Interesting Stuff
New book of interest, perhaps?
Whilst scouring a catalog of new critical books, I came across this title that may be of interest:
Supernatural Youth: The Rise of the Teen Hero in Literature and Popular Culture, edited by Jes Battis
Here’s the amazon link:
http://www.amazon.com/Supernatural-Youth-Literature-Popular-Culture/dp/0739128590#_
Putting the A in YA
After going to a panel at MLA where the folks were still at the “hey-wow!” stage of teaching young adult literature, I admit I was a little cranky. Their roundtable had authors and professors of American literature who had found the joy of adding YA titles to their syllabi, but their responses to all of their critical questions revealed their complete ignorance of the wealth of criticism on YA literature, or that it was even possible that scholars were doing that kind of work. Sigh. (Not to worry–I did in fact scold them in the Q & A, using my mother’s technique of posing a question that was really a criticism: “I’m pleased that you have authors and literary scholars on your panel, but I’m surprised that you didn’t include any actual scholars of young adult literature. We’re out there, you know, and there is a wealth of critical literature that engages all of the questions you are discussing and more.” Or something like that. Almost all of them had the grace to look appropriately chagrined.
But it may be our fault. That is, when I was at NCTE a few years back, I met a young professor who said he didn’t join ChLA because he wasn’t interested in children’s literature, just YA. He didn’t realize that ChLA was YA friendly. And in fact, when we were discussing possible panels for next year, the one on diaries really sounded like they were only interested in young girls’ diaries, not teen diaries. I was assured that lit for YA was included and implied, but in the call itself, it is really only implied. I wonder if we don’t need to think about the impression we are sending to outsiders–we know we are YA friendly, and in fact may be actually more tipped toward YA lately than children’s lit, but what about the rest of the world?
At any rate, here’s who’s reading YA out in the world:
Go McDonald’s UK!
Here is a fabulous thing that the Brits are doing to get books into kid’s hands–here hoping the US will take a hint!
ISU on the Road: Ethics and Children’s Literature: A Symposium
Several current and former ISU folk made their way to the beautiful Prindle Institute for Ethics at Depauw University in Indiana for the Ethics and Children’s Literature Symposium. Here are Julie Pond (soon-to-be Dr. Julie Pond!), Niall Nance-Carroll, Mary Moran, and alumni Abbie Ventura and Mike Cadden.
More of ISU on the Road: Ethics and Children’s Literature: A Symposium..
Childhood Studies and Religion Discussion Group
Sponsored by the American Academy of Religion, the main and largest venue for scholars of religion around the world, the Childhood Studies and Religion Discussion Group. allows you to post and receive posts on any aspect of the relationship between childhood studies and religion.
To join or learn more about the discussion group, please visit http://childhoodreligion.com/discussion.html