Cleary Professor Michelle Martin a crusader for diversity in children’s books

By Information School UW

Endowed professorships in children’s literature are rare — “10 may be a stretch,” says scholar Michelle Martin. Holding one is a high honor. Now Martin — renowned author, essayist, lecturer, book critic, community literacy activist, and champion of diversity in children’s literature — can put two on her resume. This fall Martin joins the iSchool as the Beverly Cleary Endowed Professor in Children and Youth Services.

She has ambitious goals for her new post, but her first job, she says, is simply to listen. “I want to meet with librarians and find out what is going on, what are their needs, how my skill set might map onto this habitat,” says Martin, relaxing inside her still-bare office at Mary Gates Hall, where warm greetings from iSchool staff scrawl across her whiteboard: “Welcome, Michelle!,” “I can’t wait to connect.”