We were sad to hear about the death of Nancy Willard. Willard, whose 1981 book of poetry A Visit to William Blake’s Inn: Poems for Innocent and Experienced Travelers broke ground by winning both the Newbery Medal and a Caldecott Honor (for Alice and Martin Provensen) in the same year, died February 19, 2017, in Poughkeepsie, New York. She was eighty. In addition to poetry, short stories, novels, and essays, she wrote over forty children’s books in a career that spanned fifty years. In 1954 her story “A Child’s Star” was published in The Horn Book; she was eighteen.

Nancy Willard was a frequent Horn Book contributor whose articles and art include this beautiful cover for the January/February 2002 Horn Book Magazine. Here are some other articles by and about her.

On the Cover: "Houses." From the January/February 2002 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.

"A Tale Out of Time." From the January/February 2002 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.

"A Visit to William Blake's Inn: Author Nancy Willard’s 1982 Newbery Acceptance Speech." From the August 1982 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.

"Profile of Newbery Medalist Nancy Willard" by Barbara Lucas. From the August 1982 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.

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