Newbery-winning author Christopher Paul Curtis to lecture

Famed children?s book author Christopher Paul Curtis will speak about writing, diversity, and the importance of understanding history at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 5, in Gannett Auditorium of Palamountain Hall at Skidmore. The event is free and open to the public.

Considered one of the most important voices in children?s literature today, Curtis just won the Coretta Scott King Book Award and a Newbery Honor Award for his 2007 novel, Elijah of Buxton. Elijah tells the story of 11-year-old Elijah Freeman, the first African-American child to be born free, in 1859, in Buxton, Canada, a settlement for slaves who escaped to freedom via the Underground Railroad. Kirkus Reviews notes that the setting is ?so thoroughly evoked, with characters so real, that readers will live the story, not just read it?.This is Curtis's best novel yet.?

Curtis, who often uses humor to help his readers grapple with intense issues like homelessness and racial tension, was born in Flint, Mich., where he spent his first 13 years after high school on the assembly line of Flint?s historic Fisher Body Plant No. 1. He made an outstanding debut in children?s literature with The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963 (1997). His second novel, Bud, Not Buddy, was published in 1999 and became the first book ever to receive both the Newbery Medal and the Coretta Scott King Author Award. His other books are Bucking the Sarge (2006) and Mr. Chickee?s Funny Money (2007). Now living in Windsor, Ontario, Curtis is also known for his work in education, motivation, and social activism.

A selection of Curtis?s books will be available in the Skidmore Shop, the College?s bookstore, and during the book-signing session following the lecture. (For more information about the author and his works, click here.)