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Mary Brigid Barrett
Mary Brigid Barrett is a children's book author and illustrator; a professional educator; and the founder, president, executive director of the National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance (NCBLA) — and a mom of three artistic and book-loving children.
Watch the interview below, read the interview transcript, or read a short biography on Mary Bridgid Barrett.
Biography
Mary Brigid Barrett was a voracious reader growing up and regularly visited the public library in the Cleveland neighborhood where her family lived. She helped form the NCBLA — an advocacy group that promotes children's literacy, literature and libraries — when she realized that many kids from at-risk communities do not have easy access to a quality public library or books at home.
Barrett has taught creative writing and book illustration at the Rhode Island School of Design and lectures at colleges and universities throughout New England. She also teaches writing workshops to students of all ages through in-school residency programs.
Barrett is the co-editor of the critically acclaimed NCBLA book Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out (2008, Candlewick Press). This remarkable book is a perfect read-aloud for families with children of all ages — an anthology of prose, poetry, drama, nonfiction, and art designed to promote reading, historical literacy, and civic engagement. Barrett attributes a serendipitous lunch conversation with historian David McCullough as the inspiration for the book.
Interested in wonderful interviews with tween and teen authors? Hop on over to our sister site, AdLit.org, and browse the library.
