Friday, April 27, 2012

Book News

Radical Childrens Literature: Future Visions and Aesthetic Transformations in Juvenile Fiction


Review

Winner of the 2007 Book Award by the Children's Literature Association
"Covering a huge geographical and historical range, Reynolds examines both traditional and less traditional literary forms (visual media, computer games, fan fiction etc), effortlessly combining insightful close readings with an enviable theoretical acumen. This book is destined to become a classic in the field." --David Rudd, University of Bolton, UK

"[A] groundbreaking study...The wide range of texts discussed and the new insights offered into the interplay of children's literature with childhood and youth culture will make this book an indispensable study for children's literature scholars." --Claudia Sffner, Bookbird, A Journal of International Children's Literature


June Conference in Hawaii

Children's Literature Hawaii & Hawaii Council for the Humanities Present the 16TH Biennial CLH Conference

Logo image of CLH 2012

Children’s Literature Hawai‘i (CLH) believes that literature should be a primary part of every child’s education. CLH promotes opportunities to experience, interpret, and create children’s literature through activities such as reading, storytelling, art, drama, song, and scholarly discussion.

If you are interested in talking about, working with, creating, or simply enjoying children's literature, please join us for our 2012 biennial conference.

Event Details:

THUR., JUNE 21, 2012 at St. Andrew’s Cathedral Tenney Theatre

FRI. & SAT., JUNE 22–23, 2012 at Chaminade University of Honolulu

See the flyer or visit the CLH website.

Contact Number:
808.956.7559
Contact Email:

CLH@hawaii.edu

Call for Papers

Edited Collection of Essays on the Intersection of Children’s Literature and the Horror Genre (DEADLINE: Abstracts due May 31)

Jessica McCort (Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA)
contact email:
mccortj@duq.edu

(DEADLINE: Abstracts due by May 31, 2012; Submissions due by August 1, 2012)
Editor: Jessica McCort (Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA)
In many of the world’s most popular and well-known children’s tales, terrifying characters that belong better in a horror flick often rear their ugly heads. From the child-devouring Baba Yaga in “Hansel and Gretel” to the biting, snatching Jabberwock in Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking-Glass to R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps series, horror elements are everywhere in the child’s literary world. The knee-jerk reaction to such elements in children’s books is a simple one: frightening things scare children into being good. But in the best children’s literature in which these elements appear, new and old, the world becomes a Wonderland of terror and their inclusion borders on playful. This edited collection of essays will examine the intersection between horror and children’s literature, focusing on various examples of the horror genre infiltrating children’s texts. The book will concentrate on the appeal of horror for children and considers why it has been, and will continue to be, a dominant element in their favorite books.
This collection is intended for publication in the newly established series Studies in Children’s Literature with the University Press of Mississippi (http://www.upress.state.ms.us/).

Topics for the essay submissions may include, but are not limited to:

• Horrific Elements in Traditional Picture Books (i.e. The Monstrous in Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are)
• Edward Gorey
• Christopher Pike’s Young Adult/Children’s Horror Literature
• The Domestification of Horror in Twilight and Harry Potter
• R.L. Stine as the “Stephen King of Children’s Literature”: Why have the Goosebumps books been so popular for so long?
• Lee Striker’s Children’s Horror Fiction
• The Creepers Series
• The Haunted Mansion: Horror Elements in Disney Films/Films Targeted toward Children
• Horror Motifs in The Hunger Games Trilogy
• Horror Fiction for Girls (i.e. My Sister the Vampire)
• Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book
• The Lemony Snicket Tales


Send long abstracts (500-750 words) and inquiries to Jessica McCort at mccortj@duq.edu by May 31, 2012. Please include contact information and a short bio that is relevant to the submission. If your abstract is selected for inclusion, you will be requested to submit a complete essay (up to 6,000-8,000 words) by August 1st, 2012.

28th Annual Children's Book Party, FREE BOOKS in San Diego

APRIL 28, Organ Pavillion, Balboa Park, San Diego

8:30-10:30: Celebrate reading with books, snacks, and entertainment


A Fine, Free Public Event and if you're in K-12th grade, you'll go home with free books!

children'sbookparty.org for more info

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Grossmont College, San Diego, Top Authors for Literary Festival

TONIGHT, 7 p.m., SANDRA CISNEROS, Griffin Gate, Building 60

THURSDAY MAY 3, 2 p.m., TIM O'BRIEN, Griffin Gate, Building 60

Events all week long, including May 1, Write Out Loud: Shades of Poe, 12:30 p.m., Room 220, Building 26

May 2, Vietnam Fact and Fiction, 2 p.m. Room 220, Building 26, with SDSU's Victoria Featherstone, military historian Prof. J. Radzikowski, and Grossmont student Steve Bedle.

www.Grossmont.edu/English/Festival for more info

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

TODAY, SDSU, 2-3:30, Two Top International Children's Authors

Join Anushka Ravishankar and Mina Javaherbin for the Annual Mahavan Lecture TODAY ON CAMPUS, book readings, signings, and discussion:

2-3:30. Arts and Letters Room 101.


Free and open to all---

Friday, April 13, 2012

Next week's literary events at SDSU

English/CompLit Cornucopia next week!

Monday, 7-9, LL-430, Living Writers series with children's author/editor Anushka Ravishankar from India and poet Garth Greenwell.

Tuesday, 2-3:30, AL-100, The Madhu Madhavan Lecture, Anushka joins Mina Javaherbin, One Book, One San Diego... for Kids 2012 author, discussing their books and kids' lit.

Thursday, 7-9, SH-247, An evening of classic Persian literature with translations of Ghazal.

Everyone is welcome!

from the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators blog, by Lee Wind, excerpt with thanks

Thursday, April 12, 2012

The Sid Fleischman Humor Award Interview: Chris Rylander (Winner for "The Fourth Stall")

Every year the SCBWI awards one member with The Sid Fleischman Humor Award, for work that "exemplifies excellence in the genre of humor, a category so often overlooked by other award committees in children’s literature."





This year's winner is Chris Rylander for his debut middle grade novel, The Fourth Stall.

Link to full blog: http://scbwi.blogspot.com/2012/04/sid-fleischman-humor-award-interview.html

Chris Rylander (left and right)

Monday, April 9, 2012

from Iran Book News Agency, R.L. Stine in Tehran for International Book Fair

Stine to visit TIBF with "Goosebumps HorrorLand"

9 Apr 2012
Avay-e Andishe publications will release the latest collection of R. L. Stine named "Goosebumps HorrorLand". Some 8 titles of the story collection will be presented at the 25th Tehran International Book Fair.

IBNA: Robert Lawrence Stine is an American writer. Stine, who is called the "Stephen King of children's literature," is the author of hundreds of horror fiction novels, including the books in the Fear Street, Goosebumps, Rotten School, Mostly Ghostly, and The Nightmare Room series. Some of his other works include a Space Cadets trilogy, two Hark game books, and dozens of joke books. R. L. Stine's books have sold over 400 million copies as of 2008.

Some of "Goosebumps HorrorLand" books which have been rendered into Persian by Farzaneh Qorban-karimi and Parvaneh Fatahi include "Revenge of the Living Dummy", "My Friends Call Me Monster" and "My Friends Call Me Monster".

Moreover Avay-e Andishe publications will present the 3rd volume of "Philosophy for children" collection entitled "Me and my feeling's world" for the book fair.

The book is compiled in 4 chapters and in a fictional style about feelings including anger, brevity, and calmness.

The work is rendered into Persian by Maliheh Shokohi.

In other news Mary Pope Osborne's "Magic Tree House", a popular collection, will be presented at the book fair as well.

The publication has so far released 30 volumes of "Magic Tree House" collection including "Pirates Past Noon", "Mummies in the Morning", "Vacation under the Volcano" and "Dolphins at Daybreak".

The works were translated by Maryam Salehi and Farzad Forozanfar.

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Children's Literature Conference, Florida

Children's Literature Conference

Children's Literature Conference

Categories:

Neighborhood:
  • When:
    April 30th : 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
  • Price:
    $12 (register by April 20)
  • Venue:
    Stetson University
    421 N. Woodland Blvd. , DeLand , FL , 32720
  • Phone:
    386-822-7072 (Phone)
  • Description:

    featuring keynote speaker Helen Ketterman

Saturday, April 7, 2012

The Irish Times Reviews Russell Hoban's Posthumous Novel, Soonchild, excerpt with thanks

The Irish Times - Saturday, April 7, 2012

Going for a World Song

YOUNG ADULT/TEEN FICTION: ROBERT DUNBAR has the pick of the latest young-adult novels

WITH THE DEATH, last December, of Russell Hoban, we said farewell to one of the most original voices in contemporary fiction. Whether in his picture books, his children’s novels or his writing for adults, Hoban never failed to challenge his readers with his imaginative narratives or his stylistic inventiveness, even if at times he may have seemed almost wilfully eccentric or obscure. His final picture book, Rosie’s Magic Horse, will be published in the autumn, but in the meantime we have Soonchild (Walker, £9.99), a short novel for young adults that acts as a poignant coda to the body of work that preceded it.

The notion of a coda is appropriate here, not just because this is a novel with its own haunting musicality but also because it takes song and singing as one of its central motifs. Set in the snowy landscapes of the Arctic, and imbued with numerous resonances of indigenous myth and legend, the narrative focuses on the situation confronting a shaman, known as Sixteen-Face John, and his pregnant wife, known as No Problem, when their imminently expected baby makes it clear from her mother’s womb that she will not be leaving there until she hears the “World Songs”.

John’s response is to embark on a hazardous quest to find this elusive music, a quest that takes him on a magical, mystical tour through a land of creatures great and small, of the living and the dead. Fear and darkness are everywhere, waiting to be overcome, in this wonderfully timeless and atmospheric story. Its pencil-sketch illustrations by Alexis Deacon and its extremely high production values make this a book as attractive to look at and handle as it is to read.

Three Librarian Jobs in Denver

Librarian - Sam Gary Branch (Stapleton) 4.6.12

April 06, 2012 - April 20, 2012
Location:Denver, CO
Salary Range:$19.30 - $24.11 per hour starting salary range; $19.30 - $30.78 per hour full salary range
Exempt/Non-Exempt:Exempt
Benefits:The City and County of Denver benefit package will be offered.
Employment Type:Full Time
Department:Sam Gary
Description:THREE POSITIONS AVAILABLE

OPENING SUMMER 2012

Location: Sam Gary Branch Library (in Stapleton), 2961 N. Roslyn St. at 29th Ave.

Status/Schedule: Regular, full-time, 40 hours per week. The schedule will be determined by the needs of the department and may include evening and weekend hours.

Background Information: Staff at the Sam Gary Branch Library will work collaboratively to provide services and materials to children, families and adults. The service will support the Library’s strategic initiatives of providing early literacy experiences to infants through preschoolers; developing school-age readers and life-long learners; and enriching adult lives through cultural programming and merchandised collections. This position will play a key role in making the library an integral part of the community.

Duties:Duties and Responsibilities: Creates positive experiences by providing reference, readers and media advisory, collection maintenance, ECRR-based story times and community outreach. Promotes and nurtures pre-reading and reading skills. Designs, presents and/or establishes a variety of programs for children of all ages. Builds relationships with youth and their families to nurture curiosity and to provide homework and technology assistance. Plans and implements programming and displays that engage and enrich adult lives. Communicates effectively about issues and initiatives with customers, staff, volunteers and administration. Oversees library operations as assigned.



Qualifications:Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: Knowledge of library services for infancy through adolescence and current research in early literacy and child/brain development. Knowledge of early literacy best practices in library and community settings. Knowledge of the Public Library Association’s ECRR initiative and supporting materials/resources. Knowledge of positive youth development practices. Knowledge of children’s literature. Knowledge of adult interests and trends. Knowledge of information needs, collection maintenance and reader/media guidance for all ages. Skill in interpreting, communicating, and presenting information, both orally and in writing. Skill in creating eye-catching display design and merchandising library materials. Ability to thrive in an environment with constant public contact with people from all backgrounds and age groups. Ability to demonstrate positive attitude, excellent interpersonal skills, cultural sensitivity and a sense of humor in working with customers, coworkers, volunteers and the community. Ability to creatively solve problems, negotiate and handle stressful situations in a positive manner. Ability to be innovative, flexible and well organized. Spanish language skills a plus.

Experience: One-year experience working with children in a structured environment preferred.

Education: Master’s in Library Science from an ALA accredited institution. Applicants who receive an MLS within 90 days of the August 4th opening day will be considered.

Special Requirements: A background check must be passed after the offer to hire has been made.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

Click Here to Download Complete Job Description

Friday, April 6, 2012

YA/Children's Lit Top Wall Street Journal's Best-Sellers List

Best-Selling Books Week Ended April 1st.

FICTION

1. "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic Press)

2. "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic Press)

3. "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic)

4. "Guilty Wives" by James Patterson, David Ellis (Little, Brown)

5. "Betrayal" by Danielle Steel (Delacorte Press)

6. "Lover Reborn" by L.R. Ward (New American Library)

7. "The Lorax" by Dr. Seuss (Random House Children's Books)

8. "Stay Close" by Harlan Coben (Dutton Books)

9. "Big Nate Goes for Broke" by Lincoln Peirce (HarperCollins)

10. "Green Eggs and Ham" by Dr. Seuss (Random House Children's Books)

Children's Literature minor at Eastern Michigan University


Program Advisor: Ian Wojcik-Andrews
Email: iwojcika@emich.edu

Program Advisor: Harry Eiss
Email: harryeiss@chartermi.net

Program Advisor: Shelia Most
Email: smost@emich.edu

Program Advisor: Annette Wannamaker
Email: awannamak@emich.edu

Phone Number for Advisors: 487-4220

Minor Total: 21 hours

Peter Hunt on research resources in children's literature, reprinted with thanks from Oxford Bibliographies on-line

Childhood StudiesChildren's Literature
Peter Hunt

Introduction

The study of children’s literature as an academic discipline has developed since the 1980s from its roots in education and librarianship to its place in departments of literature and childhood studies. Although its practitioners position themselves at different points on the spectrum between “book-oriented” and “child-oriented,” the study is held together by the “presence” of some concept of child and childhood in the texts. The distinctions that apply in other literary systems between “literature” and “popular literature” or “literature” and “nonliterature” are not necessarily useful in this field. Nevertheless, criticism tends to fracture between a liberal-humanist and educationalist view that children’s literature should adhere to and inculcate “traditional” literary and cultural values and a more postmodern and theoretical view that texts for children are part of a complex cultural matrix and should be treated nonjudgmentally. In addition, the discipline is multi- and interdisciplinary as well as multimedia: its theory derives from disciplines such as literature, cultural and ideological studies, history, and psychology, and its applications range from literacy to bibliography. Consequently, children’s literature can be defined and limited in many (sometimes conflicting) ways: one major problem for scholars is that the term children’s is sometimes taken to transcend national and language barriers, thus potentially producing a discipline of unmanageable proportions. As a result, this article is eclectic, but it excludes specialist studies to which children’s books are peripheral or merely instrumental, such as folklore or teaching techniques. Children’s literature is also studied comparatively and internationally, with German and Japanese writing being particularly important. This article confines itself to English-language texts and translations into English.

Reference Resources

The major reference books (Carpenter and Prichard 1984, Watson 2001, Zipes 2006) are designed for the general reader, with succinct entries and extensive illustration. Hunt 2004, Hunt 2006, and Rudd 2010 are aimed at students of children’s literature and provide a basis for the study of the subject (see also Introductions and Guides). For the online resources, a distinction can be made between the academic International Research Society for Children’s Literature and the highly practical International Board on Books for Young People.

  • Carpenter, Humphrey, and Mari Prichard. The Oxford Companion to Children’s Literature. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 1984.

    E-mail Citation »

    Although nontheoretical and increasingly dated, this pioneering work remains an essential text. The more than 2,000 entries cover authors, characters, books, themes, and genres and a selection of national literatures.

  • Hunt, Peter, ed. International Companion Encyclopedia of Children’s Literature. 2d ed. 2 vols. London and New York: Routledge, 2004.

    E-mail Citation »

    A two-volume collection of one hundred nineteen 6,000-word essays commissioned from world experts, including Iona Opie, Margaret Meek, Jean Perrot, Perry Nodelman, Hans-Heino Ewers, and Anne Pellowski. The text attempts to cover every aspect of the theory and practice of children’s literature; forty-six of the essays are concerned with the literature of specific countries, continents, or regions.

  • Hunt, Peter, ed. Children’s Literature: Critical Concepts in Literary and Cultural Studies. 4 vols. Critical Concepts in Literary and Cultural Studies. London and New York: Routledge, 2006.

    E-mail Citation »

    The ninety-nine reprinted essays in this four-volume set are the most important critical or theoretical statements about or discussions of virtually all aspects of children’s literature. The set includes work by almost every major critic writing in English; there are twenty sections, the largest being “The Theory Debate.”

  • International Board on Books for Young People.

    E-mail Citation »

    Information about contacts in seventy-five countries, devoted to the promotion and distribution of children’s books and to details of the international journal Bookbird.

  • International Research Society for Children’s Literature.

    E-mail Citation »

    The IRSCL website contains not only news about the society’s activities, but also information about conferences; calls for papers; a book review section; and links to children’s book collections, documentation centers and libraries, research centers, research societies, and other related sites across the world.

  • Rudd, David, ed. The Routledge Companion to Children’s Literature. Routledge Companions. London and New York: Routledge, 2010.

    E-mail Citation »

    Rudd’s Companion provides an extremely wide-ranging guide to the technical aspects of criticism and theory of children’s literature. The first half comprises eleven long essays on major themes and issues, such as gender, narratology, race, and young adult fiction; the second, an extensive annotated glossary of names and terms, a full bibliography, and a time line.

  • Watson, Victor, ed. The Cambridge Guide to Children’s Books in English. Cambridge, UK, and New York: Cambridge University Press, 2001.

    E-mail Citation »

    With more than 2,500 entries from more than 200 contributors, this encyclopedic volume covers books and authors that have “made a significant impact on young readers anywhere in the world.” There is particular emphasis on illustrators and on the importance of multimedia texts.

  • Zipes, Jack, ed. The Oxford Encyclopedia of Children’s Literature. 4 vols. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2006.

    E-mail Citation »

    Four-volume general reference work, with particular emphasis on biographies of authors and illustrators.

The Book, New Republic on-line, reviews Two Indian Children's Books, excerpt, link provided

ELLEN HANDLER SPITZ on CHILDREN'S BOOKS FROM INDIA

Ms. Spitz reviews books by two Indian authors,

The Enigma of Karma | by Raja Mohanty

Folk Tales of Uttarakhand | by Deepa Agarwal

Caravan to Tibet by Deepa Agarwal

AS TWENTY-FIRST century juggernauts of globalization and technology ride roughshod over regional cultures, there is a risk that precious legacies—oral, visual, and dramatic—are being lost. How will we preserve local customs, idiosyncratic habits of speech and dialect, humor, folklore, imagery, symbols, and artistic techniques—all with their concomitant wisdom? Sensitive editors of children’s books are grappling with these questions.

India may serve as an instructive guide....

(Caravan to Tibet, a novel given me while I was last in India by Anto Thomas Chakramakkil of the Children's Literature Association of India, is reviewed on our sdsubookreviews.blogspot.com. A fascinating, enjoyable book-- A.A.)

AND JOIN US AT SDSU APRIL 16 AND 17 FOR TWO TALKS BY INDIA'S Children's Author ANUSHKA RAVISHANKAR:

April 16, 7-9 p.m., LL-430, Living Writers Series, with poet Garth Greenwell

April 17, 2-3:30, AL-100, with Iranian children's author Mina Javaherbin (The Secret Message)


Bookbird Call for Papers, Special Edition



We invite submissions for a Special Issue of Bookbird in conjunction with the Commonwealth Education Trust (CET). The CET has promoted education, literacy and literature throughout the member states of the Commonwealth of Nations for 125 years. Their work has much in common with IBBY. Papers are invited on the literatures of Commonwealth countries, as well as on literacy education, the development of the imagination and critical thinking through reading, and other practical uses of literature. Papers of 4000 words are invited on, but not limited to, the following topics:



  • National identity in literature for children and teens
  • Literacy programmes which incorporate children’s literature
  • Thematic developments in national literatures
  • Indigenous and diasporic literatures for children
  • Multilingual children’s literature
  • The impact of colonization and/or Empire on national literatures for children
  • The oral tradition and/or literary retellings
  • Trends in illustration techniques
  • Prizes for children’s literature
  • Non-fiction publishing for children and teens


Titles and abstracts of 250 words should be sent to both editors by 15th May 2012. Roxanne Harde rharde@augustana.ca and Lydia Kokkola lydia.kokkola@utu.fi

The full papers will be expected by 30th June 2012. Please see Bookbird’s website at www.ibby.org/bookbird for full submission details.

In addition, short reviews of recently published children’s literature (c.a. 300 words) or of research on children’s literature (c.a. 750 words) are warmly welcomed.

Papers which are not accepted for this issue will be considered for later issues of Bookbird.


Bookbird: A Journal of International Children's Literature (ISSN 0006 7377) is a refereed journal published quarterly by IBBY


Thursday, April 5, 2012

Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators Summer Conference Announced, Los Angeles in August, link provided for info, excerpt

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

by Lee Wind

Sneak Peek at the 2012 SCBWI Summer Conference!



Get ready for an unforgettable experience with the very best in the field of children's literature!
With your registration you get:

Access to all conference keynotes and workshops
The Gala Party on Saturday night (includes dinner and a drink ticket)
Ticket to the Golden Kite Luncheon on Sunday
Attendance to the Friday night Portfolio Showcase and cocktail party
Chance to sell your books at the PAL book sale on Friday (some restrictions apply)
Tea and coffee each morning
Free wireless in your room

For an extra special weekend you can also register for:

A Manuscript or Portfolio Consultation
The Juried Portfolio Showcase
Two of the post-conference intensive workshops such as: Writing for Illustrators (full day); 9 Agents, One Morning/Afternoon; First Pages; Independent Publishing; Spitshine: Polishing Your Novel; Developing Your Hook; Writing Picture Books; Revising Your MG/YA Novel and more!

Registration opens on April 18th at 10am PDT. This conference typically sells out so don't delay!

Highlights from the 2011 Summer Conference:

From Publisher's Weekly

SCBWI Photo Gallery

General Information:

Conference Tuition:

Tuition includes all conference workshops & events (excluding consultations and showcases) from Friday - Sunday, August 3-5, 2012, including the dinner dance on Saturday night and the Golden Kite luncheon on Sunday. Tuition does not include the Post-Conference Intensive on Monday, August 6.

Early Registration (Before June 15th):

$440 - SCBWI Member Registration

$540 - Non-member Registration

Regular Registration (After June 15th):

$460 - SCBWI Member Registration

$560- Non-Member Registration

Intensives and Extras:

MANUSCRIPT & PORTFOLIO CONSULTATIONS
$100 Individual Manuscript or Portfolio Consultation

JURIED PORTFOLIO SHOWCASE
$50 Portfolio Entry in Juried Showcase

POST-CONFERENCE INTENSIVES
(Full day of programming on Monday, August 6th)
$200 - Post-Conference Intensive for Writers
$200 - Post-Conference Intensive for Illustrators

Venue Information:

Hyatt Regency Century Plaza

2025 Avenue of the Stars
Los Angeles, CA 90067
(800) 233-1234
(310) 228-1234

Conference attendees get a special room rate of $199
(Valid until June 1)

How to register:

You can register online at SCBWI.org or by phone (323-782-1010) starting April 18th. You must be a current SCBWI member at the time of registration and the conference to be eligible for the member's discount.


Full conference schedule and more details will be available in early April.


Wednesday, April 4, 2012

CSU Channel Islands Annual Reading Celebration and Young Authors' Fair April 14, excerpt

Camarillo, Calif., April 3, 2012 – CSU Channel Islands (CI) invites children and their families to the 7th Annual Children's Reading Celebration and the 35th Annual Young Authors' Fair on Saturday, April 14, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the John Spoor Broome Library on the CI campus.

The free annual event brings together a celebrated children’s author with Ventura County children and their families for story circles, hands-on workshops, crafts, book sales and other fun activities that celebrate reading and writing....

Lee Wardlaw, award-winning author of more than two-dozen books for young readers, including “Dinosaur Pizza,” “101 Ways to Bug Your Parents,” and “101 Ways to Bug Your Teacher,” will be this year’s featured author....

The event will also feature the work of more than 1,000 aspiring authors and illustrators from Ventura County’s K-12 schools. Teachers from schools throughout Ventura County have been invited to enter books written and illustrated by their students to be displayed and read at the fair.

There also will be a variety of hands-on activities and crafts, as well as giveaways, book sales and free refreshments. Students in the CI English Program and Mortar Board will be reading aloud to children as part of their service learning commitment.

The event is free and open to the public. Free parking will be available. All children must be accompanied by an adult.

To learn more and RSVP to the Celebration, visit http://www.library.csuci.edu/about/ne... or contact Elnora Tayag, Outreach Librarian, at 805-437-3140 or elnora.tayag@csuci.edu. For additional information about VCRA’s Young Authors’ Fair, please visit http://www.vcrareading.org/YA.shtml.

This story is contributed by a member of the Ventura community and is neither endorsed nor affiliated with Ventura County Star

Children's Book Day, April 30, PR Newswire excerpt

CHICAGO, April 4, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- El dia de los ninos/El dia de los libros (Children's Day/Book Day) April 30

According to the 2010 U.S. Census, racially and ethnically diverse groups saw higher percentage growth rates than white populations from 2000-2010 and growth is expectefd to continue. On April 30, libraries will celebrate and explore our nation's rich tapestry of cultures during national El dia de los ninos/El dia de los libros (Children's Day/Book Day).

Also known as Dia, El dia de los ninos/El dia de los libros, is a celebration every day of children, families and reading that culminates every year on April 30. Libraries will offer family programs, including bilingual story hours, book giveaways and other literacy driven events.

Research has shown that enjoying a book with a child even for a few minutes a day can make a measurable difference in both the appreciation of reading and the development of skills.

Dia emphasizes the importance of advocating literacy for children of all linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Through literacy events and programs like Dia, libraries are working with parents and caregivers to spread "bookjoy." Current research on early literacy and brain development indicates that it is never too early to prepare children for success as readers; and that avid readers are lead by the reading habits of their parents.

"Libraries and library staff are critical to family literacy and multicultural awareness," said Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) President Mary Fellows. "Dia bridges cultures and provides an opportunity for families regardless of linguistic or cultural background to come together and learn from one another. We want parents and caregivers to know that the library is a place to learn, read and have fun - a place that the whole family can enjoy."

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Madhavan Lecture, Two Top International Children's Authors, April 17, SDSU

Join us for the Annual Madhavan Lecture April 17, 2-3:30, in Arts and Letters 100---

Two Top International Children's Literature Authors:

Anushka Ravishankar from India, author of award-winning picturebooks and chapter books and children's editor at Penguin India

and

Mina Javaherbin, Iran/San Diego, author of One Book, One San Diego... for Kids' 2012 selection The Secret Message

SDSU's Phillip Serrato on California Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera, San Diego Union Tribune excerpt, full link provided

STATE POET LAUREATE NOMINEE SEES WORDS AS TIES THAT BIND

Professor found fertile soil in San Diego for his literary life to take root and bloom

Herrera is also widely acclaimed for his children’s and young-adult books. “Every one of Herrera’s works is a stunning mixture of philosophy, compassion, politics, and, most refreshingly, beauty,” said Phillip Serrato, an associate professor in comparative literature at San Diego State.

“There is an awesome craftsmanship to his writing that reminds readers that literature is an art form and that it can be beautiful, provocative, daring and illuminating all at the same time.”

Full article at:
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/mar/23/tp-state-poet-laureate-nominee-sees-words-as-ties/?print&page=all

YALSA's Young Adult Literature Symposium Information, November 2012

Registration

Registration is now open! You can register three ways:

What Registration Includes

Symposium registration includes a networking reception on Friday evening, programs and presentations on Saturday, two coffee breaks on Saturday, a Saturday evening reception, programs and a closing session until 1 p.m. Sunday, and a coffee break on Sunday morning.

Special Events

In addition, you can add special events on both Friday and Saturday to your registration, including one of three half-day forums on teen literature, a St. Louis Public Library tour, or either of the Bill Morris Memorial Author Luncheons, featuring David Levithan and Patricia McCormick.

For more details on special events, including pricing, please visit the Special Events page.

Rates

Early bird registration is open through Sept. 16, 2012. Until then, registration costs:

  • $195 YALSA and Missouri Library Association and Missouri Association of School Librarians Members
  • $245 ALA Personal Member
  • $300 Nonmember
  • $50 ALA Student Members

Advanced registration begins Sept. 17 and runs through Oct. 9. Rates after Sept. 16 are:

  • $245 YALSA and Missouri Library Association and Missouri Association of School Librarians Members
  • $295 ALA Personal Member
  • $350 Nonmember
  • $50 ALA Student Members

Onsite registration applies after Oct. 9. Rates are:

  • $270 YALSA and Missouri Library Association and Missouri Association of School Librarians Members
  • $320 ALA Personal Member
  • $375 Nonmember
  • $75 ALA Student Members

Monday, April 2, 2012

Latino Book Celebration in Tucson, excerpt from Tucson Citizen

Literature & Movement to Recover Hispanic Literary Tradition

Mar. 31, 2012

Bob Diaz
Librarian, Special Collections
(520) 621-7010, diazj@u.library.arizona.edu

Tucson, Ariz. (March 29, 2012) – A new exhibit at the UA Main Library explores the history of Latino literature in the United States and chronicles a national movement to recover the Hispanic literary tradition. On display from April 2 – June 12, 2012, “Arte Público Press and the Legacy of Latino Publishing in the U.S.” showcases one of nation’s oldest and most esteemed Hispanic publishing houses. Nicolás Kanellos, director of Arte Público Press, will deliver the opening lecture titled “From the Latino Archive to Your PC or Laptop or Hand-Held Device: EBSCO Partners with Hispanic Recovery” on April 4 from 3:30 – 5:00 p.m. in UA Special Collections.

Nicolás Kanellos, founding publisher of the noted Hispanic literary journal The Americas Review (formerly Revista Chicano-Riqueña), established Arte Público Press in 1979. As that nation’s oldest and largest non-profit publisher of literature of U.S. Hispanic authors, Arte Público Press showcases Hispanic literary activity, arts, and culture. Its imprint for children and young adults, Piñata Books, is dedicated to the realistic and authentic portrayal of the customs, characters and themes unique to Hispanic culture in the United States.

In his ongoing efforts to bring Hispanic literature to mainstream audiences, Kanellos also initiated the Recovering the U.S. Hispanic Literary Heritage project, started in 1992 by Arte Público Press. This ten-year multimillion-dollar project represents the first coordinated, national attempt to recover, index and publish lost Latino writings that date from the American colonial period through 1960.

“Arte Público Press and the Legacy of Latino Publishing in the U.S.” showcases a sampling of Arte Público’s non-fiction titles, novels, children’s books, young adult titles, and publications in the areas of drama, theatre and poetry. A selection of publisher’s catalogs, book covers and photographs—all on loan from the press—complement the items from Special Collections. The exhibit also includes material preserved through the efforts of the “Recovering the U.S. Hispanic Literary Heritage Project” and documents Kanellos’s more than four decades of professional contributions to the field.

CFP for edited book

Growing Up Asian American in Children's Literature, Proposed Edited Collection - Deadline May 15, 2012


Ymitri Mathison

yjmathison@pvamu.edu

According to the U.S. Census, in 2010 Asian Americans comprised of 18.5 million and 6% of the population. Constituted of several ethnicities and races, they are frequently lumped under one monolithic umbrella with their individual ethnicities reduced to catch-all terms of “Asian” or “Chinese” or “Indian.” Yet, in spite of the many stereotypes attached to them, Asian American children and adolescents are constructing unique identities within the intersections of several communities and making their presence felt within American public spaces.

“Growing Up Asian American in Children’s Literature” seeks to explore some of the major issues Asian American children and adolescents face growing up in the United States in the latter half of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first century. Part of the mission of the collection is to define the term Asian American inclusively, to include all the “Asian” ethnicities from the Asian continent, the Pacific Rim, and also from around the world. Some questions the collection will discuss are what does it mean to be Asian and American? Is there a loss of identity in assimilation? How are Asian American children’s experiences different from other minority groups? Are different regions of the country factors in how they grow up, such as California and New York/New Jersey? How do they construct themselves racially and culturally?

The collection will be interdisciplinary and may include non-traditional texts, such as picture books, comic books, TV shows or movies, toys, and traditional adolescent classics such as John Okada’s No-No Boy (1957) and Laurence Yep’s Dragonwings (1975), graphic novels, such as Gene Luen Yang’s American Born Chinese (2006), and recently published novels, such as Thanhha Lai’s 2012 Newbery Honor Book Inside Out and Back Again (2011), and N. H. Senzai’s Shooting Kabul (2010).

Possible article topics may include, but are not limited to:

• What it means to be Asian and American
• Identity and assimilation: white on the inside and yellow/brown on the outside
• Race/racism/exoticized and marginalized
• Immigrant (FOB) vs. the second/third generation (ABC or Desi).
• Bi-racialism, ethnicity, and hybridity
• Diaspora, home and homeland, transnationalism
• Globalization, citizenship, and mobility
• Family separations (war-torn homeland/refugees)
• Education and stereotypes of the model minority
• 9/11
• Religion in a Christian country: Muslim, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc.
• Poverty/ illegal immigration
• Bilingualism, translation, and the child interpreter
• Alien/foreigner but never “American”
• Gender, sexuality, homosexuality

A major university press has indicated a strong interest in the project. Please submit a detailed 500-1000 word abstract and a brief CV by May 15, 2012 to Ymitri Mathison at yjmathison@pvamu.edu. Completed articles of 6000-7500 words must be submitted by November 1, 2012, following MLA formatting guidelines. I hope to turn in the collection to the publisher in early 2013 for a possible publication date in late 2013. Inquiries welcome and all emails will be acknowledged.

cfp categories:
american
childrens_literature
ethnicity_and_national_identity
film_and_television
gender_studies_and_sexuality
general_announcements
interdisciplinary
journals_and_collections_of_essays
poetry
popular_culture
postcolonial
religion
theatre
travel_writing
twentieth_century_and_beyond

LA Times Book Festival, April 21-22, excerpt from LA Times

Bring on the Bibliophilia: The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books Is Back!

latfob3.jpg
Photo by Genevieve via Flickr.

Literary evangelists of Los Angeles, let the countdown begin. April has officially arrived, which means our city’s most cherished annual literary extravaganza, The 17th annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, is only a few weeks away (April 21-22, to be exact). The festival, which was once a time-honored UCLA tradition, jumped campuses last year to USC. And while the change was a bit jarring for some, the lineup was stellar and literature lit up downtown LA for a truly memorable—and seriously stimulating—weekend. True to form, this year promises even more authors, book-signings, insightful presentations, and a chance to rub shoulders with some of the world’s finest ink-slingers.

Happy Birthday to Hans Christian Andersen, April 2, 1805