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Books News

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Jacqueline Woodson plans to emphasize how books can drive change and instill hope in young readers. Credit Credit Juna F. Nagle

Like many novelists, Jacqueline Woodson relishes solitude and is a bit of an introvert. So she was somewhat daunted when she was asked to take on a role that has "ambassador" in the title.

On Thursday, Ms. Woodson was named as the new National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, a position that was created in 2008 by the Library of Congress, the Children's Book Council and the literacy charity Every Child a Reader.

"I love being alone and writing and creating stories, and the idea of this extroverted position was a bit scary," Ms. Woodson said. "It's a little intimidating to take on the mantle."

As ambassador, Ms. Woodson, a best-selling children's book author, will be traveling around the country, speaking to kids in schools, libraries, juvenile detention centers and other underserved areas. She also plans to spend time in rural parts of Southern states, where authors seldom visit schools, she said.

Ms. Woodson isn't entirely unaccustomed to the spotlight. She's published more than two dozen children's books. She won the National Book Award in 2014 for her memoir in verse, "Brown Girl Dreaming," and has received four Newbery Honors, two Coretta Scott King Awards and the Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement for her contributions to young adult literature. In 2015, she was named the Young People's Poet Laureate by the Poetry Foundation.

Carla Hayden, the 14th Librarian of Congress, said she knew Ms. Woodson would be a natural fit because she had seen her interact with young readers at Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, where Ms. Hayden was chief executive.

"She respected young adults and cared about what they said," Ms. Hayden said in a statement to The Times.

Ms. Woodson, who is publishing a new middle grade novel and a picture book this year, said she was persuaded to take on the position after talking to Gene Luen Yang, a graphic novelist who was the ambassador for Young People's Literature from 2016 to 2017. "He had to talk me into saying yes," Ms. Woodson said.

Before Mr. Yang, the position was held by Jon Scieszka, Katherine Paterson, Walter Dean Myers and Kate DiCamillo.

An inauguration ceremony is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, Jan. 9, at the Library of Congress.

Ms. Woodson said that as she travels the country and speaks to children and teenagers in coming months, she plans to emphasize how books can drive change and instill hope in young readers.

"For young people who are very stressed about the future, who have this sense of disempowerment, who don't know what's coming next, my big quest is for them to remain hopeful," she said. "When you come to literature, it does allow you an escape from the world if that's what you need, but it also changes you. You're different than when you started that book."

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page C2 of the New York edition with the headline: Jacqueline Woodson Is Literary Ambassador. Order Reprints | Today's Paper | Subscribe

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Jacqueline Woodson Is Named National Ambassador for Young People's Literature

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Books News Like many novelists, Jacqueline Woodson relishes solitude and is a bit of an introvert. So she was somewhat daunted when she was asked to take on a role that has "ambassador" in the title.

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Before the Ever After is my newest novel

So I've updated my website again. I guess I should say I've 'revised' it. Just like the writing process, this website is constantly in revision. I think you're here because you want to know more about me. Well, this is the place where you'll find out lots of stuff. Everything you need for your report, your essay, your article, your last minute homework assignment - is in here. So no more Sunday night emails begging me to respond in an hour, okay? While I would love to, I'm either putting my kids to bed, having some quiet time, or writing. Soooooooo...click and find out how I started writing or where I do most of my writing. Click and find out the titles of some of my books or where to get them. You want to know who my daughter is named after? What my favorite food is? It's in here.

It's wild to think that people all over the country and all around the world are reading my books! Click to find out some of the languages my books are published in. And if you want to know some of the awards I've won, that info is here too. I've won lots of them. They're probably not all in here. But if you check out places like Coretta Scott King Awards, Newbery Awards, National Book Awards, ALMA Award, Langston Hughes Award - you can find out much more about what some of the awards I've won mean and why I won them.

Some of you I've met before and some of you I hope to meet one day. But until then, here's the place to get your questions answered, see what I kinda look like, learn about my writing and get a taste of Brooklyn, New York!!!

Welcome to my world. Enjoy it.
-Jacqueline Woodson

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So I've updated my website again. I guess I should say I've 'revised' it. Just like the writing process, this website is constantly in revision. I think you're here because you want to know more about me. Well, this is the place where you'll find out lots of stuff.

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Civil Rights Movement Cartoon: Watch this Civil Rights Movement for Children Cartoon (Black History)

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Non-Violent Protest: Marching for Equality

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Why is non-violence in protesting important? How were people making their voices heard in this way, and how would it affect their lives and the lives of their children?

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Civil Rights and the 1950s: Crash Course US History #39

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Who was MLK? What did he do? Why was he important?

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Who was MLK? What did he do? Why was he important?

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One of the hands on this pin is black and one is white. Why is this important? They are unified in a handshake: what do you think this represents?

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Woodson wrote this novel in free verse reflecting on her own childhood. What were some things she experienced that you think made her the writer she is now?