Jeff Mondak is both a poet

Poet

A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...

 and songwriter

Songwriter

A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...

 who has written nearly 200 children's poems, along with many songs for both children and adults. He is also a political science professor, currently the James M. Benson Chair in Public Issues and Civic Leadership in the Department of Political Science at the University of Illinois. Jeff lives with his family in Champaign, Il

Champaign, Illinois

Champaign is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, in the United States. The city is located south of Chicago, west of Indianapolis, Indiana, and 178 miles northeast of St. Louis, Missouri. Though surrounded by farm communities, Champaign is notable for sharing the campus of the University of...

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Biography

Jeff Mondak, a native of Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...

, has travelled all over the world and has lived in Florida, Indiana, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. He has been discussing poetry and performing his poems in elementary and middle schools since 1998. Jeff's whimsical poems and songs have appeared in numerous books and magazines, such as Cricket and Spider. Jeff's songs have been played on NPR's "All Things Considered," the Dr. Demento Show, and several children's music programs. In 2009, the National Youth Choir of Scotland began performing two of Jeff’s songs, and Jeff co-wrote the song “Hardwired” with popular folk musician Christine Lavin

Christine Lavin

Christine Lavin is a New York City-based singer-songwriter and promoter of contemporary folk music. She has recorded numerous solo albums, and has also recorded with other female folk artists under the name Four Bitchin' Babes...

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Awards

• "Genie, Please Hurry" — Letter of merit from the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators
• "Pluto's Not a Planet Anymore" — Physics Song of the Month, American Association of Physics Teachers
• Songramp.com Artist of the Month

Works

Mondak's poetry and songs have been featured in: The Pluto Files (W.W. Norton, 2009), I Hope I Don't Strike Out (Meadowbrook, 2008), Peter, Peter Pizza Eater (Meadowbrook, 2006), My Teacher's In Detention (Meadowbrook, 2006), The Ultimate Guide to Celebrating Kids, Vol. II (Bluegrass, 2005), Rolling in the Aisles (Meadowbrook, 2004), Singgold 2 (National Youth Choir of Scotland, 2009), Singsilver 2 (National Youth Choir of Scotland, 2009), and the audio CDs Michael Closed the Bathroom Door (JPFK, 2008) and Halloween Treats (Allegheny Music Works, 2007)

External links

• http://www.authorsillustrators.com/mondak/mondak.htm
• http://jeffspoemsforkids.com/
• http://www.songramp.com/homepage.php?userid=12630