Celebrate Literacy Award

Hi everyone,

I’m honored to announce that I’ve just received the ILA/MLA Celebrate Literacy Award. Two awards were given for 2023. Here’s the announcement.

I’m grateful to SAM BOMMARITO and GLENDA NUGENT (co-editors of Missouri Reader, and Sam just finished a term as president of MLA) for nominating me for the recognition. I believe that a video is being created to explain more about the award. I’ll let you know if I see it. I am truly delighted.

With gratitude to Ann Porter Gifford

Hi everyone,

This past week I heard from an old friend, Ann Porter Gifford, retired Professor of Education and Coordinator of Literacy at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, Missouri and former president of Missouri Literacy Association (when it was still IRA).

Among Ann’s responsibilities at SMSU was the annual children’s literature festival. The year she invited me to be one of the three speakers, the other two were Walter Dean Myer and Jane Yolen. Ann picked us up at the airport in St. Louis for the long drive down to Cape and the four of us had a great conversation all the way.

Later Ann decided to write a series of interviews of me and submit them to a number of state IRA reading journals. Between 2001-2005 a total of thirteen were published Colorado, Louisiana, Missouri, Tennessee, California, Arizona, South Carolina, Florida, Montana, Michigan, Kentucky, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. You can imagine how delighted I was to hear from Ann. With her usual thoughtfulness she offered to send me some of the quotes about me/my work she had gathered while writing the articles, copies of some of the journals, and even the letter she wrote to nominate me for Missouri’s first poet laureate. I wasn’t selected but it was a swell letter!

So thank you, dear Ann, for all the good memories and wonderful things you did for me. I’m glad that you and that talented hubby of yours (Bob) are enjoying your retirement. With love, David

A wonderful surprise in the new issue of Missouri Reader

Hi everyone,

Today I express my gratitude to Sam Bommarito and Glenda Nugent, co-editors of Missouri Literacy Association’s journal, MISSOURI READER, for featuring me in the new issue that comes out this weekend. Sam is also going into the second year of his two-year term as Chairman of the MLA. For some reason the national organization, International Literacy Association, has decided the heads of state chapters should now be called chairmen instead of president.

Last year I celebrated the 50th year since my first book for children was published. Sam and Glenda honor me for that and more so I hope you will enjoy their article and of course the entire issue. Here’s the link. https://joom.ag/RCwe

If you would like to become a member of MLA and/or contribute to the organization, you can do it online at https://mla31.wildapricot.org/Join-MLA. State Reading associations are in need of support for the invaluable work they do in supporting teachers and their efforts to help their students develop literacy skills that lead to a fuller life.