Draft:Gladys Justin Carr

Gladys Justin Carr 1934- 2023,

Gladys Justin Carr was a major presence in contemporary literature as an executive, editor, and poet. As a vice president and associate publisher with her own imprint (Gladys Justin Carr Books) at Harper Collins in New York, she was the personal editor for the numerous books of renowned author, Erma Bombeck.

Prior to joining Harper Collins, she was editor-in-chief of hard-cover trade books and chairperson of the editorial board of the General Books Division at McGraw Hill Publishing Company. She was credited with attracting Anthony Burgess, James Baldwin, and Erma Bombeck, among others. She comissioned Albert Goldman’s book, “Elvis,” which produced a $1 million paperback sale, believed at the time to be the most ever paid for the paperback rights to a biography.

Her rise to stardom in the publishing world began when, as a junior editor at Prentice Hall, she convinced Bel Kaufman, a relatively unknown author to turn her 3.5 page short story into a novel. The result was the classic novel, “Up the Down Staircase,” which was a best-seller for 64 weeks, was #1 on the charts for five months, went through 47 printings, was made into a film, and was translated into 16 languages.

After retiring from publishing she concentrated on a creative writing career. Her poetry has been published in over 100 literary magazines and journals. A three-time Pushcart Prize nominee, winner of the Quartet Chapbook Prize, and recipient of a California Poetry Society award, she was the author of the chapbook, Augustine’s Brain – the Remix. At her time of death there were two other works in progress: Brunch, a collection of poetry; and Hopper’s Women, a work of short fiction.

Born in Brooklyn, NY, Gladys graduated magna cum laude from Brooklyn College in 1954 with a major in English, and an election to Phi Beta Kappa, followed by an MA in English at Smith College, MA. The Gladys Justin Carr Legends Internship Program at Smith still assists aspiring poets. Pursuing a doctorate degree in English, she was the Wilcox Fellow at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY.

Preceding Gladys in death was her longtime partner, Gloria Segarra.