BIOS
Carole Boston Weatherford
The daughter of a printer, Carole Boston Weatherford was practically born with ink in her blood. She began writing at age six and soon after saw her poems in print. Her 80-plus books have garnered two NAACP Image Awards and 18 American Library Association Youth Media Awards, including a Newbery Honor, Coretta Scott King Award and four Caldecott Honors. Her career achievements have been recognized with the ALA Children’s Literature Legacy Award, the North Carolina Award for Literature, and the Nonfiction Award from the Children’s Book Guild. The 2025-2026 Young People’s Poet Laureate and a retired HBCU professor, she lives in Baltimore.
Jeffery Boston Weatherford
Jeffery Boston Weatherford is an author, rapper and award-winning children’s book illustrator. His latest book, Rap It Up! was inspired by his signature workshops merging writing and technology. KIN: Rooted in Hope won a Coretta Scott King Honor and the Boston Globe/Horn Book Award for Poetry. His debut book, You Can Fly: The Tuskegee Airmen, was named an ALSC Notable Book and a best book of the year by National Council for the Social Studies and Kirkus Reviews. Jeffery’s has had solo art exhibitions in Maryland, Georgia, North Carolina and Florida. Formerly a National Book Foundation teaching artist, he holds an M.F.A. from Howard University where he was a Romare Bearden Scholar.
PHOTOS
Carole Weatherford headshot (credit Gerald Young)
Carole Weatherford headshot (credit Gerald Young)
VIDEO
Black Issues Forum on UNC-TV
Jeffery Weatherford raps on Bookwatch Footnotes
The Weatherfords discuss You Can Fly on Bookwatch, UNC-TV
The Weatherfords at The Village Group, Plantersville Elementary School (SC)
Reading Rockets interview
Poplin Elementary School performance (scroll down for video)
Guilford County Newsbreak: Lindley Park School visit
Brewbaker Techonology High School @ Alabama Book Festival: Interview
Kennedy Center Performing Arts Series (Register free for Archive Access.)
2010 North Carolina Award for Literature
PODCASTS
WICN-Worcester, MA: Reading from Becoming Billie Holiday
WBGO-Newark, NJ: Reading from Becoming Billie Holiday
Pratt Library: Reading from Becoming Billie Holiday and I, Matthew Henson
NPR: Negro Leagues commentary
NPR: Rosa Parks poem
BLOG INTERVIEWS
POETRY & ESSAYS ONLINE
Pokemon commentary
Speaking of Slavery: The Last Taboo commentary
Title poem from chapbook The Tar Baby on the Soapbox
Tuskegee Airmen poem
REVIEWS
www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=32346
http://www.themontserratreview.com/bookreviews/becomingBillieHoliday.html
www.bookdivas.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=356&Itemid=45
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6600236.html?nid=2413&rid=
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6648081.html
www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6623294.html
www.teensreadtoo.com/BecomingBillieHoliday.html
http://www.baltimoremagazine.net/article.asp?t=1&m=1&c=32&s=651&ai=76868
BLOG REVIEWS
http://sarahmillerbooks.blogspot.com/2008/09/becoming-billie-holiday-by-carole.html
orangesandsardines.blogspot.com/2009/03/becoming-billie-holiday.html
http://pinkpicks.blogspot.com/2009/03/becoming-billie-holiday-by-carole.html
http://blaine.org/sevenimpossiblethings/?p=1432#more-1432
http://wordswimmer.blogspot.com/2008/12/how-deep-is-ocean.html
http://blbooks.blogspot.com/2008/07/poetry-friday-review-of-becoming-billie.html
http://summereadingame.wordpress.com/2009/02/11/ladies-first/
http://planetesme.blogspot.com/2008/12/bird-fiction.html
SHORTLISTS
www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6617203.html
www.kirkusreviews.com/kirkusreviews/images/pdf/Best_YA.pdf
http://pdfs.voya.com/VO/YA2/VOYA200904PurePoetry2008.pdf (VOYA Poetry Picks)
http://www.capitolchoices.com/displaybooks.asp?parent=2622&sort=102&list=2626&curpage=3
http://www.teensreadtoo.com/HallOfFame.html (September 2008)
http://blbooks.blogspot.com/2009/04/librarians-choices-2008.html (Librarians’ Choices)
http://poetryforchildren.blogspot.com/2008/12/best-poetry-of-2008.html (Best Poetry of 2008)
http://cynthialeitichsmith.blogspot.com/2008/12/cynsational-books-of-2008.html
BLOG TOURS
http://thebrownbookshelf.com/2009/04/09/becoming-billie-holiday-blog-tour/
http://bethrevis.blogspot.com (April 7, 2009)
http://annbogle.blogspot.com/ (April 19, 2009)
http://smallbranchespoetry.blogspot.com/ (April 6, 2009)
www.carolbaldwinblog.blogspot.com/ (April 15, 2009)
http://practiceandcraft.blogspot.com/ (April 27, 2009)
www.nikischoenfeldt.blogspot.com/ (April 30, 2009)
