NCSCL at PAMLA 2019

Hello scholars! We had such a fun time at our first ever Pacific Ancient and Modern Language Association (PAMLA) conference this past weekend. We met (and witnessed) so many talented scholars this weekend.

Graduate assistants Sofia and Ashley ready to check

scholars into the conference

One of the key takeaways Ashley got from working at the registration desk was seeing the diversity of people who attend academic conferences. Scholars from many states and countries came to present on a stunning variety of topics ranging from vampire studies to absurdist history. Several families came to America’s Finest City for the weekend, with many a child treated to a trip to the San Diego Zoo. Students and faculty came from all over, from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa to Vancouver Island University. A young girl in the audience of Joseph Thomas and Michael Heyman’s poetry reading delighted the crowd with her giggly additions to the performance. Ashley was also thrilled to meet another person studying Vietnamese American literature.

Thai Luong presenting on A Different Pond by Phi Bao

The Asian American Literary and Cultural Studies sessions on Thursday left Ashley dazzled. As a first-semester graduate student just entering that field, this conference was her first time meeting fellow Asian American literature scholars, and hearing their research left her inspired. She left with many topics of interest to research further: the effect of the model minority myth on lived experience, Vietnamese American history and literature, and the boundaries of what is defined as Asian American and literature. She is determined to search for an area of focus of her own (food is brilliant but taken) and to draw all the inspiration she can from the admirable work of those trailblazing in her field.

 

Katherine Sciurba presenting on White Flour by David LaMotte

Ashley also had the opportunity to attend the brilliant Children’s Literature I panel. Katherine Sciurba, Assistant Professor in the SDSU School of Teacher Education, opened with “March of the Coup Clutz Clowns: The Clown as Figure of Resistance to White Supremacy in David LaMotte’s White Flour.” She analyzed LaMotte’s humorization of ostensible KKK members who attempt to join a parade. It was fascinating to hear her perspective as an instructor who focuses on the affective response of her students to the books she reads, and the Q&A raised the question of empathizing with KKK members and where the limit is. Dr. Sciurba argues that children are capable of processing trauma in picture books because they might witness much worse on the news and maybe even personally.

 

Linda Salem presenting on Aruki Taro by Takei Takeo

Next, Linda Salem, the Children’s Literature Librarian at SDSU, spoke about “Takei Takeo’s Aruki Taro, Clara Breed, and Japanese Illustrated Children’s Literature in Context.” She described the wonder she felt finding this book and imagining the story, which she could only extrapolate from the images. After getting the story translated, she began extensively researching the history of children’s literature in Japan and shared those findings with us. Salem’s role as a librarian requires much communication with different organizations, such as the public library system from which she obtained this rare book. Thank you to Linda Salem and all librarians for making the study of rare literature possible!

 

Mary Galbraith presenting about animals in 20th century novels

Children’s Literature Lecturer Mary Galbraith presented “The Live Creature: Animal Presence and Inhabiting the World in 20th Century Children’s Novels.” The talk drew upon many well-known novels, such as The Black Stallion and The Call of the Wild, to explore how authors can typify emotion and express nonverbal communication. Dr. Galbraith marveled at how entire books can be written about animals that don’t communicate in words but with their bodies. She described how “yes” and “no” are very deep in physiology, spreading her arms and stepping forward to indicate “yes” and withdrawing while pulling her arms to her chest to express “no”. As always, Dr. Galbraith’s animated and yet casual style of speaking is engaging and simplifies her very complex research.

 

Dr. Joseph Thomas and Dr. Michael Heyman Reading

During “Children's Poetry Today: A Creative Writing Reading”

Dr. Joseph Thomas and Dr. Michael Heyman had a poetry reading together, entitled “Children's Poetry Today: A Creative Writing Reading: an event in four chapters,” on Saturday. Joseph Thomas read from “‘Advice for Children (NSFW)’ and Other Poems for Young People,” among other works. Joseph Thomas and Michael Heyman have worked on many projects together over the years, from collaborative poetry to being judges of The Lion and The Unicorn Poetry Award.

Adults and children alike joined together to listen to these brilliant poets and readers; at one point a child delightfully laughed at one (or maybe more than one) poem, emphasizing the wide reach poetry can have. The two did not write this show as a piece, but often worked through poems together on the phone, showing the true organic creativity of their poetry. For Joseph Thomas, although this reading is enjoyed by all, he states, “doing this for children makes the physical important,” referring to their vibrant movements and energy while performing.

Their reading was broken into four chapters. In the first chapter, Joseph Thomas dedicated a poem he wrote in the intro to his late father, and dedicated another poem to his beloved cats. Next, Michael Heyman read his poem “Bish Boshed” a rhyme poem with arguably “nonsense” names which he brought sense to with the rhythm and passion of his reading. Joseph Thomas then read his own poem, “Nonsense Rhyme for Michael Heyman” following “A Pomsense Poem” by Michael Heyman.

 In the reading’s second chapter, Joseph Thomas read eight lines from “The Charge of the Light Brigade” by British poet Alfred Tennyson, otherwise known as “Lord Tennyson.” Michael Heyman followed with his own poem, “The Chard of the Blighted Souffle.” Michael Heyman then read an excerpt from “Warning to Children,” which Joseph Thomas argues is an improvement to the original poem.

Dr. Joseph Thomas and Michael Heyman Reading

Chapter three, entitled “Seasick Love Songs,” began with “The Hummerhead Brill” by Michael Heyman. Joseph Thomas read his lighthearted poem “The Fisherman,” a poem about a man in love with a creature neither a fish, nor a human.

In the fourth and final chapter, “Rinnzekete bee bee nnz krr müü?”, A.A. Mill’s “Now we are Six” was improved by Joseph Thomas’s poem “Six We are Now.” Michael Heyman concluded with a stunning, dynamic rendition of Kurt Schwitters’s “Ursonate”.

Dr. Joseph Thomas and Michael Heyman waiting for

“Children's Poetry Today: A Creative Writing Reading”

Watching these two perform was such a joy, but it truly felt like watching one, with how in tune they were with each other’s every word and movement. The audience, and the readers themselves, could be seen exchanging smiles throughout the event. We were so lucky to be reminded of the creativity and joy involved with writing and sharing poetry.

The full video of this event is linked here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBQOqxOgWoI
PAMLA 2019 was a blast, and we look forward to PAMLA 2020, which will be held in Las Vegas. Thank you for the generosity of all involved! 

-(AN) & (SS)

The Musicality of Poetry for Children and Adults

Perry Nodelman claims in The Pleasures of Children that "Many children first experience the pleasures of literature in the form of poems: rhyming songs or nursery rhymes like [Humpty Dumpty], recited to them long before they themselves can speak or even understand much language (193). Nodelman goes on to say that what poems like "Humpty Dumpty" means is less important "than how it says what it means" (194). JonArno Lawson, a Canadian/American citizen living in Toronto with his family, writes poetry for both children and adults. “Lawson is a four-time winner of the Lion and Unicorn Award for Excellence in North American Children’s Poetry” (https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/jonarno-lawson). He’s the author of more ten collections of poetry including, Black Stars in a White Night Sky (2008), A Voweller’s Bestiary (2008), and Down in the Bottom of the Bottom of the Box (2012). So many of us enjoy JonArno Lawson's work because he is a master of word play. Lawson confesses in "A Talk from the Bottom of the Box: Reflections of an Award-winning Poet for Youth" that his "father sang songs a lot of folk songs and songs that had word play in them" (https://youtu.be/F-PyU8HymAk 1:57-2:04). This reinforces Nodelman's point that wordplay not meaning is what makes " ... poems originally intended for adults that editors of collections of poetry thought might interest young readers" so enjoyable (193). Whether the words are read or sang, word play encourages playful thinking.

While we can easily point to the didactic nature of "Daniel in the Lions' Den," the pleasure derived from laughing at a mother lion chastising her cub and encouraging it to wait for a less "scrawny kid" to eat is way more fun to talk about for his audience regardless of age (9). The playful reimagining of the Biblical parable may make die hard Christians shiver at the notion of rewriting such a closely regarded story, but it is harmless fun for everyone else. What’s more fun is the "People Through the Peephole" poem (I absolutely just typed People Through the People and had to correct it) with its playful rearranging of the pieces of compound words (9). The rhythm along with the ē and ō rhyme makes the poem fun to say or sing if you are feeling kind of folksy.

Similarly, there is a catchy musicality that comes with the experience Lawson's poetry whether the audience reads it to themselves or aloud. In "Convincing Contradictions," the additional echo produced by highlighting the musical nature of the work is lightheartedly fascinating. There is the resounding -tions: “Unpredictable predictions./ Hospitable evictions. . . .” and the invasive -osity: “Tight-fisted generosity./ Indifferent curiosity. . . .” (23). On top of all that cleverness there is a neat little line drawn between the antonyms on every line from beginning to end.

Another piece in the collection, "Greenblatt, Goldblatt, Grenby, Grinch" may sound like the name of a cliquish law firm with a not so fun partner, but it too is a poem that recycles syllables for the sake of a poem that a child could easily jump rope to: "Obadiah would you try a little bitta jumbalaya?" (27).  The 'blatt' is repeated in the first two words of the first line of the poem while the 'Gre' in the first word is not repeated until the last two words of the line. And if your tongue isn't already tied up, then the second line won't hurt you much with the 'sc' and 'yard' from the first word being repeated in the second word and the 'inch' from the third word being carried over to the fourth. The catchy tune in the entire poem made me want to break out the jump rope for a trip down memory lane.

All in all, Jon Arno Lawson did it again.

JonArno Lawson’s work can be found at the following presses:

https://www.exileeditions.com/

https://www.kidscanpress.com/

http://www.pedlarpress.com/

http://porcupinesquill.ca/

http://www.annickpress.com/

https://www.wolsakandwynn.ca/

http://www.espresso-chapbooks.com/current.html

https://groundwoodbooks.com/

http://enchanted-lion-books.tumblr.com/

http://www.walker.co.uk/

~Kiedra Taylor

Highlights from Dr. Krystal Howard's Lecture:

Back in February, Dr. Krystal Howard graced the NCSCL and SDSU by giving a talk on verse novels and their pedagogical impact. Unfortunately, due to a busy semester, it is only now getting published. Nonetheless, please enjoy the highlights from the talk! There is also a special test-run/pilot podcast interview with Dr. Howard and our very own Professor Thomas following soon!

Dr. Krystal Howard graced SDSU students and faculty on February 27^th with a lecture discussing her current research interests. Titled “Form as Political Resistance,” her talk looked at verse novels for children and young readers that focus on the education of the young poet--specifically Jacqueline Woodson’s Brown Girl Dreaming and Kwame Alexander’s Booked, both of which “advocate for the value of stylistic imitation through the depiction of children who write influence or erasure poems.” She discussed how these novels “highlight model authors who emphasize racial tensions” and that “the influence of erasure poems within these novels reflects socio-cultural concerns and follows the long-standing tradition in children’s literature of using texts as pedagogical tools that model behavior, and, specifically in this case, writing behavior.”

Before beginning, she explained that she got into this area of focus by reading the verse novels Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson and Out of the Dusk by Karen Hesse in an undergrad creative writing poetry class and became interested in “the form of the book.” This interest lasted with her through her MFA, Master’s, and Ph.D. programs, where, in the latter, she focused on verse novels for young readers.

            Underway with her lecture, Dr. Howard stated that Brown Girl Dreaming and Booked “focus on the artist coming of age” and that “each of these texts advocates for the value of stylistic imitation through the depiction of children who write influence or erasure poems.” Defined by an audience member, erasure poetry is “taking someone else’s text and whiting out/blacking out some of the words in order to say things that combine into your own work.”

Both these texts also “engage directly with the relationship between an artist’s creation and an artist’s environment” which “leads to emotional maturation for the characters within the text, while serving as evidence that learning to write poetry can be accessible to young readers situated outside of the text.” She also noted how both Brown Girl Dreaming and Booked “highlight model authors who emphasize racial tension,” with Brown Girl Dreaming looking at life growing up during the Civil Rights era and the influence of Langston Hughes on the young writer and Booked showing a contemporary young author erasing parts of Huckleberry Finn. As such, “the influence of erasure poems within these verse novels reflects socio-cultural concerns and follows the long-standing tradition in children’s literature of using texts as pedagogical tools that model behavior, and, specifically in this case, writing behavior.”

Dr. Howard emphasized that “the inclusion of fragments of the protagonist’s writing within the pages of the narrative underscores an emphasis on formal experimentation, collage, and the politics of form.” She defines collage--loosely--as “the layering and linking together of miscellany within a single work,” but, according to scholars such as Rona Cran and Rachael Fairbrother, collage in literary texts “moves beyond the assemblage of fragments, bringing ideas into conversation with one another, encouraging a sense of defamiliarization in the reader or viewer in order to fix attention on uneasy realities in contemporary culture, and, ultimately, emerging as a powerful site for political resistance.” Collage in the two focus texts, then, serves to “give voice to the difficulties experienced by the protagonists and to explore the issues of both confession and crisis.”

She focused specifically on the power of collage as a form of subversion and art, arguing that “in contemporary children’s and young adult literature, collage is used in order to unsettle the traditional artist coming of age narrative, and to make visible the political and social forces that help shape the writer’s developmental process” before moving on to discuss how “the verse novel is uniquely situated to address pain and healing because its form draws attention to itself as a created artifact.” An example of this is “the lyric’s emphasis on emotion, as well as poetry’s general use of space on the page, [that] invites the reader to linger over language, breaks in line and stanza in between poems,” which, considering that Woodson’s and Alexander’s verse novels contain poems within them written by young protagonists, “calls on the reader to hold space in the narrative and slow their pace further in order to consider the writing of the characters separately.”

She elaborated on what constitutes a verse novel, speaking of them as “a popular hybrid genre that engages with multiple genres, including poetry, prose, and drama” that “focuses on the emotional event and shows the reaction before and afterwards,” and is “characterized by hybrid construction.” She clarifies further that her definition of verse novels is “…a series of poems linked by a narrative thread” that involve fragmentation and white-space to make the reader pause to contemplate the “gaps created by a collage of line, language, poem, scene, and para-text” which “creates an intimacy between the reader and the speaker of the poem.” The importance of this is that, “by weaving together narrative and the confessional voice, the verse novel provides the structural space necessary for reader contemplation and becomes a mode in which young readers can actively participate in the making of meaning by putting together the fragments of someone else’s life and then parlaying those resulting insights into a deeper understanding of their own experience.”

Continuing, she moved on to discuss verse novels that focus on the growth of the young writer, and how they “are unique because they present the child writer learning aspects of craft through influence, both by revering and parodying various source texts.” She quotes Tom Hunley in how poets gain their individual voice by imitation of other poets and Harold Bloom’s argument about how “‘poetic history is held indistinguishable from poetic influence, and an individual becomes a poet when she first discovers or is discovered by the dialectic of influence, first discovers poetry as being both external and internal self.’” She adds to this Dr. Joseph T. Thomas Jr.’s ideas of how child poets are “influenced through reading official school poetry, the dominate mode of poetry in schools, the kind of poetry written by adults and taught to children in the classroom” and that “‘certainly there are children who strive to emulate the adult poets they encounter, but more common are those who specialize in the sometimes bawdy playground poetry. These child poets reveal that children have a poetic tradition all of their own. A carnivalesque tradition that signifies young adult culture.’” All of this, according to Dr. Howard, is apparent in Woodson’s and Alexander’s texts. She states “While Woodson relies on poets typically associated with official school poetry, with whom her child poet speaker forms an artistic connection, Alexander draws on the childhood tradition of found poetry in order to emphasize play and humor as well as his character’s general distaste for his educational environment as a catalyst for his protagonist’s poetic tact.”

Concluding her talk, Dr. Howard expressed that Woodson’s and Alexander’s verse novels “draw connections between the education of the poet and elementary, secondary, and post-secondary institutions, linking pedagogy in the classroom and narratives directed at young readers” while also noting that “the act of inserting a creative protagonist’s own poems into a narrative is inherently pedagogical as it models for young readers how a poet might begin his or her own writing practices” serves as a powerful rhetorical move on the behalf of the author. Additionally, their verse novels are groundbreaking due to the fact “they draw on various traditions in order to illuminate contemporary issues surrounding racism in artistic expression” as well as “put forward influence, imitation, and writing response as key developmental practices” with Woodson’s protagonist “employ[ing] a method of influence that utilizes source texts by imitating structure, line, and style and Alexander’s by “use[ing] the erasure poem as a form of play and subversion in the educational setting.” These practices instilled, therefore, are an imperative aspect in the development of the young writer, states Dr. Howard,  and they “provide a map for, and a window through which, young readers can see themselves becoming poets through sustained close-reading of model poets, and a crafting of response poems that are inspired by the works of other writers that they read.”

After the talk, Dr. Howard answered a myriad of questions from faculty and students alike, and each left feeling they had learned something important about the nature of verse novels, whether that be in their construction or application. We at the NCSCL and the faculty of the English and Comparative Literature Department are grateful for Dr. Howard’s visit and look forward to seeing more of her research in the future.

For more info on that, check out Dr. Howard’s website and the next NCSCL blog for a follow up podcast conversation between her and our very own NCSCL Director Dr. Joseph Thomas Jr.!

---