LEE BENNETT HOPKINS PRESS RELEASE 2023
LEE BENNETT HOPKINS PRESS RELEASE 2022
'The 1619 Project: Born on the Water' wins 2022 Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State University Libraries and the Pennsylvania Center for the Book have announced the 2022 Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, presented annually to an American poet or anthologist for the most outstanding new book of poetry for children published in the previous calendar year. This year’s winner is “The 1619 Project: Born on the Water,” written by Nikole Hannah-Jones and Renée Watson, illustrated by Nikkolas Smith, and published by Kokila, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group. “'The 1619 Project: Born on the Water,'” said one judge, “is an American origin story filled with happiness, despair, then hope, and it explores the topic, ‘Where did I come from?’ through a student's class assignment. Readers will feel raw emotions from the poems, both joy and heartbreak.”
The authors will accept the award and $1,000 prize, courtesy of Lee Bennett Hopkins' estate, during a fall event. Additionally, judges gave an honor award to “The One Thing You'd Save,” written by Linda Sue Park, illustrated by Robert Sae-Heng, and published by Clarion, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
“Using the Korean poetry form, Sijo,” said a judge, “Linda Sue Park masterfully creates a series of short and inventive poems that come together in a revealing and authentic exploration of a classroom assignment. With humor and evocative feelings, the book invites young readers to experience poetry and create their own.”
The Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award was named for the late internationally renowned educator, poet, anthologist and passionate advocate of poetry for young people. Established in 1993, the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award was the first of its kind in the United States. The Pennsylvania Center for the Book and the Penn State University Libraries share joint administration of the annual award, and its winning titles are selected by a panel of authors, librarians, teachers and scholars.
The 2022 judges for the Lee Bennett Hopkins Award are chair Lynn Rutan, reviewer/blogger, retired school librarian, Holland, Michigan; Korey Erickson, library coordinator, Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Jason J. Griffith, assistant professor of education at Penn State, University Park, Pennsylvania; Kathleen Kuo, program manager, Nevada Humanities, Las Vegas, Nevada; and John Micklos Jr., author, Newark, Delaware.
The Pennsylvania Center for the Book, an affiliate of the Center for the Book established in 1977 at the Library of Congress, encourages Pennsylvania’s citizens and residents to study, honor, celebrate and promote books, reading, libraries and literacy. In addition to the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, it also administers the Public Poetry Project, the Lynd Ward Graphic Novel Prize, Poems from Life, A Baker’s Dozen: The Best Children’s Books for Family Literacy, the Wordstruck: Micro Essay contest, and the interactive Literary & Cultural Heritage Map of Pennsylvania.
For more information about the Hopkins Award, contact Caroline Wermuth at cvw1@psu.edu or 814-863-5472, or visit the Pennsylvania Center for the Book website.
LEE BENNETT HOPKINS PRESS RELEASE 2021
Lowry’s 'On the Horizon' named 2021 Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award winner
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State University Libraries and the Pennsylvania Center for the Book have announced the 2021 Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, presented annually to an American poet or anthologist for the most outstanding new book of poetry for children published in the previous calendar year. This year’s winner is “On the Horizon” written by Lois Lowry, illustrated by Kenard Pak, and published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers.
“Deceptively simple language evokes great emotion throughout this masterwork. Lowry deftly depicts a childlike sense of experiencing the war and provides a tender treatment of the postwar time period in Tokyo, as well as its transition into our contemporary world,” said one judge.
From another, “World War II provides the background for this book of poems, inspired by the author’s own childhood on Hawaii beaches and later, in Japan. Told in spare, compact verses, the horrors of the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the atomic bomb in Hiroshima are explored side by side through a lens of people, names, and day-to-day objects like bicycles, watches and dolls. War is a tangled business, and this book succeeds in helping the reader grapple with those complexities.”
Lowry will accept the award and the $1,000 prize, courtesy of Lee Bennett Hopkins' estate, at a fall event.
Additionally, judges gave honor awards to “Ice! Poems About Polar Life,” written and illustrated by Douglas Florian, published by Holiday House, and to “Punching the Air” by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam, published by Balzer + Bray HarperCollins. About “Ice! Poems About Polar Life,” one judge said, “Climate change warnings and information about the poles and the animals that live there are delivered in both short pun-filled rhyming poems and in informational text blocks that provide more detail. Florian's illustrations on paper bags are delightful and will appeal to children who may be inspired to create their own poems and art.”
About “Punching the Air,” another judge said, “Talented YA author Zoboi teams up with a member of the Exonerated Five to author this verse novel that features a wrongly convicted teen who uses poetry and art to retain his humanity while the justice system and prison environment work to strip him of it. The powerful poems and the timely subject will engage the older youth in the 12- to 14-year-old range.”
The Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award was named for the internationally renowned educator, poet, anthologist and passionate advocate of poetry for young people. Established in 1993, the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award was the first award of its kind in the United States. The Pennsylvania Center for the Book and the Penn State University Libraries share joint administration of this annual award, and its winning titles are selected by a panel of authors, librarians, teachers and scholars.
The 2021 judges for the Lee Bennett Hopkins Award are chair, Cindy Dobrez, Bookends Blog co-author (Grand Haven, Michigan); Tony Medina, professor of creative writing at Howard University (Hyattsville, Maryland); Marilyn Nelson, poet, translator, children's book author (East Haven, Connecticut); Karen O’Connell, coordinator of the Arkansas Center for the Book (Little Rock, Arkansas); Suzanne Walker, Indiana Young Readers Center librarian (Indianapolis, Indiana).
The Pennsylvania Center for the Book, an affiliate of the Center for the Book established in 1977 at the Library of Congress, encourages Pennsylvania’s citizens and residents to study, honor, celebrate and promote books, reading, libraries and literacy. In addition to the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, it also administers the Public Poetry Project, the Lynd Ward Graphic Novel Prize, Poems from Life, A Baker’s Dozen: The Best Children’s Books for Family Literacy, the Wordstruck: Micro Essay contest, and the interactive Literary & Cultural Heritage Map of Pennsylvania.
For more information about the Hopkins Award, contact Caroline Wermuth at cvw1@psu.edu or 814-863-5472, or visit the Pennsylvania Center for the Book website.
LEE BENNETT HOPKINS PRESS RELEASE 2020
2020 Winner - “How to Read a Book” written by Kwame Alexander, illustrated by Melissa Sweet, and published by HarperCollins Children’s Books
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State University Libraries and the Pennsylvania Center for the Book have announced the 2020 Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, presented annually to an American poet or anthologist for the most outstanding new book of poetry for children published in the previous calendar year. This year’s winner is “How to Read a Book” written by Kwame Alexander, illustrated by Melissa Sweet, and published by HarperCollins Children’s Books.
Comments from the judges include, “Open the pages of Kwame Alexander’s ‘How to Read a Book' and taste the irresistible allure of words. In this poetry for the palate, the author takes you page by page through the joys of reading. Melissa Sweet’s captivating and complex collage illustrations add visual appetizers, desserts, and midnight snacks as you discover treat after added treat along the way. Get ready for a feast! Your eyes and ears will thank you.”
Alexander will accept the award and the $1,000 prize, courtesy of Lee Bennett Hopkins, at Penn State’s University Park campus in the fall.
Additionally, judges gave honor awards to “You Are Home: An Ode to the National Parks,” written and illustrated by Evan Turk, published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, and “Other Words for Home” by Jasmine Warga, published by Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Children’s Books.
The Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award was named for the internationally renowned educator, poet, anthologist and passionate advocate of poetry for young people. Established in 1993, the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award was the first award of its kind in the United States. The Pennsylvania Center for the Book and the Penn State University Libraries share joint administration of the annual award, which is selected by a panel of authors, librarians, teachers and scholars.
The 2020 judges for the Lee Bennett Hopkins Award were Marjorie Maddox, chair, author, professor of English and creative writing at Lock Haven University; Michelle F. Bayuk, Springfield, New Jersey; René M Rodríguez-Astacio, doctoral candidate in curriculum and instruction, children's literature, Penn State; Junko Sakoi, teacher educator, Tucson Unified School District, Tucson, Arizona; Bina Williams, Bridgeport Public Library, North Branch Librarian II, Youth Services, Wallingford Connecticut.
The Pennsylvania Center for the Book, an affiliate of the Center for the Book established in 1977 at the Library of Congress, encourages Pennsylvania’s citizens and residents to study, honor, celebrate and promote books, reading, libraries and literacy. In addition to the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, it also administers the Public Poetry Project, the Lynd Ward Graphic Novel Prize, Poems from Life, A Baker’s Dozen: The Best Children’s Books for Family Literacy, Wordstruck: Micro Essays on Literature that Redefined You, an essay contest for Pennsylvania students in grades 10-12, and the interactive Literary & Cultural Heritage Map of Pennsylvania.
For more information about the Hopkins Award, contact Caroline Wermuth at cvw1@psu.edu or 814-863-5472, or visit the Pennsylvania Center for the Book website.
LEE BENNETT HOPKINS PRESS RELEASE 2019
'Martin Rising' named 2019 Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award
February 28, 2019
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State University Libraries and the Pennsylvania Center for the Book have announced the 2019 Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, presented annually to an American poet or anthologist for the most outstanding new book of poetry for children published in the previous calendar year. This year’s winner is “Martin Rising: Requiem for a King,” written by Andrea Davis Pinkney, illustrated by Brian Pinkney, published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic.
In “Martin Rising: Requiem for a King,” Andrea Davis Pinkney has written, “quite simply, a poetic tour de force, perfectly complemented by Brian Pinkney’s ethereal, swirling watercolor illustrations,” judges wrote, adding, “Though there are volumes written about Martin Luther King Jr., ‘Martin Rising: Requiem for a King’ offers a fresh voice that features not only his accomplishments, but also reveals his humanity. Each poem could stand alone but when read as a collection the significance and power of this volume is stunning. The marriage of the language and the art results in something that is both elegant and eloquent.”
Andrea Davis Pinkney will accept the award and the $1,000 prize, courtesy of Lee Bennett Hopkins, at 11 a.m. Saturday, July 13, at Schlow Centre Region Library in downtown State College, Pennsylvania, near Penn State’s University Park campus. The 2019 Hopkins Award presentation will coincide with the 2019 Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts and the 2019 BookFest, which also is held at Schlow Centre Region Library.
Additionally, judges gave honor awards to “The Honeybee” by Kirsten Hall, illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault, published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, and to “Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Black Boy” by Tony Medina and 13 Artists, published by Penny Candy Books.
The Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award is named for the internationally renowned educator, poet, anthologist and passionate advocate of poetry for young people. Established in 1993, the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award was the first award of its kind in the United States. The Pennsylvania Center for the Book, the Penn State University Libraries, and Lee Bennett Hopkins share joint administration of the annual award, which is selected by a panel of authors, librarians, teachers and scholars.
The 2019 judges for the Lee Bennett Hopkins Award were Maggie Bokelman, chair, librarian, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania; Lester Laminack, author/consultant, Dillsboro, North Carolina; Sue Parsons, associate professor and Jacques Munroe Professor of Reading and Literacy, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma; Mary Russell, director, Center for the Book at the New Hampshire State Library, Concord, New Hampshire; and Suzi Steffen, freelance arts journalist and writing instructor, Wenatchee Valley College and Linn-Benton Community College, Eugene, Oregon.
The Pennsylvania Center for the Book, an affiliate of the Center for the Book established in 1977 at the Library of Congress, encourages Pennsylvania’s citizens and residents to study, honor, celebrate and promote books, reading, libraries and literacy. In addition to the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, it also administers the Public Poetry Project, the Lynd Ward Graphic Novel Prize, Poems from Life, Letters about Literature, A Baker’s Dozen: The Best Children’s Books for Family Literacy, and the interactive Literary & Cultural Heritage Map of Pennsylvania.
For more information about the Hopkins Award, contact Caroline Wermuth at cvw1@psu.edu or 814-863-5472, or visit the Pennsylvania Center for the Book website.
LEE BENNETT HOPKINS PRESS RELEASE 2018
Grimes' 'One Last Word' named 2018 Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award winner
February 21, 2018
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State University Libraries and the Pennsylvania Center for the Book have announced the 2018 Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, presented annually to an American poet or anthologist for the most outstanding new book of poetry for children published in the previous calendar year. This year’s winner is “One Last Word: Wisdom from the Harlem Renaissance,” written by Nikki Grimes and published in 2017 by Bloomsbury.
In “One Last Word,” Grimes looks afresh at the poets of the Harlem Renaissance by combining their work with her own original poetry. Using “The Golden Shovel” poetic method, Grimes has written a collection of poetry that is as gorgeous as it is thought-provoking. The book features art by Grimes and Cozbi Cabrera, R. Gregory Christie, Pat Cummings, Jan Spivey Gilchrist, Ebony Glenn, E.B. Lewis, Frank Morrison, Christopher Myers, Brian Pinkney, Sean Qualls, James Ransome, Javaka Steptoe, Shadra Strickland, and Elizabeth Zunon.
Grimes will accept the award and the $1,000 prize, courtesy of Lee Bennett Hopkins, on July 12, near Penn State’s University Park campus.
“One hundred years from now readers will be enjoying “‘One Last Word,’” the judges wrote. “Grimes’ work showcases not only a lesser-known poetic form (the Golden Shovel) but the poets of the Harlem Renaissance and the work of African-American artists.”
“Grimes not only celebrates the poets and poems of a time gone by, but builds on those works, transforming them into new and powerful poems that will resonate with a new and powerful generation of young people,” the judges also wrote. “‘One Last Word’ connects the struggles and challenges in our world today with the struggles and challenges of the past. ‘The past,’ as Grimes writes in the final poem of the book, ‘is a ladder that can help you keep climbing.’ Young people will return to this book again and again for inspiration, consolation, and, above all, hope.”
The Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award is named for the internationally renowned educator, poet, anthologist and passionate advocate of poetry for young people. Established in 1993, the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award was the first award of its kind in the United States. The Pennsylvania Center for the Book, the Penn State University Libraries, and Lee Bennett Hopkins share joint administration of the annual award, which is selected by a panel of authors, librarians, teachers and scholars.
The 2018 judges for the Lee Bennett Hopkins Award were Libby Snyder, Chair, teacher-librarian, State College, Pennsylvania; Barbara Chatton, professor, Laramie, Wyoming; Irene Latham, poet, Birmingham, Alabama; Ed Spicer, Allegan, Michigan; and Jorge Argueta, poet and winner of the 2017 Lee Bennett Hopkins Award, San Salvador, El Salvador/San Francisco, California.
The Pennsylvania Center for the Book, an affiliate of the Center for the Book established in 1977 at the Library of Congress, encourages Pennsylvania’s citizens and residents to study, honor, celebrate and promote books, reading, libraries and literacy. In addition to the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, it also administers the Public Poetry Project, the Lynd Ward Graphic Novel Prize, Poems from Life, Letters about Literature; A Baker’s Dozen: The Best Children’s Books for Family Literacy; and the interactive Literary & Cultural Heritage Map of Pennsylvania.
For more information about the Hopkins Award, contact Caroline Wermuth at cvw1@psu.edu or 814-863-5472, or visit the Pennsylvania Center for the Book website.
2017 Hopkins Poetry Award Winners Announced
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State University Libraries the Pennsylvania Center for the Book are pleased to announce the 2017 Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, presented annually to an American poet or anthologist for the most outstanding new book of poetry for children published in the previous calendar year. This year’s winner is “Somos como las nubes/We Are Like the Clouds” written by Jorge Argueta, published by Groundwood Books/House of Anansi Press.
Jorge Argueta will accept the award and the $1,000 prize, courtesy of Lee Bennett Hopkins, at Penn State this fall.
About “Somos como las nubes/We Are Like the Clouds” one judge said, “In few words and brief poems, Argueta is able to capture the safety of home and the mundane with the pain of not knowing what awaits on the other side. A refugee’s journey is a difficult topic to present in poetry, but Argueta’s words are able to balance the struggles, happiness, uncertainty, sadness, fears, and the mixture of feelings that the child narrator experiences.”
Another said, “In ‘Somos como las nubes /We are Like the Clouds,’ the reader is pulled into the story visually from the beautiful illustrations, and rhythmically, from the poetic language. The bilingual aspect adds authenticity to the story and connectivity for more children.”
Additionally, judges gave an honor award to “Garvey’s Choice” by Nikki Grimes published by WordSong, an imprint of Highlights.
The Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award is named for the internationally renowned educator, poet, anthologist and passionate advocate of poetry for young people. Established in 1993, the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award was the first award of its kind in the United States. The Pennsylvania Center for the Book, the Penn State University Libraries and Lee Bennett Hopkins share joint administration of the annual award, which is selected by a panel of authors, librarians, teachers and scholars.
The 2017 judges for the Lee Bennett Hopkins Award were Ernie Cox, Chair, teacher-librarian, Prairie Creek Intermediate School, Iowa City, Iowa; Emily Aguiló-Pérez, lecturer, English, Penn State, State College, Pa.; Katie Sue Buchholtz, children’s librarian, Bellevue Branch of the Nashville Public Library System, Nashville, Tenn.; Carolyn L. Cook, associate professor, Mount St. Mary’s University (Emmitsburg, Md.), Shippensburg, Pa.; Margarita Engle, author and winner of the 2016 Hopkins Poetry Award for Children, Clovis, Calif.
For more information about the Hopkins Award, contact Caroline Wermuth at 814-863-5472; cvw1@psu.edu, or visit the Pennsylvania Center for the Book’s award website.
2016 Hopkins Poetry Award Winners Announced
For Immediate Release February 24, 2016
2016 Hopkins Poetry Award winner announced
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State University Libraries and the Pennsylvania Center for the Book are pleased to announce the winner of the 2016 Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award. This year’s winner is “Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings: A Memoir” written by Margarita Engle, published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing.
The award and a $1,000 prize, courtesy of Lee Bennett Hopkins, will be presented at Penn State in the fall.
One judge noted, “Margarita Engle has perfectly crafted a story that is both deeply personal and universal. The strong emotions that she is able to convey with so few words are truly astonishing.” Another said, “In ‘Enchanted Air,’ readers will find verses of rich poetry nestled within a moving and unforgettable memoir.” A third judge remarked, “Engle’s memoir in verse reminds us that verse can be as brief as the breath we draw in and exhale, that enchanted air is the small place between the poet and the reader.”
Additionally, judges gave honor awards to “Hypnotize a Tiger: Poems About Just About Everything” by Calef Brown, published by Christy Ottaviano Books/Henry Holt BYR (an imprint of Macmillan Children's Publishing Group), and “My Seneca Village” by Marilyn Nelson, published by namelos.
The Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award is named for the internationally renowned educator, poet, anthologist and passionate advocate of poetry for young people. Established in 1993, the award is presented annually to an American poet or anthologist for the most outstanding new book of poetry for children published in the previous calendar year.
Selected by a panel of authors, librarians, teachers and scholars, the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award was the first award of its kind in the United States. The Pennsylvania Center for the Book, the Penn State University Libraries and Lee Bennett Hopkins share joint administration of the annual award.
The judges for this year’s Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award are:
- Christopher Lassen, chair; youth material selector, BookOps, New York Public Library/Brooklyn Public Library (New York, N.Y.);
- Cynthia Alaniz, school librarian, Cottonwood Creek Elementary (Coppell, Texas);
- Kwame Alexander, author, poet and educator (Potomac Falls, Va.);
- Paul W. Hankins, ELA teacher, Silver Creek High School (Floyds Knobs, Ind.); and
- Pamela Michael, director, Center for Environmental Literacy at Saint Mary's College of California, co-founder of River of Words (Clayton, Calif.).
2015 Hopkins Poetry Award Winners Announced
For Immediate Release March 1, 2015
2015 Hopkins Poetry Award winner announced
University Park, PA— Penn State University Libraries and the Pennsylvania Center for the Book are pleased to announce the winner of the 2015 Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award. This year’s winner is “The Crossover” written by Kwame Alexander, published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books. The award and a $1000 prize, courtesy of Lee Bennett Hopkins, will be presented at Penn State in the fall.
One judge remarks, “‘The Crossover’ is light on its feet—fast, smart and gripping.” Another comments, “The fast-paced, hip hop story is a fresh example of poetry that evokes action and emotion in a way traditional writing could not.” And from another, “Kwame Alexander’s writing set a perfect pace to tell the complicated relationship of twin boys who share a love for basketball along with their devoted yet stubborn father. He has given us a book that even the most reluctant reader can't resist. We learn some things about basketball, but a lot more about life.”
Additionally, judges gave an honor award to “Firefly July,” poems selected by Paul B. Janeczko, illustrated by Melissa Sweet, and published by Candlewick Press.
Established in 1993, the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award is presented annually to an American poet or anthologist for the most outstanding new book of poetry for children published in the previous calendar year.
This prestigious award is named for Lee Bennett Hopkins, the internationally renowned educator, poet, anthologist and passionate advocate of poetry for young people. Selected by a panel of teachers, librarians and scholars, the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award was the first award of its kind in the United States. The Pennsylvania Center for the Book, the Penn State University Libraries and Lee Bennett Hopkins share joint administration of the annual award.
The judges for this year’s Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award are Chair, Dr. Tim Wadham of Puyallup, WA; Kathy Barco (Library Consultant, Retired Children's Librarian/Early Literacy Coordinator) of Albuquerque, NM; Andrea Cheng (Children's Book Author) of Cincinnati, OH; Cindy Judd (Associate University Librarian, Learning Resources Center, Eastern Kentucky University) of Berea, KY; and Heather Roney (Owner of Sweets N' Stories Bookstore) of Oakes, ND.
For more information about the Hopkins Award, contact Caroline Wermuth at 814.863.5472; cvw1@psu.edu, or visit the web site.