Visiting Author program
The Visiting Author Program provides Gordon students the unique experience of delving into the writer’s craft by working with nationally recognized authors and illustrators. It is supported by the Karla Harry Visiting Author Fund, which was established in 2006 in memory of Karla Harry, Gordon’s beloved librarian and adored community member. This fund was initially endowed by Almon, Suzanne, Stephen, and Sara Hall. Gifts from Karla’s friends and family have expanded its mission, and this permanent fund has become a vital part of the school’s library program and literature curriculum.
2007 Visiting Author Kimberly Willis Holt
2009 Visiting Author Marilyn Nelson
2010 Visiting Author Julia Alvarez
2011 Visiting Author April Pulley Sayre
2012 Visiting Author Joseph Bruchac
2013 Visiting Author Doreen Rappaport
2014 Visiting Author Andrea Davis Pinkney
2015 Visiting Author James Howe
2016 Visiting Authors Robin Page and Steve Jenkins
2017 Visiting Author Nikki Grimes
Grace Lin was at Gordon in December 2020, as the fourteenth annual Karla Harry Visiting Author, leading workshops in all three divisions of the school.
Grace Lin is a New York Times bestselling author and illustrator who won the Newbery Honor for Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and the Theodor Geisel Honor for Ling and Ting. Her novel When the Sea Turned to Silver was a National Book Award Finalist and her picture book, A Big Mooncake for Little Star was awarded the Caldecott Honor.
The residency coincided with the annual GCA Book Fair, which also included author visits from Gabby Rivera (America), Cecil Castellucci (Plain Janes), Kat Leyh (Lumberjanes), neurologist David Badre and ten-year-old author Orion Razat, as well as the team who assembled the anthology No Voice Too Small.