GRANTS
National Endowment for the Arts, 1974
Alabama State Council on the Arts and Humanities, 1974
Mary Robert Rinehart Foundation, 1977
Rockefeller Brothers Fund, 1984
AWARDS
Pulitzer Prize nomination, Returning to Earth, 1990
Writer’s Digest 1st Place Poetry Award, “Divers,” 1977
International Sakura Haiku Competition 1st Place Award, “October,” 1993
Alabama Library Association Book Award, Animal Trunk, 2000
Parents’ Choice Book Award, Animal Trunk, 2000
Southeast Book Sellers Association Notable Book Award, Love Poems, 2000
Alabama Literacy Association, Read Alabama Award, 2018
Jefferson County Public Library Association Award, 2019
Alabama Library Association Author Lifetime Achievement Award, 2020
Birmingham Festival of Arts Award for Literature, 1988
Lee County Florida Star Teacher Award, 1972
Helen Keller Literary Award, 1993
Learning Magazine, Teachers’ Choice Award, My Little Planet (4-book series), 2013
National Science Teachers Book Award, Strange Unusual Gross & Cool Animals, 2017
Kirkus Starred Review, A Carnival of Cats, 2017
CCBC Best Books for Kids Starred Selection, Who Can?, 2018
National Book Festival Selection, Alabama: My Home Sweet Home, 2018
Reach Out and Read Book Selection, Alabama: My Home Sweet Home, 2019
National Book Festival Selection, The Night the Forest Came to Town, 2020
CCBC Best Books for Kids, A Parade of Puppies, 2017
CCBC Best Books for Kids, First Times, 2018
Accelerated Readers, Tiny Tales (4-book series), 2018
Green Earth Book Award, The Night the Forest Came to Town, 2019
Northern Lights Book Award, A Poem is a Firefly, 2021
Dragonfly Book Award Winner, A Poem is a Firefly, 2021
Best Children’s Books 2021, A Poem is a Firefly, 2021
Alabama Dept of Education, Reading Initiative Program, Alabama My Home Sweet Home, 2023
National Book Festival Selection, The Father Goose Treasury of Poetry, 2024
HONORS
Honor Member, Sigma Tau Delta, International English Honor Society, 1977
Poetry Reading, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 1984
Poetry Reading, Library of Congress, 1978
Poetry Reading, American Library of Paris, 2005
Poetry Reading, American School in Paris, 2015
Poetry Reading, American Mensa Annual Conference, 2007
Poetry Readings, International Schools of South America, 1998
Books featured on ABC-TV’s “Good Morning America,” 1991
Books featured, PBS-TV, 2012, 2014, 2017
Books featured, NPR, 2006
Books featured, Reading Rainbow, 2007, 2008
Books featured, Scholastic Book Clubs Catalogues, 1999-2021
Books selected, Book-of-the-Month Club, 1999
American Booksellers Association Pick of the Lists, Tickle Day, 1994
American Booksellers Association Pick of the Lists, Riddle Rhymes, 1995
Kirkus Starred Review, A Carnival of Cats, 2015
Publishers Weekly Starred Review, Animal Trunk, 1999
POSITIONS
Poetry Editor, English Journal, National Council of Teachers of English, 1973-74
Poet in Residence, Alabama School of Fine Arts, Birmingham, AL, 1974-1993
Poet in Residence, Michigan Art Train, 1974
Poet in Residence, Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, DC, 1984
Poet in Residence, M.I.T. Endicott House, 1984
Poetry Instructor, Samford University, Birmingham, AL 1985
Correspondent, Writer’s Digest Magazine, 1989
Founding Board Member, Alabama Center for the Book, 2002
Founding Board Member, Children’s Literacy Guild of Alabama, 2003
Poetry Judge, Birmingham News Annual Poetry Contest for Children, 1999-2001
Editorial Board, U.S. Kids Magazines, 2009
Advisor, Board of Directors, Alabama Interstate Character Council, 2013
Writer, Monthly Poetry Column, Cricket Media, 2015-2019
Writer, Monthly Poetry Party Feature, Birmingham Parent Magazine, 2015-2019
Nationally Syndicated Writer, Tribune Media Services, Daily Light Verse Feature, Snickers, 1993-1998
Sunday Feature Writer, Birmingham News, Huntsville Times, Mobile Press-Register, Goal Minds, 2021
Writer, director, performer, “Cabbages and Kings,” Alabama Educational Television, 1976
President, Circle K International, Edison State College, Fort Myers, FL 1965
Vice President, Circle K International, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, 1966
Teacher, English and Creative Writing, Cypress Lake High School, Fort Myers, FL 1967-1973
Instructor, Creative Writing, Edison State College, Fort Myers, FL, 1973
Co-founder, Gulf Coast Writers Guild, Fort Myers, FL, 1968
Actor, Edison Players, Fort Myers, FL, 1968-1972
Actor, Asolo State Theatre, Sarasota, FL, 1972
DEGREES
B.A., English, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, 1967
MEd, English Education, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL 1970
Post Graduate, English and Creative Writing, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 1973
DISTINCTIONS
Author of more than 5,000 poems, 2020
Author of more than 100 books, 2021
Author of “World’s Shortest Poem,” 2006
Author of more than one million books published
