Obituary: Coleen Salley
I received word via the CCBC-net listserv that author Coleen Salley passed away on Tuesday at 12:45 p.m. As of this writing I believe that it is too soon for the formal obituaries to go up, but she was (by all accounts) an amazing woman. I believe I saw her speak at a William Joyce reception at ALA New Orleans a year or two ago. Her websites list her accomplishments far better than I ever could. Here’s a taste from the Coleen Salley/Bill Morris Literacy Foundation:
Ms. Salley was a Professor for over 30 years at the University of New Orleans and is now retired as Distinguished Professor of Children’s Literature. Ms. Salley has toured the world, spreading her joie de vivre as an envoy of reading and the oral tradition. She has performed as a storyteller at hundreds of schools, libraries and festivals including the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. She has appeared as a speaker at numerous conferences and conducted in-service workshops for teachers, librarians and, sometimes, parents.
And from her website:
At the youthful age of 72, Mrs. Salley published her first children’s book "Who’s That Tripping Over My Bridge?" illustrated by Amy Dixon (Pelican Publishing). Shortly thereafter we were introduced to the hilarious character in the award winning book "Epossumondas", illustrated by Janet Stevens (Harcourt Inc.). Epossumondas tales continue to delight everyone in "Why Epossumondas Has No Hair On His Tail" and "Epossumondas Saves The Day."
Be sure to check out the books dedicated to Ms. Salley as well. She is going to be seriously missed. Thanks to Rocco Staino for the correction.
Filed under: Uncategorized
About Betsy Bird
Betsy Bird is currently the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library. She has served on Newbery, written for Horn Book, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name. Follow her on Twitter: @fuseeight.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
SLJ Blog Network
Mixed-Up | Review
Fifteen early Mock Newbery 2026 Contenders
When Book Bans are a Form of Discrimination, What is the Path to Justice?
An All-American Girl: Front and Centered, a guest post by author Niña Mata
ADVERTISEMENT
Crap. Crappity, crap, crap, crap.
I’ll always have her voice on my iPod, but somehow I enjoyed knowing she was still out there telling stories.
New Orleans won’t be the same without her. What a gem. She would get a kick out of all the great stories being told about her now. She told me that she believed her deceased husband would be waiting for her after death. So let them have a ball together.
The world toasts you, Coleen.
I had the great pleasure of meeting this lovely lady in Fayetteville Ar at a reading of Epossumondus. This was truly an incredible lady. I work in a ABC classroom in Alma and was looking for this book to read to my children. She will be missed.