Sunday, November 23, 2008

Lee Bennett Hopkins to receive NCTE Poetry Award

Hot off the press!
Lee Bennett Hopkins will be the next recipient of the National Council of Teachers of English Poetry Award to be presented in November, 2009. It was just announced at the Books for Children luncheon yesterday at this year's NCTE convention in San Antonio. I'll write more on this and all things poetry from the convention shortly...

Meanwhile, congratulations, Lee. This is such a well deserved honor. Has anyone done more for the field of poetry for children than he has? As poet, anthologist, speaker, and poetry advocate extraordinaire? I don't think so!


Picture credit: Photo by Charles Egita from HarperCollins.com

4 comments:

  1. Anonymous5:38 PM

    Extremely well-deserved! Hats off to Lee, America's greatest cheer- leader for children's poetry.
    A swashbuckler of a bow to you, my friend.
    xo, Pat

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  2. One thing that a lot of people don't realize about Lee is that he crafts his anthologies to be a mix of new and known poems. And not just any new poem will do! (I have done my fair share of rewriting for Lee.) He has extremely high standards and seems to have a very particular vision for each anthology while he is shaping it.

    The thing that I heard over and over at NCTE yesterday was: "How can it be that Lee hadn't won that award already?"

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  3. Congratulations Lee, it's well deserved!

    Logan Lamech
    www.eloquentbooks.com/LingeringPoets.html

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  4. I wrote a long comment and lost it!
    So I'll just say that no one, no one, deserves this award as much as Lee Bennett Hopkins. The world of children's poetry is so much richer because he is in the world.
    Thank you, Lee, for all you have done to champion both poetry and children. I admire you more than words. As Jane Yolen said, she is
    "over the moon" about your being the winner of this prestigious award. Is there a place higher than the moon? You'll find me there.

    Thank you, Sylvia, for your tribute
    to Lee and this fine award.

    Blessings and Happy Thanksgiving all!
    Rebecca

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