Poet Karla Kuskin to deliver first Charlotte Zolotow lecture

Karla Kuskin will deliver the first annual Charlotte Zolotow Lecture Oct. 1 at 7:30 p.m. in the Wisconsin Union Theater.

Highly acclaimed for her children’s poetry, Kuskin received the National Council of Teachers of English Award for Excellence in Poetry in 1979. Her many books for children include Dogs & Dragons, Trees & Dreams (Harper & Row, 1980), The Philharmonic Gets Dressed (Charlotte Zolotow/Harper & Row, 1988), The Upstairs Cat (Clarion, 1997), and The Sky Is Always in the Sky (HarperCollins, 1998).

Established in 1998, the lecture was named to honor Charlotte Zolotow, a distinguished children’s book editor for 38 years with Harper Junior Books. Zolotow wrote more than 65 books, including such classic works as Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present (Harper, 1962) and William’s Doll (Harper, 1972).

Zolotow attended UW–Madison on a writing scholarship from 1933-36 where she studied with professor Helen C. White.

The Cooperative Children’s Book Center, a library of the School of Education, administers the event, which each year will bring a distinguished children’s book author or illustrator to the campus to deliver a free public lecture.

Prior to Kuskin’s lecture, the first annual Charlotte Zolotow Award for outstanding writing in a picture book will be presented to Vera B. Williams for Lucky Song (Greenwillow).

For information, contact Kathleen T. Horning, Cooperative Children’s Book Center, (608) 263-3930, khorning@facstaff.wisc.edu.