life wasn’t represented.”
As an author of more than 40 books, Woodson has had a hand in changing that dynamic, in diversifying a publishing industry that had historically neglected not only African Americans but anyone of color.
Woodson’s published works range from poetry to prose, from children’s titles to two acclaimed adult novels. She received the 2014 National Book Award for her bestselling book Brown Girl Dreaming, a memoir in verse. And, in 2020, she was accorded the Hans Christian Andersen Medal, the highest international recognition given to an author and an illustrator of children’s books.
As part of the Kansas City Public Library’s yearlong celebration of the 150th year of its founding, Woodson speaks to Mará Rose Williams, assistant managing editor for race and equity issues at The Kansas City Star, about her life and consequential career, the importance of reading, and the essential role of libraries.
An Evening with Jacqueline Woodson, March 8, 7 pm (reception begins at 6 pm), Central Library, Kansas City Public Library, 14 W. 10th St., KCMO.
