Editor Wanted

Bookbird Seeks New Editor(s)

Bookbird: a Journal of International Children’s Literature is a refereed journal published quarterly by IBBY (The International Board on Books for Young People), and is distributed by the Johns Hopkins University Press.

Bookbird requires a new editor or team of editors. The application deadline is January 15, 2011. The new editor(s) should be in place by mid-2011 to prepare the first issue of 2012. The contract to edit Bookbird usually extends for three years.

The Bookbird editor(s) must have the following qualifications:
A postgraduate degree in an appropriate discipline, e.g. literature, languages, children’s literature, education, childhood studies, publishing or librarianship.
Experience in editing and copyediting a journal or books.
Evidence of a clearly defined interest in children’s literature, preferably in an international context.
An excellent command of the English language and a general ability to work with foreign languages and writers whose first language is not English. Proficiency in a language other than English will be an advantage.
A sympathetic ability to work with and encourage authors from a wide range of cultures and different educational backgrounds.
Excellent Information Technology skills including access to email and other appropriate technology.
An ability to work within and keep to deadlines.
Commitment to the ideals of IBBY and a willingness to work closely with the IBBY Secretariat and Executive Committee.

The editor(s) duties include:
Planning the content of each issue of Bookbird.
Sourcing and commissioning suitable articles.
Liaising with the Bookbird editorial panel and overseeing the refereeing process for each article.
Working with authors to improve their texts.
Editing and overseeing the copyediting and proofreading of articles and dealing with illustrations and permissions.
Liaising with the designer and printer and generally project-managing each issue of the journal and ensuring that it appears on time.
Working closely with and informing the board of Bookbird Inc. on editorial-related matters.

The editor(s) are required to attend Bookbird Inc. and IBBY Executive Committee meetings twice yearly in various venues around the world. These are held in March or April at the Bologna Book Fair and in another location in September or October. There is a small budget to cover hotel and travel expenses to these meetings.

This is a golden opportunity for an ambitious and creative person with a strong interest in international children’s literature to develop his/her career and acquire invaluable experience. It is not, however, a full-time job, remuneration is modest and the editors will need to provide their own back-up by way of office facilities and secretarial help. The editor(s) work from their own homes or offices and may be based in any country.

Interviews for the post are likely to be conducted by telephone with a possible follow-up interview in person.

Expressions of interest, including a detailed CV (resumé), a statement about the applicant’s vision for Bookbird and an outline of how the applicant would manage the processes involved in producing the journal are invited from suitably qualified persons. These should be sent by email to:
Valerie Coghlan, President of Bookbird Inc.: bookbirdpresident@gmail.com
Ellis Vance, Treasurer of Bookbird Inc.: Executive.Secretary@usbby.org .

It is hoped that the new editor(s) will be appointed by March 15, 2011.



October 2010

Needed: Adminstrator of Fairy Tale & Fantasy Ctr in UK

In Sussex, part-time, apparently does not require an advanced degree...
http://www.chiuni.ac.uk/jobs/jobdetails.cfm?jobId=918

Job (Michigan)

Dean''s Office in the College of Arts and Letters, 319 Linton Hall, East Lansing, MI 48824
Two Tenure System Associate or Full Professors [13735]
College of Arts and Letters
Center for Applied Inclusive Teaching and Learning in Arts and Humanities
Two Tenure System Associate or Full Professors

Background: The College of Arts and Letters at Michigan State University introduces an initiative designed to address pressing societal needs for fostering the advancement of teaching in K-U settings. CAITLAH, the Center for Applied Inclusive Teaching and Learning in Arts and Humanities, will provide a hub for the promotion of a core mission in the college: developing excellence in teaching and learning for our faculty, graduate students, and K-12 teacher candidates and teachers in the arts and humanities. The mission includes bringing together faculty who are committed to best practices in teaching and learning, several new faculty hires, and graduate students.

Position and Responsibilities: The College of Arts and Letters seeks two tenure-system faculty whose assignments would include 25% time within CAITLAH and 75% teaching pre-service English education students and graduate students in the Critical Studies in Literacy and Pedagogy track of the Rhetoric and Writing graduate program. The new hires will be tasked with organizing, synthesizing, and leading various efforts at imagining better, more inclusive teaching across schools, communities, and disciplines.

Qualifications: Applicants expected to hold a PhD or equivalent in a field relevant to the expected job duties, and possess strengths in at least two of the following areas:
• Teacher training in inclusive teaching, culturally-relevant pedagogies, and the discourses of wider society and local communities
• Teaching/learning with technologies, multimodal literacies, and multiple approaches to texts and interpretation of texts
• Scholarship on writing and reading pedagogies, teacher research, training and education, or English education
• Scholarship in teaching and learning of literature and interpretation, with preference for pedagogical training and experience in the teaching of African-American literature in middle school and/or high school
• Scholarship in the teaching and learning of theoretical, cognitive, and/or semiotic approaches to textual analysis
• K-12 teacher training in discourse studies, anthropological linguistics, narrative studies, and sociolinguistics,
• K-12 teacher training in heritage language learning, ELL, ESL and/or L2 pedagogies.

Salary: Competitive and commensurate with qualifications

Procedures: Please send a statement of interest and c.v. to CAITLAH Search Committee Chair, c/o Jo-Ann Vanden Bergh, College of Arts and Letters in 320 Linton Hall, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824. Ellen Cushman, the chair of the search committee, is available to answer any questions related to this search and can be reached at (517) 355-2400 or cushmane@msu.edu.

Deadlines: Due date for receipt of applications is November 15, 2010, though the search will remain open until the positions are filled. For more info, go online to: info.cal.msu.edu

MSU is committed to achieving excellence through cultural diversity. The university actively encourages applications and/or nominations of women, persons of color, veterans and persons with disabilities.

MSU is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Employer.

Job (South Carolina)

Communication, Lang & Lit, 300 E College Av, Hartsville, SC 29550 http://www.coker.edu
Assistant Professor in British Literature [13754]
Coker College is currently seeking a full-time, tenure-track Assistant Professor in British Literature. This person will report directly to the Department Chair of Communication, Language, and Literature. Responsibilities include teaching courses in Augustan, Romantic, and Victorian literature. The 4/4 teaching load will include composition and sophomore survey courses.

This position requires a Ph.D. in an appropriate field. Experience in English Education, Children’s Literature, or Adolescent Literature is a plus. The preferred candidate will demonstrate a commitment to undergraduate teaching in day and evening programs, professional development, and a willingness to engage in faculty duties outside the classroom.

Compensation includes a salary commensurate with education and experience and an excellent benefits package with health insurance, retirement, and life insurance. The position will be available January 2011. Interested candidates should send a letter of application, curriculum vitae, three recent letters of recommendation, short statement of teaching philosophy, and transcripts to:

Dr. Rhonda Knight, Chair
Department of Communication, Language, and Literature
Coker College
300 East College Ave.
Hartsville, SC 29550
rknight@coker.edu
Coker College – www.coker.edu www.cokercobras.com
Become a Friend – http://www.facebook.com/cokercollege

Founded in 1908, Coker College is an independent, comprehensive college with a liberal arts core required of all students. With an enrollment of approximately 1150 full- and part-time students, Coker provides quality educational experiences in and out of the classroom that prepare graduates for professional and personal success. A close rapport between students, faculty and staff and the opportunity for students to customize their education are the foundations of the Coker College experience. U.S. News & World Report consistently ranks Coker one of “America’s Best Colleges.” The Princeton Review rates Coker a Best Southeastern College based on academic reputation and student satisfaction.

Coker College does not discriminate in its educational programs, activities or employment on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin, religion, sex, disability or age.

Ways of Celebrating Halloween (Jerry Griswold)

"Now celebrated in many parts of the world, Halloween has come to mean different things to different people. For some adults, the holiday has acquired a Mardi-Gras flavor and offers opportunities to pose at parties and bars as preening pimps and naughty nurses. Spandex, it seems, has liberated many a black cat and outed a number of otherwise closeted French maids..."

More at: http://blog.parents-choice.org/?p=894

"A Family of Readers"

"Now there's a gem of a guidebook to help parents navigate the world of children's literature. Titled "A Family of Readers" (Candlewick Press, $22), this book is a wonderfully knowledgeable and highly opinionated guide to books for children ages infant through teen. The book's editors, Roger Sutton and Martha Parravano, are the perfect guides. Sutton is editor in chief, and Parravano is executive editor, of The Horn Book Magazine, a monthly journal regarded by many as the bible of children's literature...." More at ScrippsNews:
http://www.scrippsnews.com/node/57133

CFP: Religion & Children's Literature (Nov 1 deadline)

Deadline: November 1st, 2010
Religion and Children’s Literature: A Decennial Examination

In both 1989 and 1999 the Children’s Literature Association Quarterly dedicated issues to the study of religion in children’s literature. Now, just a bit more than ten years later, the conversation is as alive as ever. Once again we ask ourselves, what is the role of religion in literature for teens and children? How has it changed? How has it stayed the same?

To pay tribute to the ongoing, shifting, and always provocative conversation, a special issue of Children’s Literature Association Quarterly will be devoted to new considerations of religion as it appears in children’s and young adult literature. Papers are invited on any aspect of the discussion, including (but not limited to):
· tracing and theorizing new trends
· new considerations of old patterns
· the influence of religious presses
· censorship issues
· wrestling with and/or rejecting religion
· religious themes and imagery in picture books
· cults, non-deist or other non-dominant traditions

Please send your papers (which should conform to the usual style of ChLAQ, and be between 5000-7000 words in length) to guest editor Jennifer Miskec (miskecjm@longwood.edu) by 1 November 2010. The selected articles will appear in ChLAQ 36.3, Fall 2011.

Dr. Jennifer M. Miskec
Assistant Professor of Children's and Young Adult Literature
English Graduate Program Coordinator
Director, Children's Literature Minor
Department of English and Modern Languages
http://www.longwood.edu/staff/miskecjm/

Job: Eastern Michigan

Assistant Professor of Children’s/Adolescent Literature, Fall 2011
Eastern Michigan University

The English Department at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, MI is seeking applications for a position as an assistant professor of children’s/adolescent literature and culture. Special consideration will be given to candidates with secondary expertise in one or more of the following areas: folklore, mythology, youth culture, creative writing for children and young adults, global children’s literature and multicultural children’s literature. EMU houses one of the few graduate programs where students can earn a master’s degree specializing in children’s literature. Therefore, we seek a candidate able to mentor graduate students, supervise theses, and teach graduate-level children’s literature courses focused on such varied topics as folklore, mythology, global children’s literature or illustrated texts. We also seek a colleague able to effectively teach introductory and upper-level undergraduate courses in children’s and adolescent literature, able to propose new and innovative additions to the curriculum, and willing to become an active member of a vibrant and collegial department. Candidates must have a PhD in literature, children’s culture, or a related field in hand by August 2011, and should be able to demonstrate excellence in teaching and an ambitious scholarly record and agenda. All applications must be made online at https://www.emujobs.com – Posting #FA1116E. Application materials should include a CV, cover letter, and three letters of reference. For more information about children’s literature studies at EMU go to http://www.emich.edu/english/childlit/. Eastern Michigan University is an EOE employer.

Annette Wannamaker, EMU Children's Literature Program Coordinator
Associate Professor of Children's Literature
Department of English Language and Literature
Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI
email: awannamak@emich.edu
personal web page: people.emich.edu/awannamak
Children's Literature Program web page: http://www.emich.edu/english/childlit

New Fairy Tale Anthology

The Grimm Reader
The Classic Tales of the Brothers Grimm
Maria Tatar (Editor, Translator, Harvard University)
With an Introduction by A. S. Byatt

See Table of Contents

Forty of the most famous and celebrated stories from the Brothers Grimm translated and edited by a leading professor of folklore.

Even after two hundred years, the tales collected by the Brothers Grimm remain among our most powerful stories. Their scenes of unsparing savagery and jaw-dropping beauty remind us that fairy tales, in all their simplicity, have the power to change us. With some of the most famous stories in world literature, including “Cinderella,” “Little Red Riding Hood,” “Hansel and Gretel,” “Snow White,” as well as some less well known stories like “The Seven Ravens,” this definitive collection promises to entrance readers with the strange and wonderful world of the Brothers Grimm.

Maria Tatar’s engaging preface provides readers with the historical and cultural context to understand what these stories meant and their contemporary resonance. Fans of all ages will be drawn to this elegant and accessible collection of stories that have cast their magical spell over children and adults alike for generations.

Book Details
Paperback $16.95
August 2010
ISBN 978-0-393-33856-0
6.1 × 9.3 in / 325 pages
Norton Books: http://books.wwnorton.com/books/detail.aspx?ID=15646

Dumb Essay: Picture Books Going Away?

A recent essay in the New York Times has been stirring up a storm in the blogosphere. It suggests that picture books are going the way of the dinosaurs. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/08/us/08picture.html?_r=2

It's hard to know where to begin on such a wrongheaded article, but here's a start:

1) Hardback picture books are expensive. In our own economic hard times, wouldn't you expect that sales would be down and publishers shrinking their offerings?

2) Parents who discourage their offspring from reading picture books--who drive their 3 and 4 year-olds to all-text chapter books to prepare them for high status preschools--are paying more attention to trends than their kids. If you want to build readers, cut them some slack and let the young go where their interests lead.

3) Ignorant adult think picture books are a form of candy and simple. How many times do we need to revisit this know-nothing assumption of the opinionated? Well, to begin, once again:

"How Picture Books Work"

Money for SDSU Grad Student Travel

The Graduate Student Travel Fund (GSTF) supports travel associated with scholarly research and creative activities. The GSTF is now accepting applications for funding.

The Graduate Student Travel Fund is available to all degree-seeking SDSU graduate students with an accumulated grade point average of at least 3.0. The maximum award is $1,000 and must be used within 12 months of the allocation. Approximately $20,000 will be awarded annually.

The GSTF applications are evaluated, on an ongoing basis by a sub-committee of the Student Research Committee. The committee includes representation from Associated Students, Graduate Student Association, the Graduate Council and the Division of Research Affairs.

The primary criteria used in evaluating applications for funding are as follows:

•Relevance or merit of professional activity to support student’s research/scholarship in designated major field of study
•Appropriateness of scope and budget
•Contribution to completion of a thesis or dissertation
•Record of prior GSTF award—fewer is preferable

To apply, students must complete and sign the GSTF application and e-mail the document to the Student Research Committee via e-mail to http://www.blogger.com/dra@mail.sdsu.edu. Applications must be received at least one month in advance of proposed travel.

Documentary Film About Children's Literature

http://libraryoftheearlymind.com/

Money for Child Lit Young Scholars: $1K

Dear colleagues

As you know, our 2011 Congress will be in Brisbane, Australia, 4-8 July 2011 (http://irscl2011.com/).

We want to inform you that applications are now open for the IRSCL Research Grant. Early career scholars from the field of children's literature (up to five years since their Ph. D.) are welcome to apply for the Grant. They must be IRSCL members. See further information on how to apply at the IRSCL website (http://www.irscl.com/grants.html).

Please circulate this notice to any children's literature scholars who may be interested in applying.

Please send email applications to Helene Ehriander, before March 1, 2010. Contact details are as follows:
Email: helene.ehriander@lnu.se

We will inform successful applicants by mid-April, 2011.

Best wishes, Clare and Helene

Grant: Travel to Australia

The International Research Society for Children's Literature will be having their conference in Brisbane (Australia) in Summer 2011. (See information in the posting just below.) In addition, the IRSCL makes available travel monies for the needed. See the following note from Clare Bradford:

Dear colleagues

IRSCL offers a Travel Grant to IRSCL members who need financial assistance to attend the 2011 Congress in Brisbane (http://irscl2011.com/). This Grant is worth $US1000.00.
Applicants should send a brief summary of their recent research activities, and a budget (including estimated travel expenses, accommodation, meals and registration fees), clearly indicating any other source of travel support.

Please send email applications to Helene Ehriander, before March 1 2011. Contact details are as follows:
Email: helene.ehriander@lnu.se

We will contact the successful applicant in April 2011.
Best wishes
Clare and Helene

Offensive Caricatures of Africans (M Galbraith)

Race in children's books has been a subject of ab item on Philip Nel's blog and on the blog known as "Educating Alice."

Now SDSU's Mary Galbraith weighs in on this topic:
https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B2ll27-TKm7GZTk3OTk0YzctZmYyZS00ZGQ0LTk0ZjYtZTQ2ZGE3NWQ5ODU2&hl=en

"Puss 'n Boots" (the Opera)

Also with puppets. Sometimes in Spanish. NYC...
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/04/arts/music/04gato.html