Jan Spivey Gilchrist illustrated the Coretta Scott King Award Book Nathaniel Talking, the Coretta Scott King Honor Book Night on Neighborhood Street, and Me & Neesie. Most recently, she wrote the Parents' Choice Award Winner My America, which she co-illustrated with Ashley Bryan. An inductee into the International Literary Hall of Fame for Writers of African Descent, Ms. Gilchrist holds an MFA in writing for children and a doctoral degree in English. She lives near Chicago, Illinois.