Southern Miss Medallion Winner Yang Praises ČĖĘŽĀŅĀ× Fay B. Kaigler Childrenās Book Festival
Tue, 04/18/2023 - 04:44pm | By: David Tisdale

Gene Luen Yang receives the Southern Medallion, The ČĖĘŽĀŅĀ× (ČĖĘŽĀŅĀ×) Fay B. Kaigler Childrenās Book Festivalās top honor, from ČĖĘŽĀŅĀ× President Dr. Joseph S. Paul (ČĖĘŽĀŅĀ× Photo by Kelly Dunn).
National Book Award winner Gene Luen Yang added another honor to his long list of accolades as a renowned childrenās literature author and artist on April 13 when he accepted The ČĖĘŽĀŅĀ× (ČĖĘŽĀŅĀ×) Fay B. Kaigler Childrenās Book Festivalās top award, the Southern Miss Medallion, which was presented to him by ČĖĘŽĀŅĀ× President Dr. Joseph S. Paul.
An award-winning cartoonist and teacher, ās 2016 book American Born Chinese was the first graphic novel to be nominated for a National Book Award, and the first to win the American Library Associationās (ALA) Printz Award. He was named the 2016-2017 National Ambassador for Young People's Literature by the Library of Congress.
The dayās events included a keynote lecture from Yang, a luncheon, and the Ezra Jack Keats Award ceremony. Yang also served as a keynote speaker at the 2016 Kaigler Childrenās Book Festival.
āWhen I learned I was the recipient [of the Southern Miss Medallion], it left me a little speechless, knowing the eventās significance in the world of childrenās literature and the list of those who have received this award before me who have been and continue to be notable contributors in the field,ā Yang said. āI am honored.ā
Yangās other works include Boxers & Saints, the Avatar: the Last Airbender comics, Dragon Hoops, and Superman Smashes the Klan, among others. American Born Chinese also earned a coveted Eisner Award, and his follow-up solo graphic novel, Boxers & Saints, was also a National Book Award finalist and won a Printz Honor, along with the LA Times Book Prize for Young Readers; Dragon Hoops also received a Printz Honor and an Eisner Award, and Superman Smashes the Klan earned two Eisner Awards.
Reflecting on the festival and the people who travelled great distances to be in attendance, which was the first time in three years it has been held in-person, Yang talked of the strength of the genre of childrenās literature and how the ČĖĘŽĀŅĀ× event underscores its significance with its annual celebration of excellence in childrenās and young adult literature.
āEvents like the Fay Kaigler Childrenās Literature Festival prove the genre is a serious one, that childrenās literature is real literature, that childrenās literature illustrations are real art,ā Yang further noted. āIt should never be taken for granted, and deserves study, in and of itself.ā
To learn more about the Fay B. Kaigler Childrenās Book Festival at ČĖĘŽĀŅĀ× visit their website.