Nikki spoke briefly sharing her thoughts about poetry, what it is, what it does, and wove together readings of some of her poems from WHAT IS GOODBYE, WHEN DADDY PRAYS, and her newest book-length poem, WELCOME, PRECIOUS. Nearly 500 people were in attendance, including two dozen OTHER authors and poets-quite an auspicious occasion. We officially presented the award to Nikki Grimes, the fourteenth recipient of the honor, at the Books for Children luncheon yesterday. At this year’s conference, I have the privilege of co-chairing the committee that bestows the Excellence in Poetry for Children award. I’ve been involved in this organization in many different capacities over the years, particularly within the Children’s Literature Assembly, a sub-group of NCTE-that’s an especially wonderful and dedicated group of people. I just realized I’ve been coming to this conference for 25 years! Geeze, that’s a long time! This is one of my favorite events, bringing together teachers, authors, publishers, and all kinds of lovers of books. Greetings from Nashville, Tennessee, where I am attending the annual convention of the National Council of Teachers of English.
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