Walter Dean Myers

Walter Dean Myers (born Walter Milton Myers; August 12, 1937 – July 1, 2014) was an American writer best known for young adult literature. He was born in Martinsburg, West Virginia, and raised in Harlem, New York City. A difficult childhood inspired him to write, and his teachers encouraged writing as a way to express himself. Myers wrote more than one hundred books, including picture books and nonfiction. He won the Coretta Scott King Award for African-American authors five times. His 1988 novel Fallen Angels is one of the books most frequently challenged in the U.S. due to its adult language and its realistic portrayal of the Vietnam War.

Myers served as the third U.S. National Ambassador for Young People's Literature from 2012 to 2013. He also served on the Board of Advisors of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI).