Janice N. Harrington is a poet, educator, and children's author whose works reflect her rural Alabama roots and Midwestern experiences. Her acclaimed children's books include "Buzzing with Questions: The Inquisitive Mind of Charles Henry Turner," which explores the life of a pioneering Black scientist, and the verse novel "Catching a Storyfish," a heartfelt intergenerational story. Among her other notable titles are "The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County" and "Going North," the latter named one of TIME Magazine's top 10 children's books and recipient of the Ezra Jack Keats Award.
A former librarian and professional storyteller, Harrington draws inspiration from personal memories and historical figures, blending lyrical prose with rich cultural themes. Her poetry collection "Primitive: The Art and Life of Horace H. Pippin" demonstrates her ability to illuminate overlooked narratives, while her children's works often celebrate family bonds and curiosity. Harrington currently teaches creative writing at the University of Illinois, where she continues to mentor emerging writers while maintaining an active publishing career across genres.
Children's Books
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Going North
2004
2
The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County
2007
3
Roberto Walks Home
2008
4
Busy-Busy Little Chick
2013
5
Catching a Storyfish
2016
6
Buzzing with Questions
2020
7
Hurry, Kate, or You'll Be Late!
2023
8
Rooting for Plants
2023
Poetry
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Yard Show
2024
American Poets Continuum Books
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Good Woman (By: Lucille Clifton)
1987
2
Next (By: Lucille Clifton)
1987
3
The City in Which I Love You (By: Li-Young Lee)
1990
4
Quilting (By: Lucille Clifton)
1991
5
What We Carry (By: Dorianne Laux)
1994
6
Red Suitcase (By: Naomi Shihab Nye)
1994
7
The Terrible Stories (By: Lucille Clifton)
1996
8
Fuel (By: Naomi Shihab Nye)
1998
9
Tell Me (By: Kim Addonizio)
2000
10
Blessing the Boats (By: Lucille Clifton)
2000
11
Smoke (By: Dorianne Laux)
2000
12
Book of My Nights (By: Li-Young Lee)
2001
13
Mules of Love (By: Ellen Bass)
2002
14
The Hawk Temple at Tierra Grande (By: Ray Gonzalez)
2002
15
Love Song with Motor Vehicles (By: Alan Michael Parker)
2003
16
The Owner of the House (By: Louis Simpson)
2003
17
The Orchard (By: Brigit Pegeen Kelly)
2004
18
The Rooster's Wife (By: Russell Edson)
2005
19
Postcards from the Interior (By: Wyn Cooper)
2005
20
You & Yours (By: Naomi Shihab Nye)
2005
21
Darling Vulgarity (By: Michael Waters)
2006
22
Not for Specialists (By: W.D. Snodgrass)
2006
23
Slope of the Child Everlasting (By: Laurie Kutchins)
2007
24
Sleeping With Houdini (By: Nin Andrews)
2007
25
The Fortieth Day (By: Kazim Ali)
2008
26
Elephants & Butterflies (By: Alan Michael Parker)
2008
27
Voices (By: Lucille Clifton)
2008
28
And (By: Michael Blumenthal)
2009
29
Carpathia (By: Cecilia Woloch)
2009
30
Seasons of Lotus, Seasons of Bone (By: Matthew Shenoda)
2009
31
Sharp Stars (By: Sharon Bryan)
2009
32
Chaos is the New Calm (By: Wyn Cooper)
2010
33
Long Lens (By: Peter Makuck)
2010
34
Burning of the Three Fires (By: Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont)
2010
35
Diwata ) (By: Barbara Jane Reyes)
2010
36
Sasha Sings the Laundry on the Line (By: Sean Thomas Dougherty)
2010
37
Kingdom Animalia (By: Aracelis Girmay)
2011
38
Your Father on the Train of Ghosts (By: G.C. Waldrep, John Gallaher)
2011
39
Ennui Prophet (By: Christopher Kennedy)
2011
40
Transfer (By: Naomi Shihab Nye)
2011
41
Gospel Night (By: Michael Waters)
2011
42
The Hands of Strangers
2011
43
True Faith (By: Ira Sadoff)
2012
44
The Reindeer Camps (By: Barton Sutter)
2012
45
To Keep Love Blurry (By: Craig Morgan Teicher)
2012
46
The Collected Poems of Lucille Clifton 1965-2010 (By: Kevin Young, Toni Morrison, Lucille Clifton, Michael S. Glaser)
2012
47
Theophobia (By: Bruce Beasley)
2012
48
The Book of Goodbyes (By: Jillian Weise)
2013
49
No Need of Sympathy (By: Fleda Brown)
2013
50
Refuge (By: Adrie Kusserow)
2013
51
Birth Marks (By: Jim Daniels)
2013
52
There's a Box in the Garage You Can Beat With a Stick (By: Michael Teig)
2013
53
The Keys to the Jail (By: Keetje Kuipers)
2014
54
All You Ask For is Longing (By: Sean Thomas Dougherty)
2014
55
What He Took (By: Wendy Mnookin)
2014
56
Copia (By: Erika Meitner)
2014
57
The Chair (By: Richard Garcia)
2014
58
In a Landscape (By: John Gallaher)
2014
59
Fanny Says (By: Nickole Brown)
2015
60
Testament (By: G.C. Waldrep)
2015
61
Why God is a Woman (By: Nin Andrews)
2015
62
Broken Hallelujahs (By: Sean Thomas Dougherty)
2015
63
Antidote for Night (By: Marsha De LA O)
2015
64
I'm No Longer Troubled by the Extravagance (By: Rick Bursky)
2015
65
Beautiful Wall (By: Ray Gonzalez)
2015
66
The Black Maria (By: Aracelis Girmay)
2016
67
Celestial Joyride (By: Michael Waters)
2016
68
Whereso (By: Karen Volkman)
2016
69
Struggling Times (By: Louis Simpson)
2016
70
The Day's Last Light Reddens the Leaves of the Copper Beech (By: Stephen Dobyns)
2016
71
The End of Pink (By: Kathryn Nuernberger)
2016
72
Primitive
2016
73
Mandatory Evacuation (By: Makuck Peter)
2016
74
The Trembling Answers (By: Craig Morgan Teicher)
2017
75
Bye-Bye Land (By: Christian Barter)
2017
76
Sky Country (By: Christine Kitano)
2017
77
The Smoke of Horses (By: Charles Rafferty)
2017
78
All Soul Parts Returned (By: Bruce Beasley)
2017
79
The Second O of Sorrow ) (By: Sean Thomas Dougherty)
2018
80
Holy Moly Carry Me (By: Erika Meitner)
2018
81
Clues from the Animal Kingdom ) (By: Christopher Kennedy)
2018
82
Dresses from the Old Country ) (By: Laura Read)
2018
83
In Country (By: Hugh Martin)
2018
84
The Tiny Journalist (By: Naomi Shihab Nye)
2019
85
All Its Charms (By: Keetje Kuipers)
2019
86
Night Angler (By: Geffrey Davis)
2019
87
The Human Half (By: Deborah Brown)
2019
88
Cyborg Detective (By: Jillian Weise)
2019
89
On the Shores of Welcome Home (By: Bruce Weigl)
2019
90
Rue (By: Kathryn Nuernberger)
2020
91
Year of the Dog (By: Deborah Paredez)
2020
92
Let's Become a Ghost Story (By: Rick Bursky)
2020
93
Brand New Spacesuit (By: John Gallaher)
2020
94
Mercy (By: Lucille Clifton)
2020
95
How to Carry Water (By: Lucille Clifton, Aracelis Girmay)
2020
96
Caw (By: Michael Waters)
2020
97
Letters to a Young Brown Girl (By: Barbara Jane Reyes)
2020
98
Mother Country (By: Elana Bell)
2020
99
I Am Not Trying to Hide My Hungers from the World (By: Kendra DeColo)
2021
100
The Naomi Letters (By: Rachel Mennies)
2021
101
Diamonds (By: Camille Guthrie)
2021
102
Useful Junk (By: Erika Meitner)
2022
103
Field Notes from the Flood Zone (By: Heather Sellers)
2022
104
A Season in Hell with Rimbaud (By: Dustin Pearson)
2022
105
Your Emergency Contact Has Experienced an Emergency (By: Chen Chen)
2022
106
A Tinderbox in Three Acts (By: Cynthia Dewi Oka)
2022
107
Little Mr. Prose Poem (By: Charles Simic, Russell Edson, Craig Morgan Teicher)