Just over a year has passed since we lost children’s and young adult literary luminary and longtime Library member Richard Peck. We miss our dear friend of the Society Library and are glad to have his books to return to and share with our community of readers. Peck’s generosity to the Library during his lifetime continues to support our programming and collection development for children and teens. 

We report with pleasure that Peck’s literary legacy is stronger than ever. This week Peck will be inducted into the New York State Writers Hall of Fame by acclaimed author and illustrator Sophie Blackall, with Peck's sister Cheryl Peck accepting the honor on his behalf. A collaboration of the Empire State Center for the Book and the New York Library Association, the New York State Writers Hall of Fame highlights the rich literary heritage of New York State and the literary legacy of New York writers. With his induction Peck will join notable writers past and present who have called New York home including Jacqueline Woodson, E.B. White, Walt Whitman, E.L. Konigsburg, Lorraine Hansberry, Roz Chast, and James Baldwin, among many other remarkable authors for children, teens, and adults. 

Last year I had the bittersweet task of sharing what Richard Peck meant to the Library. I encourage you to read, in his own words, how Peck cherished the Library.