George Ella Lyon

George Ella Lyon (born 1949 in Harlan, Kentucky) is an American poet, author, and teacher whose work spans poetry, picture books, novels for young readers, and adult fiction and memoir. She holds a B.A. in English from Centre College, an M.A. in English from the University of Arkansas, and a Ph.D. in English and creative writing from Indiana University Bloomington. A former college writing instructor, she later focused on freelance writing and teaching through workshops, conferences, and author visits. Lyon served as Kentucky Poet Laureate for 2015–2016 and has been inducted into the Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame.

Lyon is widely known for her poem “Where I’m From,” which has been adopted by teachers around the world as a writing model and expanded into related books for young writers. Her bibliography includes multiple poetry collections—beginning with Mountain (1983)—adult novels and memoir, and numerous children’s picture books, including award‑winning titles such as Borrowed Children, Basket, One Lucky Girl, Catalpa, Which Side Are You On? The Story of a Song, All the Water in the World, The Pirate of Kindergarten, and You and Me and Home Sweet Home. Originally from the Appalachian mountains of Kentucky, she lives in Lexington, Kentucky, where she continues to