 SHREVEPORT NATIVE WILLIAM JOYCE HONORED WITH LOUISIANA WRITER AWARD
BATON ROUGE – Award-winning author and illustrator of best-selling children’s books William Joyce has been named winner of the 2008 Louisiana Writer Award. He is being honored by the Louisiana Center for the Book in the State Library of Louisiana for his extraordinary contributions to the state’s literary heritage exemplified by his body of work.
“This is the first time that a children’s author has been honored with the Louisiana Writer Award,” said Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu, whose office in the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism oversees the State Library. “Mr. Joyce has not only been successful at reaching children through his writing and illustrations, but he has directed his talent towards creating wonderfully playful animated worlds for both television and film. This artist truly represents the talent emerging from Louisiana’s literary culture.”
Master creator William Joyce wrote his first book in the fourth grade. Since then he has produced award-winning, best-selling classics that are loved by both children and adults. Hailed by Newsweek as one of the top 100 people to watch in the new millennium, William Joyce’s distinct and striking drawings and imaginative storytelling depict a world full of whimsy, fun, and adventure - the kind of world a child would want to jump into.
State Librarian Rebecca Hamilton is particularly pleased that the Center for the Book is recognizing an artist who reaches children. “If we take a child and introduce him to the fun and joy that comes from knowing characters in a story, if we are able to inspire that child and see the first sparks of wonderment that come from reading, then we know we’ve set that child on a course that will be stayed throughout his or her life,” said Hamilton. “William Joyce’s work shines at this. His stories are playful, full of joy and mischievousness and children open up to that quality and want to know more.”
For all his talent at making us laugh, there is yet another side to William Joyce. As a native Louisianan, he came to experience first hand the human tragedies wrought by the storms of 2005. In an effort to help his fellow Louisianans, he has used his art in at least two approaches to raise funds for those affected. “Faces of Katrina” was an exhibit that combined the work of several photographers. With the goal of empowering evacuees through photography sessions, the exhibit sought to restore the face of dignity to these evacuees. Joyce also created an original work of art, “Katrinarita Gras.” The piece was originally done as a potential cover for The New Yorker magazine. The editors asked Joyce to develop a piece that would epitomize the storms and aftermath. “Coming up with a concept that tempered my rage with some hope was not easy, but I got inspiration from an old photograph of Mardi Gras in the '30's by J. Guttman, called the ‘The Game’. It's a wonderful, eerie image of New Orleans and its curious magic,” said Joyce. “Katrinarita Gras” is available at http://stores.ebay.com/Katrinarita-Gras-Foundation.
Joyce is an award-winning author and illustrator of such best-selling children’s books as George Shrinks, Santa Calls, Dinosaur Bob and his Adventures with the Family Lazardo, Rolie Polie Olie, The Leaf Men and The Brave Good Bugs, and A Day with Wilbur Robinson. In addition to being a recognized figure in the world of children’s literature, Joyce’s illustrations have appeared numerous times on the cover of The New Yorker and his paintings are displayed at museums and art galleries across the nation.
Joyce has won three Emmys for his popular children’s show William Joyce’s Rolie Polie Olie, a animated series that airs on the Disney Channel, and he has lent his creative expertise to the feature film world by creating conceptual characters for such films as Toy Story and A Bug’s Life. Joyce’s second television series, George Shrinks, is aired daily on PBS stations across the country. In March of 2005 William Joyce released his first major animated feature film entitled ROBOTS with Twentieth Century Fox. Joyce served as both a Producer and Production Designer of this critically acclaimed and commercially successful hit film. William Joyce’s latest film with Disney Feature Animation based on his classic tale A Day with Wilbur Robinson debuted in theatres in March 2007 as Meet the Robinsons. Look for it now on DVD.
All of Joyce’s eccentric characters charm kids and adults alike with their imaginative adventures. Joyce observes that his upbringing by “a congenial horde of southern screwballs” allowed writing and illustrating to come easily to him.
Joyce is a native of Shreveport where he lives with his lovely wife, Elizabeth, and their children, Jack and Mary Katherine. They have a dachshund named Rose and a canine-like destruction device named Rex. Their school of goldfish recently escaped to waters unknown.
The State Library of Louisiana will honor Joyce at an award ceremony during the sixth annual Louisiana Book Festival, which is being presented on October 4, 2008.
The Louisiana Writer Award is given periodically to recognize outstanding contributions to the literary and intellectual heritage of Louisiana. Past recipients include poet Yusef Komunyakaa, historian Carl A. Brasseaux, novelists James Lee Burke, Ernest J. Gaines, Shirley Ann Grau, Elmore Leonard, scholar Lewis P. Simpson and poet William Jay Smith.
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