Janet Wong

Janet Wong was born in Los Angeles. Before beginning her career as a children’s author, she earned a BA in history at the University of California Los Angeles and a JD at Yale Law School. After practicing corporate and labor law for a few years, a career that culminated in her holding the position of Director of Labor Relations at Universal Studios Hollywood, she abruptly decided to pursue an alternative calling—writing children’s literature. This dramatic shift garnered significant attention, landing her a spot on The Oprah Winfrey Show.
 
Wong has written more than 30 books, including ten collections of children’s poetry and nine poetry anthologies. Her work has won a number of awards, such as the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children, the Stone Center Recognition of Merit, and the International Reading Association’s Celebrate Literacy Award. Several of her books have been included as ILA Notable Books for a Global Society and NCTE Poetry Notables. Additionally, a poem from A Suitcase of Seaweed (1998), one of Wong’s most notable titles—updated with 50 new pages in A Suitcase of Seaweed & More (2019)—was featured in the New York City Metropolitan Transit Authority’s Poetry in Motion program. In 2012, she embarked on a new endeavor as co-creator (with Sylvia Vardell) of The Poetry Friday Anthology series, published by Pomelo Books. Sharing other poets' work, particularly the work of new poets and #ownvoices poets, is the focus of her current work. She lives in New Jersey.