George Ella Lyon
Encyclopedia
George Ella Lyon is a Kentucky author who has published in many genres, including picture book
s, poetry
, juvenile novels, and articles
.
, a small coal mining
town in eastern Kentucky. Her books frequently take place in Appalachia
. She married Stephen Lyon, a musician
, in 1972, and had two children with him. She earned a B.A. at Centre College
in Kentucky
in 1971, her M.A. at the University of Arkansas
in 1972, and her Ph.D. at Indiana University--Bloomington in 1978.
She first published in 1983, a poetry collection called Mountain. Aside from publishing, she also taught writing at a number of colleges, including the University of Kentucky
, Centre College
, Transylvania University
, and Radford University
. She has also acted as an executive committee member for the Women Writers Conference
. She currently teaches writing through workshops, conferences, and author visits.
, Sylvia Pantaleo notes that Lyon's A Day at Damp Camp bears characteristics of Dresang's
Radical Change theory by having a nonlinear story, which artist Peter Catalanotto loops back to the beginning through the illustrations and images, and text within boxes that resembles "hypertext Web links".
Picture book
A picture book combines visual and verbal narratives in a book format, most often aimed at young children. The images in picture books use a range of media such as oil paints, acrylics, watercolor and pencil.Two of the earliest books with something like the format picture books still retain now...
s, poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
, juvenile novels, and articles
Article (publishing)
An article is a written work published in a print or electronic medium. It may be for the purpose of propagating the news, research results, academic analysis or debate.-News articles:...
.
Biography
George Ella Lyon was born in HarlanHarlan, Kentucky
Harlan is a city in Harlan County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 2,081 at the 2000 census and was estimated at 1,880 in 2007. It is the county seat of Harlan County.-History:...
, a small coal mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
town in eastern Kentucky. Her books frequently take place in Appalachia
Appalachia
Appalachia is a term used to describe a cultural region in the eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York state to northern Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Canada to Cheaha Mountain in the U.S...
. She married Stephen Lyon, a musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, in 1972, and had two children with him. She earned a B.A. at Centre College
Centre College
Centre College is a private liberal arts college in Danville, Kentucky, USA, a community of approximately 16,000 in Boyle County south of Lexington, KY. Centre is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution. Centre was founded by Presbyterian leaders, with whom it maintains a loose...
in Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
in 1971, her M.A. at the University of Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
in 1972, and her Ph.D. at Indiana University--Bloomington in 1978.
She first published in 1983, a poetry collection called Mountain. Aside from publishing, she also taught writing at a number of colleges, including the University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
, Centre College
Centre College
Centre College is a private liberal arts college in Danville, Kentucky, USA, a community of approximately 16,000 in Boyle County south of Lexington, KY. Centre is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution. Centre was founded by Presbyterian leaders, with whom it maintains a loose...
, Transylvania University
Transylvania University
Transylvania University is a private, undergraduate liberal arts college in Lexington, Kentucky, United States, affiliated with the Christian Church . The school was founded in 1780. It offers 38 majors, and pre-professional degrees in engineering and accounting...
, and Radford University
Radford University
Radford University is one of Virginia's eight doctoral-degree granting public universities. Originally founded in 1910, Radford offers comprehensive curricula for undergraduates in more than 100 fields, and graduate programs including the M.F.A., M.B.A...
. She has also acted as an executive committee member for the Women Writers Conference
Women Writers Conference
The Kentucky Women Writers Conference had its beginnings in 1979 as a celebration of women writers at the University of Kentucky. That first year featured Maya Angelou, Toni Cade Bambara, Ruth Stone, Alice Walker, and Ruth Whitman...
. She currently teaches writing through workshops, conferences, and author visits.
Works
In an article in The Reading TeacherInternational Reading Association
The International Reading Association is an international professional organization that was created in 1956 to improve reading instruction, facilitate dialogue about research on reading, and encourage the habit of reading....
, Sylvia Pantaleo notes that Lyon's A Day at Damp Camp bears characteristics of Dresang's
Eliza T. Dresang
Eliza T. Dresang is an American professor of Library Science who studies fundamental changes in children's literature because of digital format. Dresang is the Beverly Cleary Professor in Children and Youth Services at the University of Washington Information School.-Career:Dresang received a...
Radical Change theory by having a nonlinear story, which artist Peter Catalanotto loops back to the beginning through the illustrations and images, and text within boxes that resembles "hypertext Web links".
Children/Young Adult
- Father Time and the Day Boxes, illustrated by Robert Andrew Parker, 1985.
- A Regular Rolling Noah, illustrated by Stephen GammellStephen GammellStephen Gammell is an American illustrator of children's books. His awards include the Caldecott Medal.Stephen Gammell grew up in Iowa. His father, an art editor for a major magazine, brought home periodicals that gave Stephen early artistic inspiration. His parents also supplied him with lots...
, 1986. - A Throne in Goose Rock, 1987.
- One Lucky Girl, illustrated by Irene Trivas, 2000.
- Mother to Tigers, illustrated by Peter CatalanottoPeter CatalanottoPeter Catalanotto is an American book illustrator.-Background:Peter Catalanotto was born in March 1959 in Brooklyn, NY, and grew up in East Northport, Long Island, New York. Educated at the Pratt Institute, Peter's career as an illustrator began in the 1980s, painting jackets for young adult...
, 2002. - Gina.Jamie.Father.Bear., 2002.
- Sonny's House of Spies, 2004.
Picture Books
- A B Cedar: An Alphabet of Trees, illustrated by Tom Parker, 1989.
- Together, illustrated by Vera Rosenberry, 1989.
- Come a Tide, illustrated by Stephen Gammell, 1990.
- Basket, illustrated by Mary Szilagyi, 1990.
- Cecil's Story, illustrated by Peter Catalanotto, 1991.
- The Outside Inn, illustrated by Vera Rosenberry, 1991.
- Who Came Down that Road?, illustrated by Peter Catalanotto, 1992.
- Dreamplace, illustrated by Peter Catalanotto, 1993.
- Five Live Bongos, illustrated by Jacqueline Rogers, 1994.
- Mama Is a Miner, illustrated by Peter Catalanotto, 1994.
- Ada's Pal, illustrated by Marguerite Casparian, 1996.
- A Wordful Child, photographs by Ann W. Olson, 1996.
- A Day at Damp Camp, illustrated by Peter Catalanotto, 1996.
- A Sign, illustrated by Chris K. Soentpiet, 1998.
- A Traveling Cat, illustrated by Paul Brett Johnson, 1998.
- Book, illustrated by Peter Catalanotto, 1999.
- Weaving the Rainbow, illustrated by Stephanie Anderson, 2004.
- When You Get Little and I Get Big, illustrated by Peter Catalanotto, 2006.
- No Dessert Forever!, 2006.
Novels
- Borrowed Children, 1988.
- Red Rover, 1989 (published as The Stranger I Left behind Me, 1997)
- Here and Then, 1994.
- With a Hammer for My Heart, 1996.
Poetry
- Mountain, 1983.
- Growing Light, 1987.
- Catalpa, 1993.
- Counting on the Woods, photographs by Ann W. Olson, 1998.
Miscellaneous Works
- Braids (two-act play), first produced in Lexington, KYLexington, KentuckyLexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
, at Transylvania UniversityTransylvania UniversityTransylvania University is a private, undergraduate liberal arts college in Lexington, Kentucky, United States, affiliated with the Christian Church . The school was founded in 1780. It offers 38 majors, and pre-professional degrees in engineering and accounting...
, 1985. - Choices: Stories for Adult New Readers, 1989.
- (Editor, with Jim Wayne Miller and Gurney NormanGurney NormanGurney Norman is an American novelist, documentarian, and professor.-Biography:Gurney Norman was born in Grundy, Virginia in 1937...
) A Gathering at the Forks: Fifteen Years of the Hindman Settlement School Appalachian Writers Workshop, 1993. - (Editor, with Bob Henry BaberBob Henry BaberBob Henry Baber is an American writer, politician and college employee. He is an Appalachian poet who was the first member of the West Virginia Mountain Party to be elected to office when he became mayor of Richwood, West Virginia in 2004...
and Gurney Norman; and author of introduction) Old Wounds, New Words: Poems from the Appalachian Poetry Project, 1994. - Where I'm From: Where Poems Come From, photographs by Robert Hoskins, 1999.
- (Editor) A Kentucky Christmas, 2003.
- You and Me and Home Sweet Home, 2012.
Awards
- Lamont Hall Award, Andrew Mountain Press, 1983, for Mountain
- Golden Kite Award, Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, 1989, for Borrowed Children
- Kentucky Bluegrass Award, for Basket
- Andrew Mountain Press Award, for Mountain
- Book of the Year Award, Appalachian Writers Association, for Catalpa
- Best Books of the Year citation, Publishers Weekly, for Who Came Down that Road?
- Jesse Stuart Media Award, Kentucky School Media Association, for body of work.