Beloved poet, editor and teacher of children’s literature Diane D’Andrade died on December 26th, 2018. She was 84 years old.
D’Andrade was born Diane Coe Bailey, in 1934. She attended Rutgers University 1950-54, where she she received a BA in English literature. In 1955 she married Roy D’Andrade, an anthropologist, with whom she had four children. While raising a family and supporting her husband’s career, D’Andrade did freelance editing, created artwork, and had poems published in The Nation and other magazines.
In 1970, the D’Andrade family settled in San Diego, California, and in 1985 D’Andrade joined Harcourt Brace Jovanovich as assistant to the managing editor. Shortly thereafter she became associate editor of children's books at HBJ. She quickly distinguished herself by signing award-winning and innovative books with top authors and illustrators, rising to the position of executive editor before her retirement from Harcourt Children's Books in 2000.
D’Andrade insisted that children have complex inner lives, and deserve books that speak to them honestly and directly. As an editor, D’Andrade’s feedback and guidance were highly prized, and she was known as a tough, honest and compassionate collaborator. Notable books edited by D’Andrade include the 1993 Caldecott Honor Book, Working Cotton, written by Sherley Anne Williams and illustrated by Carole Byard, and the 1995 Caldecott Medal Winner Smoky Night, written by Eve Bunting and illustrated by David Diaz. She also edited books by such talents as Pete Seeger, Gary Soto, Richard Wilbur, Eve Bunting, Ellen Stoll Walsh, Bernard Most, Nancy Willard, Henrik Drescher, Ward Schumaker, Lee Bennett Hopkins, Michael J. Rosen and many others.
In addition to her poetry and editorial work, D’Andrade was an accomplished musician. As a member of the Westwynde Consort, a group devoted to the preservation and performance of Renaissance music, she played multiple instruments, including the recorder, the crumhorn, and the shawm. She was also a founding member of the San Diego Early Music Society.
After retirement from Harcourt, D’Andrade taught children’s literature through UCSD Extension, and continued a private editorial practice, as well as writing poetry.
In recent years, D’Andrade lived in Oakland, California, in close proximity to three of her four children and her three grandchildren.
A small, private memorial will be held in Oakland, California on March 17th, 2019, and another memorial will be held in San Diego on April 6th, 2019. See the event listings on this page to RSVP.
Memorial donations may be made in D’Andrade’s name to Project Night Night, or to the San Diego Early Music Society.
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