In 1991, Dwyer & O’Grady sold Richard Michelson’s first children’s book, Did You Say Ghosts? which was listed by the which New Yorker as a Best Book of 1993. Subsequent books have received a Children’s Book Committee Book of the Year and a Jewish Book Council Book of the Month. The Detroit Jewish News cited Too Young for Yiddish, as “one of the best Jewish children’s books published in recent memory, and one of the top 25 ever published.” Across the Alley was one of two finalists for the 2006 National Jewish Book Award, and Tuttle's Red Barn was a Publishers Weekly Best Children's Book of 2007. 

In January 2009, "As Good As Anybody: Martin Luther King and Abraham Joshua Heschel's Amazing March Toward Freedom," was awarded the prestigious Sydney Taylor Award Gold Medal from the Association of Jewish Libraries, and “A is for Abraham,” was awarded the Silver Medal. This is the first time in the award's 41-year history that one author has been honored with their top two awards. The Sydney Taylor Award is the most coveted award for writers of Jewish children's literature. Isaac Bashevis Singer was the first award recipient.

Rich is also a prize-winning poet whose first book, Tap Dancing for the Relatives, was praised by Nobel Laureate Elie Weisel as “deeply moving.” Masks, a fine art, limited edition book of Rich’s poetry and Leonard Baskin’s etchings, was published in June 2000. His latest collection, Battles & Lullabies, published by the University of Illinois Press, was selected as one of the 12 best poetry books of 2006 by ForeWord Magazine. Michelson’s poetry has appeared in many anthologies, including The Norton Introduction to Poetry. Clemson University named Michelson as the Richard J. Calhoun Distinguished Reader in American Literature for 2008.

Rich has reviewed children’s books for the New York Times Book Review, is the Curator of Exhibitions at The National Yiddish Book Center and is the owner of R. Michelson Galleries in Northampton, Massachusetts (www.RMichelson.com), where he represents many of the countries leading children’s book illustrators.

In addition to being an author, Rich Michelson is a popular guest speaker. Within the past three years he has lectured, and read from his works in India, Eastern Europe, and throughout the United States.

You can visit Rich at www.RichardMichelson.com