Newbery Honorees and Library of Congress Living Legend gather to talk about the calling of writing for children
BRISTOL, Tenn., Sept. 26, 2022 — As part of its 2022-23 speaker series, “Hunger and Gladness,” King University’s Institute for Faith & Culture (IFC) will host award-winning authors Katherine Paterson ‘54, Stephanie S. Tolan, and Kimberly Brubaker Bradley on Monday, Oct. 3.
The trio has won numerous accolades among them, including the National Book Award, Newbery honors, and New York Times Bestseller rankings.
Paterson, a King alumna, was named a Library of Congress Living Legend in 2000. During her illustrious career, she has penned more than 40 books, including 18 novels for children and young people. One of her most famous works, “Bridge to Terabithia,” was a Newbery Medal winner in 1978, along with “Jacob Have I Loved” in 1981.
She also won the National Book Award in 1977 for “The Master Puppeteer” and in 1979 for “The Great Gilly Hopkins.” For the body of her work, she received the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 1998 and the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award in 2006, among other awards.
At 9:15 a.m. on Oct. 3, Paterson will read from her new memoir, “Stories of My Life,” in the Memorial Chapel on King’s main campus in Bristol, Tennessee.
Tolan and Brubaker Bradley will join Paterson that evening at 7 p.m. to present, “A Calling to Write for Children,” at First Baptist Church, 125 Sedgefield St., Bristol, Virginia. Both presentations are free and open to the public.
Tolan is a playwright and Newbery Honor-winning author for her book, “Surviving the Applewhites.” She has written 27 books for children and young adults, is the co-author of “Guiding the Gifted Child” and the author of “Is It a Cheetah?” an essay about the needs of gifted kids that has been translated into 40 languages. Tolan has written and spoken about the social, emotional and spiritual needs of very bright kids for 40 years—much of which is collected in the book, “Out of Sync.” Her most recent nonfiction work for adults is “Change Your Story, Change Your Life.”
Bradley is a two-time Newbery Honoree and New York Times bestselling author. Her book “The War That Saved My Life,” was nominated for 45 state book awards, winning more than a dozen. That work was also selected among the Wall Street Journal Best Books of the Year, as an E.B. White Read Aloud Honor Book, and received the Schneider Family Book Award, Odyssey Award, and the Josette Frank Award. In addition, Bradley’s “The War I Finally Won,” was listed as one of the best books of the year by the Boston Globe, Kirkus, Barnes and Noble, The Washington Post, and Amazon. Her other works include “Fighting Words,” “Jefferson’s Sons,” and “For Freedom.” Her upcoming book, “She Persisted: Rosalind Franklin,” will be released this December.
“The amount of creative talent that will be gathered in one spot on October 3 is staggering and delightful,” said Martin Dotterweich, Ph.D., director of the IFC. “As we explore what it means to write for children, producing works that comfort, engage, and guide, we will gain insight into their individual callings and the impact that their gifts have made on generations around the world.”
For more information, contact Elizabeth Patrick at 423.652.4157 or lepatrick1@king.edu.
