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Janice N. Harrington

ジャニス・N・ハリントン

Janice N. Harrington

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1956-01-01 （Vernon, Alabama）
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Vernon, Alabama → Lincoln, Nebraska → Champaign, Illinois → Illinois (resident)

Career

Occupations
poet, children's writer, storyteller, public librarian, university professor
Active Years
1980-
Affiliations
University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Creative Writing Program (professor), Champaign Public Library (former staff)

Education

University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Country: United States
University of Iowa
Degree: MLS
Country: United States
Master of Library Science (MLS)

Awards

Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers' Award
2009
Organization: Rona Jaffe Foundation
Result: winner
Kate Tufts Discovery Award
2008
Work: Even the Hollow My Body Made Is Gone
Organization: Kate Tufts Foundation
Result: winner
A. Poulin, Jr. Poetry Prize
2008
Work: Even the Hollow My Body Made Is Gone
Organization: BOA Editions (through prize)
Result: winner
National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship (Poetry)
2007
Organization: National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)
Result: fellowship
TIME Magazine Top 10 Children's Books
2007
Organization: TIME Magazine
Result: selected
Cybils Award (best fiction picture book)
2007
Category: picture book
Organization: Cybils (children's & YA bloggers' literary awards)
Result: winner
Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award
2005
Work: Going North
Organization: Ezra Jack Keats Foundation
Result: winner
Illinois Arts Council Literary Award
Organization: Illinois Arts Council
Result: recipient

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Yard Show

2024 poetry

A recent collection of poems exploring personal and regional memory and vivid visual imagery.

memoryregional identityvisual imagery

Primitive: The Art and Life of Horace H. Pippin

2016 poetry (biographical elements)

A poetry collection inspired by the art and life of painter Horace H. Pippin.

artbiographyhuman experience

The Hands of Strangers: Poems from the Nursing Home

2011 poetry

A collection of poems addressing caregiving, aging, and relationships with others.

caregivingagingrelationships

Even the Hollow My Body Made Is Gone

2007 poetry

A poetry collection that treats personal loss, embodiment, and regional memory. Recipient of multiple poetry awards.

lossembodimentmemory

Buzzing with Questions: The Inquisitive Mind of Charles Henry Turner

2019 children's non-fiction

A children's picture-book biography about zoologist Charles Henry Turner, highlighting his curiosity and achievements.

biographycuriosity about sciencediversity

Catching a Storyfish

2016 children's book

A children's book that celebrates storytelling and imagination.

storytellingimaginationdiscovery

Busy-Busy Little Chick

2013 children's picture book

A picture book about an active little chick, illustrated by Brian Pinkney.

early childhoodeveryday lifegrowth

Roberto Walks Home

2008 children's picture book

A picture book about a boy named Roberto walking home, illustrated by Jody Wheeler.

journeygrowing upfamily

The Chicken Chasing Queen of Lamar County

2007 children's picture book

A humorous picture book set in Lamar County, illustrated by Shelley Jackson.

humorlocal culturechickens

Going North

2004 children's picture book

A picture book about moving north, illustrated by Jerome Lagarrigue.

migrationfamilyhistorical context

Bibliography

  • Yard Show (poetry, 2024)
  • Primitive: The Art and Life of Horace H. Pippin (poetry, 2016)
  • Catching a Storyfish (children's book, 2016)
  • The Hands of Strangers: Poems from the Nursing Home (poetry, 2011)
  • Buzzing with Questions: The Inquisitive Mind of Charles Henry Turner (children's, 2019)
  • Busy-Busy Little Chick (children's, 2013)
  • Roberto Walks Home (children's, 2008)
  • The Chicken Chasing Queen of Lamar County (children's, 2007)
  • Even the Hollow My Body Made Is Gone (poetry, 2007)
  • Going North (children's, 2004)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
oral-storytelling techniques and rhythmic, colloquial poeticsemphasis on vivid visual imageryconcise, sonorous prose in children's books
Recurring Motifs
memory and migration (notably south-to-north movement)local culture and everyday scenesfamily and intergenerational connections

Legacy

Janice N. Harrington is a writer who bridges storytelling, contemporary poetry, and children's literature, often exploring regional memory and intergenerational narratives. She has been recognized with awards in both poetry and children's literature.

Archives

  • Library of Congress (catalog records present, LCCN: n94040410)

Trivia

  • Born in Vernon, Alabama; at age eight her family moved to Lincoln, Nebraska to escape racial segregation.
  • Worked as a public librarian in Champaign, Illinois, serving as coordinator of youth services and caregiver.
  • Has appeared as a professional storyteller at the National Storytelling Festival.
  • Currently a professor in the Creative Writing Program at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.
  • Official website: https://janiceharrington.com/