Center for Children’s Literature

Writer-in-Residence

Established in 2015, the Dorothy Carter Writer-in-Residence program invites a prominent author to work with School for Children students to craft their writing each spring. Dorothy Carter was Bank Street’s first African American faculty member, writer of highly acclaimed children’s books, chair of the Bank Street Writers Lab, and Broadway actress. We lost Dorothy in 2012, but continue to celebrate her contributions to children’s literature through the Writer-in-Residence program.

Carlos Hernandez, Bank Street’s Dorothy Carter 2021 Writer-in-Residence

2021 Writer-in-residence Carlos Hernandez The Center for Children’s Literature is delighted to announce that Carlos Hernandez will be its 2021 Dorothy Carter Writer-in-Residence. Carlos has published more than thirty works of fiction, poetry, and drama, including Sal and Gabi Break the Universe, for which he won a Pura Belpré Author Award from the American Library Association. He is an English professor at City University of New York, and he loves to both play games and design them. He lives with his wife, Claire, in Queens, New York.

Carlos will work virtually with the 9/10s classrooms in April on the concept of “world building” in creative fiction writing. Follow Carlos on Twitter @WriteTeachPlay

Donate to the Writer-in-Residence Fund

Past Writers-in-Residence

2020

Jerry Craft was Bank Street’s 2020 Dorothy Carter Writer-in-Residence. Jerry Craft is an award-winning author and illustrator who has created numerous picture books and graphic and middle grade novels. He is also known for his syndicated newspaper comic strip Mama’s Boyz.

Jerry was born in Harlem and grew up in nearby Washington Heights. He is a graduate of The Fieldston School and received his B.F.A. from the School of Visual Arts. Jerry worked in the School for Children’s 9/10s classes on creative writing in April.

To learn more, visit Jerry’s website. Go to the KidLit TV livestream of our 2019 BookFest to hear Jerry’s presentation for the Graphic Novels and Comics as Information Texts panel. The panel begins at 4:52:26 and Jerry begins speaking at 4:54:50. After BookFest Jerry also left us a wonderful illustration of Jordan Banks, the protagonist of his new graphic novel, New Kid (Harper Collins), come see it the next time you are in the 5th floor library.
2019

Emma Otheguy, PhD, will be our 5th annual Dorothy Carter Writer-in-Residence. Emma will work with the 9/10s classrooms on creative writing in April of 2019. Emma is the author of Pope Francis: Builder of Bridges (Bloomsbury 2018). Her middle grade novel Silver Meadows Summer (Alfred A. Knopf) will be published in 2019. Read more
2018

Renee Watson, Author of Piecing Me Together and Harlem’s Little Blackbird: The Story of Florence Mills, worked with the 9/10s classes on poetry.
2017

Kat Yeh, Crystal Kite winner and author of middle grade novel The Truth About Twinkie Pie, worked with the 9/10s on creative writing.
2016

Adam Gidwitz, GSE ’08, and Newbery Honoree for An Inquisitor’s Tale, worked with the 9/10s on novel writing.
2015

Newbery medalist and author of The Crossover, Kwame Alexander inaugurated the program as the first Dorothy Carter Writer-in-Residence and worked with the 9/10s on their poetry.