The Virginia Hamilton
Literary Award

The Virginia Hamilton Literary Award was established in 1998 by the Advisory Board of Kent State University's Virginia Hamilton Conference. The award recognizes an American author or illustrator whose books demonstrate artistic excellence and make a significant contribution to the field of multicultural literature for children and adolescents.

Walter Dean Myers, author of more than thirty books for children and young adults, is the first recipient of the award.  Board member and award committee chair, Sue Nespeca described Myers's books as beautifully crafted works depicting African American experiences that have universal appeal.  "There is a timeless as well as a contemporary significance in his writing, and whether he's exploring the pain or joy of growing up or the difficult history of African Americans, he shows an abiding belief in the resilience of the human spirit," Nespeca said.

Myers has written science fiction, mystery, poetry, history, nonfiction, biography, and picture books.  His most recent book is a biography of Malcolm X.  Myers has received two Newbery Honor Awards, two Coretta Scott King Awards, the Boston Globe/Horn Book Honor Award, American Library Association Margaret A. Edwards Award, the New York Council on Interracial Books for Children Award, and several Best Books for Young Adults citations from the American Library Association. Harlem, a book of poetry illustrated by Myers's son Christopher, is a 1998 Caldecott Award Honor Book.

Myers will receive the award at the 15th annual Virginia Hamilton Conference to be held at Kent State University on April 16, 1999.

The Virginia Hamilton Literary Award is sponsored by the Akron-Summit County Public Library, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Hamilton Arts, Inc., NOLA Regional Library System, and the Victor C. Laughlin, M.D. Memorial Foundation Trust.

For more information on Walter Dean Myers, visit this web site:
http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/special/kay/myers.html