Freedom and Control in/of Children’s Literature

VILNIUS UNIVERSITY AND MARTYNAS MAŽVYDAS NATIONAL LIBRARY OF LITHUANIA invite established and young literary scholars, book historians, librarians and university teachers to participate in an international conference
Freedom and Control in/of Children’s Literature
Venue: Vilnius University, Lithuania
Date: December 13-14, 2012
Supported by the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences

This is the first time that an international conference dedicated to children’s literature is organised in Lithuania. The idea for this conference suggested itself on the 20th anniversary of the reestablishment of Lithuanian Independence as well as the 20th anniversary of the Lithuanian section of IBBY. Conference participants are invited to present papers on the changes in children’s literature after significant historical events such as the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Soviet Union. If possible, the presenters are welcome to talk about Lithuanian children’s literature. More broadly, the theme of the conference may be interpreted both as a freedom of the development and the understanding of children’s literature and as a range of themes and issues children’s literature deals with.

Official languages of the conference: Lithuanian, English, and Russian.
Selected papers will be published.

Conference plenary speakers:

Marija Nikolajeva, Professor of Education at the University of Cambridge, Director of the Cambridge-Homerton research and teaching centre for children’s literature
Kęstutis Urba, Associate Professor at Vilnius University, Chairman of the Lithuanian section of IBBY

Conference subtopics:

  • Changes in children’s literature since the fall of the Berlin Wall
  • Contemporary children’s literature in post-socialist countries
  • Changes in the genres and modes of the children’s literature of the recent 20 years
  • Children’s freedom and/or control in their immediate environment (family, school, etc.)
  • Didacticism as control: change in the model
  • The old and new taboos in children’s literature
  • Freedom to interpret folklore freely
  • New approaches to history in children’s literature and the literature of young adults
  • Freedom to write anything…
  • Freedom to write in any way…
  • Freedom to translate good / bad children’s literature
  • The writer’s internal censor
  • The current book market as a form of censorship

The deadline for the submission of abstracts (no more than 300 words) and short CVs (no more than 150 words) is 30 June, 2012. You may also inform about your intentions to participate sooner – this would help us to plan the conference agenda more effectively. Please send your abstracts and CVs to the conference administrator, Ms Guoda Rudnickaite at guoda.rudnickaite@gmail.com. The conferences organisers will inform everyone if their papers have been accepted and will send out invitations to the conference by 10 September, 2012.

The conference fee is 40 EUR, which will cover two lunches, coffee breaks and other conference expenses. For an additional fee the participants will also have a possibility to go on an excursion around Vilnius.

5th Conference on South African Children’s and Youth Literature

5TH CONFERENCE ON SOUTH AFRICAN CHILDREN’S AND YOUTH LITERATURE
18-20 September 2012
North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, Potchefstroom, South Africa

Invitation to attend conference and call for papers
Conference theme: Spaces, routes and (re-)discoveries in children’s and youth literature

Papers on South African as well as international children’s and youth literature are welcome, and should preferably link up with one or more of the following topics:

Spaces – literary space, textual space, space and genre, space and media, physical space, psychological space, abstract space, geographical space, cities, towns, rural areas, nature, land, sea, outer space, ecological issues, verbal and visual depiction of space.

Routes – to explorations of children’s and youth literature, in adventure stories, to interconnectedness of things through interdisciplinary studies, to the improvement of reading, to success in writing for children and adolescents, to using children’s and youth literature in improving language education, routes to values portrayed in children’s literature.

(Re-)discoveries – of the power of words, of the importance of visual storytelling, of almost forgotten authors, of classic/evergreen texts, of values old and new, of South Africa in the global world.

Papers, workshops, panels and poster sessions are welcome.

As was the case with the preceding conferences, this conference is for all who are currently involved or who wish to become involved in the production (e.g. oral storytellers, writers, illustrators, translators, publishers), marketing and distribution (e.g. publishers, agents, book suppliers), mediation (e.g. educators/facilitators, parents, librarians, and the media – newspapers, radios, television) and reception of children’s literature (by toddlers, children and teenagers as listeners to, or readers of children’s stories, poetry, stage productions and films).

Papers may be presented in any of the official languages of South Africa. Summaries of papers which will be presented in any language other than English must be accompanied by an English summary. Simultaneous interpreting from any South African language into English will be available, but should be requested by 18th of May 2012, when sending in the abstract.

Important dates

18 May 2012: Final submission of abstract of paper (250 words) and a short CV (100 words) in Word format.
3 September 2012: Final date for registration (payment included).

Enquiries about any aspect of the conference programme can be addressed to:

Betsie van der Westhuizen
Subject Group Afrikaans and Dutch
School of Languages, Faculty of Arts
North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus
Private Bag X6001
Potchefstroom 2520
South Africa

Tel.: 27 18 2991491 (international) or 018 2991491 (South Africa)
Fax: 27 18 2991562 (international) or: 018 2991562 (South Africa)
E-mail: betsie.vanderwesthuizen@nwu.ac.za

OR:

Franci Greyling
Subject Group Creative Writing
School of Languages, Faculty of Arts
North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus
Private Bag X6001
Potchefstroom 2520
South Africa

Tel.: 27 18 2991781 (international) or 018 2991781 (South Africa)
Fax: 27 18 2991562 (international) or 018 2991562 (South Africa)
E-mail: franci.greyling@nwu.ac.za

OR:

Dolly Dlavane
School of Teacher Education (Human-oriented School Subjects)
African Languages, Faculty of Education Sciences
North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus
Private Bag X6001
Potchefstroom 2520
South Africa

Tel.: 27 18 2991817 (international) or 018 2991817 (South Africa)
Fax: 27 18 2994238 (international) or 018 2994238 (South Africa)
E-mail: dolly.dlavane@nwu.ac.za

OR:

Gerda Wittmann
Lecturer: German
School of Languages
North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus
Private Bag X6001
Potchefstroom 2520
South Africa

Tel: 27 18 2991560 (international) or 018 2991560 (South Africa)
Fax: 27 18 2991562 (international) or 018 2991562 (South Africa)
E-mail: gerda.wittmann@nwu.ac.za

Abstracts of papers must be sent via e-mail or ordinary mail to:

Gerda Wittmann
Lecturer: German
School of Languages, Faculty of Arts
North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus
Private Bag X6001
Potchefstroom 2520
South Africa

E-mail: gerda.wittmann@nwu.ac.za

MORE INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE AT: http://nwu-childrenyouthliterature.co.za.

Place, Nation and Borders in Children´s Literature Conference

Please see the updated programme for the conference “Place, Nation and Borders in Children´s Literature,” in Sweden in May 2012: http://lnu.se/institutioner/institutionen-for-sprak-och-litteratur/konferenser–symposier/3-5-may-place-nation-and-borders-in-childrens-literature/preliminary-programme.

For more information, please contact Astrid Surmatz at astrid.surmatz@lnu.se or Anja Noack Thordin at anja.noack-thordin@lnu.se.

From the Strange to the Wondrous: 100 Years of The Strange Adventures of Hlapić the Apprentice

The Croatian Association of Researchers in Children’s Literature, Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, The Croatian Writers’ Association, The City of Slavonski Brod, Matrix Croatica, and The Slavonski Brod Branch cordially invite you to an international conference
From the Strange to the Wondrous: 100 Years of The Strange Adventures of Hlapić the Apprentice (The Brave Adventures of a Shoemaker’s Boy, London: J.M. Dent&Sons, 1971)
18–20 April 2013
Slavonski Brod, Croatia

The international conference From the Strange to the Wondrous is a central event in the year-round celebration of one hundred years from the first publication of the children’s novel The Strange Adventures of Hlapić the Apprentice by Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić.

Throughout 2013 a range of events dedicated to the little apprentice will be organized in Croatia: exhibitions, theatre plays, school plays and projects. Scholars and experts are invited to take part in the interational conference to be held in Slavonski Brod, 18-20 April 2013, in a joint effort to critically evaluate the literary and cultural value of this unique children’s novel.

The Strange Adventures of Hlapić the Apprentice is the most published Croatian children’s novel, and probably the most published Croatian novel of all times. It has been translated into a dozen languages (including twice into English and Chinese). It has been published in over one hundred editions in Croatia and abroad. During its existence it has served as a comment on Croatian history and culture, and influenced the development of Croatian children’s literature. Hlapić was an inexhaustable source of inspiration, as well as the bright spot and irrefutable proof that masterpieces of children’s literature could be written.

The conference From the Strange to the Wondrous, dedicated to the centennial of the first publication of the novel The Strange Adventures of Hlapić the Apprentice, will deal with the following topics:

  • Literary, historical and cultural aspects of The Strange Adventures of Hlapić the Apprentice
  • The Strange Adventures of Hlapić the Apprentice and the Croatian Language school curriculum
  • Literary theoretical approach to The Strange Adventures of Hlapić the Apprentice
  • Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić: life, work and social context
  • Children’s literature at the beginning of the 20th century
  • On the eve of the Great War: cultural, historical and literary context

At the time of the conference the traditional Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić Week will take place in Slavonski Brod with street performances based on her stories, baking of cakes from her fairy tales, performances of popular songs of the period, and dressing up in festive dresses worn at the beginning of the 20th century. The conference participants will be offered the opportunity of a trip to Villa Brlićevac in the wine-growing district in the vicinity of Slavonski Brod. Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić and her family used to move there every July and stay until the end of grape-gathering.

The official languages of the conference are Croatian and English.

More information on the activities of the Croatian Association of Researchers in Children’s Literature can be found on our official web-site: www.hidk.hr.