A Women’s History Month Homage From WB Intern Macy Lane

by WB Intern Macy Lane

March is Women’s History Month. As I reflect on women in history who have changed the world, there are more than I could ever hope to count. Scientists, educators, freedom fighters, fashion designers, plus so many more. And yet, the ones who really stand out the most for me are the writers.

Since childhood, I’ve been obsessed with the John Newbery Award. This award is presented each year by the American Library Association for the most distinguished book in children’s literature. In its 100-year history, women authors have won 67 times (some are multiple winners). Countless others have received the Newberry honor, with some authors in both categories being recognized multiple times.

Join me as I celebrate Women’s History Month with a look back on my own journey as a reader and writer. These women authors have changed my life with their words, their dedication, and their courage. Here are just a few who have left an imprint on me. They motivate me to follow my dreams and make the world a better place for others with the words I share.

Beverly Cleary

Beverly Cleary, a Newbery Award winner for Dear Mr. Henshaw in 1984, actually won me over with her Ramona books. For the first time as a reader, I felt a genuine and true connection to the main character. As I read Beverly Cleary’s words, I saw myself in Ramona. I was Ramona. Ramona gave my 8-year-old self permission to be imperfect and a little weird. Ms. Cleary’s books were of the ‘sneak under the cover with a flashlight’ sort, and because of her, I fell in love with reading and writing.

Katharine Paterson

Katherine Paterson is a two-time winner of the Newbery Award. She won in 1978 with Bridge to Terabithia, which remains, to this day, one of my favorite books. I can still feel the visceral reaction I experienced as I grew to love Leslie and Jesse and lived their story with them. While I didn’t know the term back then, this novel gifted me my first ‘ugly cry’. Ms. Paterson followed this novel with a Newbery Award recognition with Jacob Have I Loved in 1981. Never one to back down from challenging subject matter, in the 1990s some of her books frequented the American Library Association’s 100 Most Frequently Challenged books. Courageous writers are a gift to the world. As a child, Ms. Paterson wanted to become a movie star or a missionary, and while she may have been amazing at both, I am forever grateful she became a writer instead.

Kate DiCamillo

Kate DiCamillo is a prolific writer who knows how to reach right into the heart of her readers. She’s one of only six writers to have won the Newbery Award twice with Because of Winn Dixie (chapter 4 remains one of the most beautiful chapters I’ve ever read) and Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures. Through her endearing catalog of work, she has helped countless schoolchildren fall in love with reading. A favorite memory of my teaching career was sharing her books with my classes. With every page turn, my students would become more and more engrossed. Then, without warning, I would abruptly stop, close the book, and ask them to line up for lunch. Oh, the outroar I’d receive! That is the sort of writer Ms. DiCamillo is. She leaves you wanting more. She’s also a living testament to grit, perseverance, and faith. By the time she was 30, she’d received 473 rejection letters. To this day she continues to inspire me.

Jacqueline Woodson

While not yet a Newbery Award winner, Jacqueline Woodson is a four-time Newbery Honor winner and has a list of awards received that is pages long. It is hard to know where to start when writing about Jacqueline Woodson. Her memoir, Brown Girl Dreaming embodies the essence of Ms. Woodson’s childhood experiences. It is a powerful, thought-provoking piece. As I read it, emotions catch in my throat, and a yearning to find the beauty in words just as she does rises in me. She makes me want to be and do better. Her work spans picture books to adult novels, poetry to prose. With her insightful words and actions, she continues to make history and shape our world.

Amina Luqman Dawson

The latest author to be awarded the Newbery is Amina Luqman Dawson, whose debut novel, Freewater also won the Coretta Scott King Award in 2022. As a matter of fact, Ms. Dawson found out about both of these amazing accomplishments on the same day. I pay homage to this female author for many reasons. Incredibly, Freewater is her fiction debut, and with this story, Ms. Dawson has found a way to spotlight our nation’s history regarding enslavement, resistance, and the concept of self-emancipation. It pleases me to know that she is currently at work on her next historical fiction that is sure to take us on an amazing journey through history.

About the Author

Macy Lane is a lifelong reader and writer currently residing in Austin, TX. Words have always been magical to her and the authors above are but a few who have genuinely and truly impacted her life. In time, she hopes to share her own stories with the world and perhaps spark the love of reading and writing in others. She plans to do this from the school bus she and her husband are converting into a tiny home so they can travel across the country!