CFP: Seventeenth Biennial Conference on Literature and Hawaii's Children

Submit proposals to a small but rewarding upcoming conference. Conference registration is free!

When: June 5-7th, 2014

Where: Honolulu, Hawaii

Conference Theme: "Beyond the Moon: Journeys Imaginary and Real"

Keynote Speakers: Kathi Appelt, National Book Award Finalist for The Underneath; Grace Lin, Newbery Honor Book Recipient for Where the Mountain Meets the Moon 

Session Proposals Due: December 5, 2013

The Biennial Conference on Literature and Hawai`i's Children, scheduled for June 5-7, 2014, is again calling for session proposals. The conference seeks to bring together academics, teachers, librarians, writers and would-be writers, illustrators and would-be illustrators, storytellers, parents, grandparents, teens, and children, indeed, anyone with an interest in children's literature. As such, unlike most academic conferences, we expect all sessions to allow for audience participation. You must present your session interactively, not simply read a paper. Sessions are free to attendees, except for professional sessions offered by the keynote speakers, for which we charge a small fee. Sessions are 75 minutes long. A session may consist of an individual presenter or be shared by a panel, normally of no more than 3 presenters. 

The conference is made up of three strands, "Interpreting Literature," "Using Literature," and "Creating Literature," in addition to a "Teen Track" for teenage writers and illustrators and a program of children’s and family activities. Teen track participants are encouraged to attend any sessions that appeal to them, in addition to attending a targeted session with the keynote author or illustrator, open to teens only. The "Interpreting" strand emphasizes ways of reading children’s literature, primarily from a humanities perspective. We are looking for people, mostly with an academic background (including graduate students), who can do a good job "translating" their specialist knowledge into a form suitable for a general audience. "Using" sessions approach literature from the perspective of teachers, librarians or parents, focusing on innovative ways to work with children’s books directly with children; "Creating" sessions usually come from authors, illustrators, or editors. Participants attend sessions across strands according to personal interests, so audiences are likely to be mixed.

"Interpreting Literature" strand proposals to: Todd Sammons, sammons@hawaii.edu

"Using Literature" strand proposals to: Vicky Dworkin, vicky.dworkin@gmail.com
"Creating Literature" strand proposals to: Sue Cowing, niuiki@hawaiiantel.net

There is no specific form to use for proposals. Please include session title, description (75-150 words), your name, affiliation, and contact information (e-mail, snail mail, phone, and fax). Use more words if you need to.  In general, proposals should be brief, a half-page to a page. However you may attach a vita or other supplemental information if you wish. Let us know something about your previous experience in presenting at conferences or in other settings.

Preliminary information on the upcoming conference will be available shortly; check out last year's conference program for an idea of the structure of this conference.