Vera B. Williams
| Vera Williams | |
|---|---|
| Born | Vera Baker January 28, 1927 Hollywood, California, USA |
| Died | October 16, 2015 (aged 88) Narrowsburg, New York, USA |
| Occupation | Writer and illustrator |
| Nationality | American |
| Period | 1975-2015 |
| Genre | Children's literature, picture books |
| Notable works | As writer: It's a Gingerbread House (1978) |
| Spouse | Paul Williams (-1970) |
| Children | Sarah Jennifer Merce |
Vera Baker Williams (January 28, 1927 – October 16, 2015) was an American children's writer and illustrator. Her best known work, A Chair for My Mother, has won multiple awards and was featured on the children's television show Reading Rainbow. For her lifetime contribution as a children's illustrator she was U.S. nominee in 2004 for the biennial, international Hans Christian Andersen Award, the highest recognition available to creators of children's books. Additionally, she was awarded the 2009 NSK Neustadt Prize for Children's Literature.
Vera Baker was born January 28, 1927 in Hollywood, California. She has one sister, Naomi. As a child, her family moved to the Bronx, New York, where her father was frequently absent during her early childhood. Encouraged by their parents to explore the arts, she studied at The High School of Music & Art and Black Mountain College in North Carolina, where she received her BFA in Graphic Art in 1949.
While at Black Mountain College, she married fellow student Paul Williams. The couple divorced in 1970. Together they had three children:
She has five grandchildren:
Williams was a co-founder of the Gate Hill Cooperative Community and served as a teacher for the community from 1953-70. She taught at alternative schools in New York and Ontario throughout the 1960s and early 1970s. Following her divorce, she emigrated to Canada, where she committed to becoming a children's author and illustrator. In 1975 she was invited by Remy Charlip to illustrate Hooray For Me, which she did while living on a houseboat in Vancouver. She established a publishing relationship with Greenwillow Books that continues to this day. Most recently, Ms. Williams resided in New York City and remained active in local issues such as The House of Elder Artists and participated in the 2007 PEN World Voices literary festival. She died on October 16, 2015.
...
Wikipedia