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George Ella Lyon (born April 25, 1949, in
Harlan, Kentucky Harlan is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Harlan County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 1,745 at the 2010 census, down from 2,081 at the 2000 census. Harlan is one of three Kentucky county seats to share its name w ...
) is an American author from
Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...
, who has published in many genres, including
picture book A picture book combines visual and verbal narratives in a book format, most often aimed at young children. With the narrative told primarily through text, they are distinct from comics, which do so primarily through sequential images. The images ...
s,
poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...
, juvenile novels, and articles.


Biography

George Ella Lyon was born April 25, 1949, in
Harlan, Kentucky Harlan is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Harlan County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 1,745 at the 2010 census, down from 2,081 at the 2000 census. Harlan is one of three Kentucky county seats to share its name w ...
, a coal mining town in southeastern Kentucky, to Robert Vernon, Jr. and Gladys (nee Fowler) Hoskins. She married Stephen C. Lyon, a musician, on June 3, 1972, and has since had two children with him. Lyon received a
Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...
from
Centre College Centre College is a private liberal arts college in Danville, Kentucky. It is an undergraduate college with an enrollment of approximately 1,400 students. Centre was officially chartered by the Kentucky General Assembly in 1819. The college is a ...
in
Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...
in 1971, a
Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Th ...
from the
University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkansas ...
in 1972, and a
Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...
from Indiana University--Bloomington in 1978. In 1983, Lyon published her first writing, a poetry collection called ''Mountain''. Aside from publishing, she also taught writing at a number of colleges, including the
University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a public land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky, the university is one of the state ...
,
Centre College Centre College is a private liberal arts college in Danville, Kentucky. It is an undergraduate college with an enrollment of approximately 1,400 students. Centre was officially chartered by the Kentucky General Assembly in 1819. The college is a ...
,
Transylvania University Transylvania University is a private university in Lexington, Kentucky. It was founded in 1780 and was the first university in Kentucky. It offers 46 major programs, as well as dual-degree engineering programs, and is accredited by the Southern ...
, and Radford University. She has also acted as an executive committee member for the Kentucky Women Writers Conference. She currently teaches writing through workshops, conferences, and author visits. Lyon served as Kentucky Poet Laureate for 2015-16.


Works

In an article in
The Reading Teacher ''The Reading Teacher'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal published six times per year by Wiley-Blackwell. The current editors are Jan Lacina (Texas Christian University) and Robin Griffith (Texas Christian University). ''The Reading Teacher'' is ...
, Sylvia Pantaleo notes that Lyon's ''A Day at Damp Camp'' bears characteristics of Dresang's Radical Change theory by having a nonlinear story, which artist Peter Catalanotto loops back to the beginning through the illustrations, images, and text within boxes that resemble "hypertext Web links". Lyon's books frequently take place in Appalachia.


Bibliography


Forthcoming works

*Voices of Justice: Poems About People Working for a Better World, illustrated by Jennifer M. Potter, Holt Books for Young Readers, 2020. *Back to the Light: Poems. Univ. Press of Kentucky, 2021. *Which Side Are you On?, reprinted by Univ. Press of Kentucky, 2021. *Time to Fly!, illustrated by Mick Wiggins, Atheneum, 2022.


Picture books

*Father Time and the Day Boxes, illustrated by Robert Andrew Parker, 1985. *A Regular Rolling Noah, illustrated by Stephen Gammell, 1986. *A B Cedar: An Alphabet of Trees, illustrated by Tom Parker, 1989. *Together, illustrated by Vera Rosenberry, 1989. *Come a Tide, illustrated by Stephen Gammell, 1990. *Basket, illustrated by Mary Szilagyi, 1990. *Cecil's Story, illustrated by
Peter Catalanotto Peter Catalanotto is an American book illustrator. Background Peter Catalanotto was born in March 1959 in Brooklyn, NY, and grew up in East Northport, Long Island, where he attended Elwood-John Glenn High School. Educated at the Pratt Instit ...
, 1991. *The Outside Inn, illustrated by Vera Rosenberry, 1991. *Who Came Down that Road?, illustrated by
Peter Catalanotto Peter Catalanotto is an American book illustrator. Background Peter Catalanotto was born in March 1959 in Brooklyn, NY, and grew up in East Northport, Long Island, where he attended Elwood-John Glenn High School. Educated at the Pratt Instit ...
, 1992. *Dreamplace, illustrated by
Peter Catalanotto Peter Catalanotto is an American book illustrator. Background Peter Catalanotto was born in March 1959 in Brooklyn, NY, and grew up in East Northport, Long Island, where he attended Elwood-John Glenn High School. Educated at the Pratt Instit ...
, 1993. *Five Live Bongos, illustrated by Jacqueline Rogers, 1994. *Mama Is a Miner, illustrated by
Peter Catalanotto Peter Catalanotto is an American book illustrator. Background Peter Catalanotto was born in March 1959 in Brooklyn, NY, and grew up in East Northport, Long Island, where he attended Elwood-John Glenn High School. Educated at the Pratt Instit ...
, 1994. *Ada's Pal, illustrated by Marguerite Casparian, 1996. *A Wordful Child, photographs by Ann W. Olson, 1996. *A Day at Damp Camp, illustrated by
Peter Catalanotto Peter Catalanotto is an American book illustrator. Background Peter Catalanotto was born in March 1959 in Brooklyn, NY, and grew up in East Northport, Long Island, where he attended Elwood-John Glenn High School. Educated at the Pratt Instit ...
, 1996. *Counting on the Woods, photographs by Ann W. Olson, 1998. *A Sign, illustrated by Chris K. Soentpiet, 1998. *A Traveling Cat, illustrated by Paul Brett Johnson, 1998. *Book, illustrated by
Peter Catalanotto Peter Catalanotto is an American book illustrator. Background Peter Catalanotto was born in March 1959 in Brooklyn, NY, and grew up in East Northport, Long Island, where he attended Elwood-John Glenn High School. Educated at the Pratt Instit ...
, 1999. *One Lucky Girl, illustrated by Irene Trivas, 2000. *Mother to Tigers, illustrated by
Peter Catalanotto Peter Catalanotto is an American book illustrator. Background Peter Catalanotto was born in March 1959 in Brooklyn, NY, and grew up in East Northport, Long Island, where he attended Elwood-John Glenn High School. Educated at the Pratt Instit ...
, 2002. *Weaving the Rainbow, illustrated by Stephanie Anderson, 2004. *No Dessert Forever!, illustrated by
Peter Catalanotto Peter Catalanotto is an American book illustrator. Background Peter Catalanotto was born in March 1959 in Brooklyn, NY, and grew up in East Northport, Long Island, where he attended Elwood-John Glenn High School. Educated at the Pratt Instit ...
, 2006. (Originally published as When You Get Little and I Get Big) *Trucks Roll!, illustrated by Craig Frazier, 2007 *Sleepsong, illustrated by
Peter Catalanotto Peter Catalanotto is an American book illustrator. Background Peter Catalanotto was born in March 1959 in Brooklyn, NY, and grew up in East Northport, Long Island, where he attended Elwood-John Glenn High School. Educated at the Pratt Instit ...
, 2008. *My Friend, the Starfinder, illustrated by Stephen Gammell, 2008. *You and Me and Home Sweet Home, illustrated by Stephanie Anderson, 2009. *The Pirate of Kindergarten, illustrated by Lynne Avril, 2010. *All the Water in the World, illustrated by Katherine Tillotson, 2011. *Which Side Are You On? The Story of a Song, illustrated by Christopher Cardinale, 2011. *Planes Fly!, illustrated by Mick Wiggins, 2013 *What Forest Knows, illustrated by August Hall, 2014. *Boats Float!, written with Benn Lyon and illustrated by Mick Wiggins, 2015. *Trains Run!, written with Benn Lyon and illustrated by Mick Wiggins, 2019.


Fiction: children/young adult

*Borrowed Children, 1988. *Here and Then, 1994. *Red Rover, 1989 (published as ''The Stranger I Left behind Me'', 1997) *Gina.Jamie.Father.Bear., 2002. *Sonny's House of Spies, 2004. *Holding on to Zoe, 2012.


Fiction: adults

*Choices: Stories for Adult New Readers, 1989. *With a Hammer for My Heart, 1996.


Poetry

*Mountain, 1983. *Growing Light, 1987. *Catalpa, 1993. *Earth Poems, 2008. *Back, 2010. *Woolfwork, 2010. *She Let Herself Go, 2012. *Many-Storied House, 2013. *Voices from the March on Washington, with J. Patrick Lewis, 2014.


Miscellaneous works

*Braids (two-act play), first produced in
Lexington, KY Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County. By population, it is the second-largest city in Kentucky and 57th-largest city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 28th-larges ...
, at
Transylvania University Transylvania University is a private university in Lexington, Kentucky. It was founded in 1780 and was the first university in Kentucky. It offers 46 major programs, as well as dual-degree engineering programs, and is accredited by the Southern ...
, 1985. *Braids (radio script), 1986. *Looking Back for Words (play), 1989. *A Christmas Feast (monologues), 1990. *(Editor, with Jim Wayne Miller and
Gurney Norman Gurney Norman (born 1937) is an American writer, documentarian, and professor. Biography Gurney Norman was born in Grundy, Virginia, in 1937. He grew up in the southern Appalachian Mountains and was raised alternately by his maternal grandparen ...
) A Gathering at the Forks: Fifteen Years of the Hindman Settlement School Appalachian Writers Workshop, 1993. *(Editor, with Bob Henry Baber) Old Wounds, New Words: Poems from the Appalachian Poetry Project, 1994. *With a Hammer for My Heart (stage adaptation by Ed Smith), 1998. *Where I'm From: Where Poems Come From, photographs by Robert Hoskins, 1999. *(Editor, with Leatha Kendrick) Crossing Troublesome 25 Years of the Appalachian Writers Workshop, 2002 *(Editor) A Kentucky Christmas, 2003. *Songs for the Mountaintop (music album), 2006. *Don't You Remember? (memoir), 2007. *Sonny's House of Spies (stage adaptation by Alec Volz), 2007. *Public Outcry (music album), 2008. *(Editor) Harvest of Fire: New & Collected Works by Lee Howard, 2010 *A Kentucky Christmas (stage adaptation by James W. Rogers), 2015. *Many-Storied House (readers' theater adaptation by Clint Ibele), 2017.


Awards

*Kentucky Poet Laureate, 2015–17 *Schneider Family Book Award, 2010, American Library Association, for ''The Pirate of Kindergarten'' *Lamont Hall Award, Andrew Mountain Press, 1983, for ''Mountain'' *Golden Kite Award, Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, 1989, for ''Borrowed Children'' *Best Books of the Year citation, Publishers Weekly, for ''Borrowed Children'' *Best Books of the Year citation, School Library Journal, for ''Borrowed Children'' *Best Books of the Year citation, Library of Congress, for ''Borrowed Children'' *Kentucky Bluegrass Award, for ''Basket'' and ''Some Lucky Girl'' *Andrew Mountain Press Award, for ''Mountain'' *Book of the Year Award, Appalachian Writers Association, for ''Catalpa'' *Best Books of the Year citation, Publishers Weekly, for ''Who Came Down that Road?'' *Honor Book, Jane Addams Children's Book Award, 2010, for ''You and Me and Home Sweet Home'' *Parents' Choice Award Silver Medal, 2003, for ''Mother to Tigers'' *Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices citation, 2012, for ''Holding On to Zoe'' *Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices citation, 1985, for ''Father Time and the Day Boxes'' *Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices citation, 2010, for ''You and Me and Home Sweet Home'' *Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices citation, 2012, for ''All the Water in the World'' *Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices citation, 2012, for ''Which Side Are You On? The Story of a Song'' *Aesop Prize, American Folklore Society, 2012, for ''Which Side Are You On? The Story of a Song'' *Cybils Award, Poetry, 2014, for ''Voices from the March on Washington'' *Jesse Stuart Media Award, Kentucky School Media Association, for body of work *Al Smith Fellowship, Kentucky Arts Counsel *Lee Smith Award, Lincoln Memorial University *Excellence in Education Award, Carson Newman College *East Kentucky Leadership Award for Fine Arts *Emory & Henry College Annual Literary Festival Author, 1994


References


Sources

* Unless otherwise noted, all information is taken from
Contemporary Authors Online, Gale, 2008. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 2008.


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lyon, George Ella 1949 births Living people University of Arkansas alumni People from Harlan, Kentucky Novelists from Kentucky 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American women novelists Kentucky culture Indiana University alumni University of Kentucky faculty Radford University faculty Centre College faculty 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women writers Novelists from Virginia American women academics Poets Laureate of Kentucky Centre College alumni Indiana University Bloomington alumni