CFP from the American Literature Association!

Children’s Literature Society

American Literature Association

28th Annual Conference

May 25-28, 2017

The Westin Copley Place

10 Huntington Avenue

Boston, MA

PANEL ONE:

“The times they are a changin”: Exploring the Many Faceted Nature of Diversity in Children’s Literature. Children’s Literature has been in the forefront of privileging significant social and cultural concerns.  Over the past several decades, it has, in fact, been an ever expanding frontier  not only reflecting the changing demography of the United States—its growing diverse culture, but also confronting cultural and value issues that have emerged because of these changes.  Children’s stories have spoken with brilliant clarity about the historical issues of the African American, Hispanic, American Indian, and Asian American communities, among many.  Diversity also includes class, economics, gender/sexuality, and disability issues as reflected in Newbery Medal and Caldecott Honor awardee Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña and Christian Robinson and I am Jazz by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings

This exciting and revolutionary new domain invites us to explore new areas of research that include also Americans as global citizens. A fluid, sometimes rapid evolution of discourse continues. Cultural and value issues are challenged by ever more empowered and activist people and groups, and these challenges bring into focus and relief the great diversity of Americans'' individual journeys.

This panel explores the multiple ways Children’s Literature is exploring these issues and opening new areas of discourse.

Please include academic rank and affiliation and AV requests.

Please send abstracts or proposals (around 300 words) by January 10, 2017 to Dorothy Clark (Dorothy.g.clark@csun.edu), Linda Salem (lsalem@mail.sdsu.edu)

PANEL TWO:

American Children’s Poetry and its Audiences. The Children’s Literature Society of the American Literature Association seeks abstracts for papers to be presented at the 28^th Annual Conference of the American Literature Association in May 25-28, 2017 discussing any aspect of the audiences for children’s poetry. Poetry is the genre that has traditionally blurred the distinction between child and adult audiences. Many acclaimed poets for adults also write for young audiences, and young people perform poetry written for adult audiences, often responding to those poems by creating and performing poems of their own. At the same time, there are large numbers of educators as well as some poets who write exclusively for children who insist that poetry for children is and should be separate and distinct from poetry written for adults. Papers may explore American children’s poetry and its multiple audiences from or across periods of American literary history as well as poetry created by young people themselves.

Please include academic rank and affiliation and AV requests.

Please send abstracts or proposals (around 300 words) by January 10, 2017 to Richard Flynn (rflynn@georgiasouthern.edu), Dorothy Clark (Dorothy.g.clark@csun.edu), Linda Salem (lsalem@mail.sdsu.edu)