Carole Boston Weatherford
Carole Boston Weatherford is the author of numerous award-winning books. Her picture book BOX: Henry Brown Mails Himself to Freedom, illustrated by Michele Wood received a Newbery Honor. Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre, illustrated by the late Floyd Cooper, was a National Book Award longlist title, won the Coretta Scott King Award for author and illustrator, and received a Caldecott Honor and a Sibert Honor. She is dedicated to writing poetry for children and is the 2025 and 2026 Young People’s Poet Laureate. When she’s not traveling or visiting museums, Carole is mining the past for family stories, fading traditions, and forgotten struggles. She lives in North Carolina.
Interview
What was your favorite book when you were a child?
I have a prose pick and a poetry pick.
The Learning Tree by Gordon Parks
The Dream Keeper and Other Poems by Langston Hughes.What’s your favorite line from a book?
“They shoot the white girl first.”—Paradise by Tony Morrison
Who are your top three favorite authors or illustrators?
Authors: Marilyn Nelson, Toni Morrison, Tyehimba Jess.
Illustrators: Frank Morrison, Jeffery Weatherford, Dare CoulterWhy did you want to become an author or illustrator?
I wanted to write the kinds of books for my children that I lacked during my childhood—books where children of color can see themselves.
Do you have any advice for future authors or illustrators?
Persist. Hone your craft. Submit. Repeat.
