parents and other family members, who were
also storytellers. As a child, Hamilton’s maternal
grandfather, Levi Perry, escaped from slavery in
Virginia, by crossing the Ohio River to freedom.
He often recounted his tale of flight to the young
Virginia, who was named for her grandfather’s
home state.
Hamilton majored in writing at Antioch Col-
lege in Ohio and was a literature major at Ohio
State University. She also attended the New School
for Social Research in New York and New York
University, studying novel writing. Hamilton
began writing her own tales when MALCOLM X
and the BLACK POWER movement were shifting the
face of the CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT. Growing up
during a time of turbulent social activity inspired
Hamilton to focus on themes of age, gender, and
race in her writing. She acknowledged that matur-
ing at the time of “Black is beautiful” increased her
awareness of the centrality of African-American
culture to American history. Her books resonate
with issues of the social effects people face when
excluded or included.
Hamilton wrote more than 20 books, includ-
ing Zeely (1967), The Time-Ago Tales of Jadhu
(1968), Paul Robeson: The Life and Times of a
Free Black Man (1975), The Magical Adventures of
Pretty Pearl (1983), Plain City (1993), and Bluish,
a Novel (1999). She has written children’s stories,
biographies, and memoirs, as well as collections of
poetry and folktales. Her first book, Zeely (1967),
tells of Elizabeth, a young girl who isolates her-
self from other people so that she can tell herself
her own stories. She becomes enamored of Zeely,
a six-foot-tall local pig farmer. The relationship
between these two women reaches its peak when
Zeely, through the telling of a creation myth, ad-
vises Elizabeth to recognize her place in the world.
After this exchange, Elizabeth acknowledges that
the Night Walker stories she had been using to ter-
rify her brother are really memories from tales her
uncle told her about the Underground Railroad.
Elizabeth ultimately embraces her own commu-
nity while celebrating her own creativity.
Hamilton weaves the tale of a young girl dis-
covering her cultural heritage together with her
discovery of her own unique identity. The themes
of age and the wisdom that comes with age are es-
sential to Hamilton’s work. She explores the con-
fusions and inconsistencies that face young adults
coming of age in a world full of difference, whether
it is gender, ethnicity, or age. Hamilton’s explora-
tions ultimately celebrate the joy of youth and the
importance of rich cultural traditions.
In 1974, Hamilton was the first African Ameri-
can to win the coveted John Newberry Medal for
“the most distinguished contribution to literature
for children” for M. C. Higgins, the Great (1974).
Hamilton was also the winner of the prestigious
Hans Christian Andersen Medal presented by the
International Board on Books for Young People
in Switzerland, an award equivalent to the Nobel
Prize in literature. Hamilton was the first and only
author of young-adult literature to receive a John
D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Fellowship (1995),
and she received the Coretta Scott King Award for
The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales
(1985), Sweet Whispers, Brother Rush (1982), and
A Little Love.BIBLIOGRAPHY
Carney Smith, Jessie, ed. Notable Black American
Women. Detroit: Gale Research, 1992.
Metzger, Linda, et al., eds. Black Writers: A Selection
of Sketches from Contemporary Authors. Detroit:
Gale Research, 1989.
Trites, Rebecca Seelinger. “ ‘I double never ever lie to
my chil’ren’: Inside People in Virginia Hamilton’s
Narratives.” African American Review 32, no. 1
(1998): 147–156.
Kindra BriggsHammon, Jupiter (1711–1806?)
The distinction of being the first black slave poet
to write and publish a poem belongs to Jupiter
Hammon, who published “An Evening Thought:
Salvation by Christ with Penitential Cries: Com-
posed by Jupiter Hammon, A Negro belonging to
Mr. Lloyd of Queen’s Village, on Long Island, the
25th of December, 1760.” Hammon was born the
property of Henry Lloyd, a wealthy merchant on
Long Island, New York. From all indications and224 Hammon, Jupiter