Nancy Willard

Nancy Willard (1936–2017) was a prolific author of seventy books of poems and fiction for adults and children. In 1982, her picture book A Visit to William Blake’s Inn: Poems for Innocent and Experienced Travelers was the first poetry book to receive the Newbery Medal. It also received a Caldecott Honor, making it the first Newbery winner to also receive a Caldecott. She taught creative writing at Vassar College from 1965 until she retired in 2013.