birth_place imagesize birth_date genre image article_title name
brooklyn , ny 167x250px 3 july 1953 children 's literature rich-michelson . jpg richard michelson
 richard michelson
richard michelson

richard michelson -lrb- born july 3 , 1953 -rrb- is a poet and a children 's book author .
in january 2009 , `` as good as anybody : martin luther king and abraham joshua heschel 's amazing march toward freedom , '' was awarded the sydney taylor book award gold medal from the association of jewish libraries , and `` a is for abraham , '' was awarded the silver medal .
this is the first time in the award 's 41-year history that one author has been honored with their top two awards .
michelson has twice been a finalist for the national jewish book award -lrb- 2008 , 2006 -rrb- and twice the recipient of the skipping stone multicultural book award -lrb- 2009 , 2003 -rrb- .
other recent recognition include a 2009 massachusetts book award finalist , a 2007 teacher 's choice award from the international reading association , and a 2007 publisher weekly best book award .
clemson university named michelson as the richard j. calhoun distinguished reader in american literature for 2008 , and he was the featured poet for the 20th anniversary edition of image journal : art faith mystery .
michelson 's poetry has been included in many anthologies , including `` the norton introduction to poetry '' , `` unsettling america : contemporary multicultural poetry '' , and `` blood to remember : american poets on the holocaust '' .
his latest collection , `` battles & lullabies '' , published by the university of illinois press , was selected as one of the 12 best poetry books of 2006 by foreword magazine .
michelson has lectured , and read from his works in india , eastern europe , and throughout the united states .
he represented the united states at the bratislava biennial of children 's books in 2005 .
michelson has written for the new york times book review , publishers weekly , nextbook and other publications .
he is the curator of exhibitions at the national yiddish book center and owns r. michelson galleries in northampton , massachusetts .
