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The Summit Schedule for Friday afternoon: June 15, 2018 is here.

Look for the following sections below:
1. A banner to linked to registration
2. A draft of the hotel
3. Look Who's Coming
4. Other Visiting Authors
4. Look Who's Presenting
5. Things to See and Experience in Las Vegas
6. Places to Eat Near UNLV
7. Our Partner Hotel

The Banner Below is Hotlinked to Registration!

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Do You Want to Know What You are Missing?
​Check out the program.

2018_yalitsummit-program_6.7.2018_without_study_pages.pdf
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Look Who Came!

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Laurie at the 2018 Summit on the Research and Teaching of Young Adult Literature
photos by Noah Schaffer


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Bill at the 2018 Summit on the Research and Teaching of Young Adult Literature
photos by Noah Schaffer 


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Kekla at the 2018 Summit on the Research and Teaching of Young Adult Literature
photos by Noah Schaffer


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Chris at the 2018 Summit on the Research and Teaching of Young Adult Literature
photos by Noah Schaffer

 More Authors to Explore

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Amy Bright
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Justin Joschko
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C. G. Watson
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Aaron Levy
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e. E. Charlton-Trujillo
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Jen Nails
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Sarah Donovan
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Jo Schaffer

Look Who's Presenting

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Steven T. Bickmore is an associate professor of English Education an UNLV. Most days, it feels like is primary job is to hold this blog together.

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Bickmore 2018 Summit presentations

summit_introduction_bickmore.pdf
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bickmore_framing_the_field_research.pdf
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Paul E. Binford holds the rank of assistant professor in the Department of Curriculum, Instruction & Special Education at Mississippi State University (MSU).  He served as both a middle school and high school teacher and administrator from 1985-2011 while earning his Ph.D. from Indiana University.  He is a recipient of a Lilly Teaching Creativity Fellowship (2002), The William and Madeline Welder Smith Research Travel Award from the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History at the University of Texas at Austin (2009), and two Library of Congress:  Teaching with Primary Sources Grants (2016 and 2017). Binford began his university teaching at Louisiana State University in 2011 before moving to MSU in 2015.  He currently serves as President of the Mississippi Council for the Social Studies. He has published two state history (Louisiana and Mississippi) teacher wraparound editions for Clairmont Press and a historical classroom simulation with Social Studies School Service.  He also writes a weekly blog, Lesson Launch at www.ringoftruth.org.

Links to Dr. Binford's handouts at his presentation can be found on his website at the research page:  YA Summit Teacher Materials at the Ring of Truth website

Here are the titles you are looking for:
Bound by Ice (Chapter 9: “First Mates”) Primary Source Comparison & Venn Diagram 
Arctic Exploration 1818 – 1909: Fact or Myth Slides 
Arctic Exploration 1818 – 1909: Fact or Myth Student Record Sheet 
Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad: Student Handout

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James Blasingame focuses on young adult literature, Indigenous education, secondary writing instruction, preparing pre-service teachers, and cowboy poetry. He is the executive director of the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of the National Council of Teachers of English (ALAN) and has also been ALAN president and The ALAN Review co-editor. For 14 years he was editor of the “Books for Adolescents and Adults” pages of the Journal of Adult and Adolescent Literacy. He is the author or coauthor of John Green: Teen Whisperer, Stephenie Meyer: Into Twilight, Using Mentor Texts: Middle School, Books That Don’t Bore ‘Em: Young Adult Literature for Today’s Generation, Gary Paulsen (Teen Reads: Student Companions to Young Adult Literature, Teaching Writing in Middle and Secondary Schools,  and They Rhymed with Their Boots On: A Teacher’s Guide to Cowboy Poetry. He is the 2018 ASU Zebulon Pearce Professor for the Humanities, the 2018 ASU Pat Tillman Veterans’ Professor, and the 2017 Arizona Humanities Council Dan Shilling Public Scholar Award winner. Before coming to Arizona State University in 2000, Blasingame spent 24 years in secondary education. 

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​Ashley S. Boyd is Assistant Professor of English Education at Washington State University where she teaches graduate courses on critical and cultural theory and undergraduate courses on English Methods and Young Adult Literature. A former secondary English language arts teacher, Ashley’s current scholarship examines practicing teachers’ social justice pedagogies and their critical content knowledge; explores how young adult literature is an avenue for cultivating students’ critical literacies; and investigates the implementation of state-mandated tribal curriculum in secondary schools in Washington. 

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Amy Bright is an English instructor at Lethbridge College, Alberta. She has a PhD in English from the University of Alberta. She has written two novels for young adults, and has also won the Howard O’Hagan Award for short story. Some of her academic work can be found in the Journal of Children’s Literature, Studies in Canadian Literature, and the International Journal of Comic Art. Her teaching pedagogy aims to foster critical learning skills in students through both print-based and non-print based texts, and encourage them to be self-sufficient learners, readers, and writers.

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​Alan Brown is Assistant Professor of English Education at Wake Forest University. A former high school English teacher and basketball coach, his scholarly work examines various intersections of academics and athletics, including sports and literacy, with a focus on K-12 schools. He is the co-editor of the NCTE book Developing Contemporary Literacies through Sports: A Guide for the English Classroom. Recent publications can be found in journals related to English education and young adult literature, including English Journal, The ALAN Review, and SIGNAL Journal, as well as teacher education and sport journals such as Teacher Education Quarterly, Teacher Education & Practice, and Sport, Education & Society. Learn more about his work with sports and literacy at:  www.sportsliteracy.org. 

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alan_brown_sports___literature_presentation_unlv_final.pdf
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alan_brown_unwritten_rules_unlv_presentation.pdf
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Kristina ByBee is an English teacher with 15 years of experience and an English Education Ph.D. student at Arizona State University. Her current research includes how English teachers can use reading and writing to connect students from around the world so that our students are knowledgeable about global issues and peoples. ​ 
Email:  kristina.bybee@asu.edu

bybee_ya_summit_2018_handout.pdf
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ya_summit_2018__reading_the_world_in_an_american_literature_class___postcolonial_ya_novels_and_cosmopolitan_youth.pptx
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e.E. Charlton-Trujillo is hailed as a “force of nature” by Kirkus Reviews. e.E. Charlton-Trujillo, an award-winning filmmaker and youth story activist, is also the author of five novels, including the ALA Stonewall Award winner and Lambda Finalist, Fat Angie. Her feature documentary At-Risk Summer chronicles stories of young people, educators and award-winning authors about bullying, class, race, suicide, being LGBTQ and using writing to be heard. Charlton-Trujillo is the co-founder of the non-profit Never Counted Out which generates access to books and creative mentorship for young people. Her novel Fat Angie: Rebel Girl Revolution releases in March 2019.

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Tiye Naeemah Cort is a Ph.D. student in Curriculum and Instruction at The University of Texas at Austin. She has taught in independent schools in Boston, MA, Dublin, NH, and Austin, TX. Her research interests include literacy, social media, and reading and writing identity in black women. She runs a personal blog The Black Educator at www.theblackeducator.com, where she writes about education and other lifestyle topics.  She is also the founder of FeminEssay, an online writing community for black women writers. 

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Jennifer S. Dail is an associate professor of English Education in the Department of English at Kennesaw State University in the metro-Atlanta area of Georgia. She also directs the Kennesaw Mountain Writing Project (KMWP), a National Writing Project site serving teachers Pre-K through college in all content areas. She has received multiple grant awards supporting the work of KMWP, including an Improving Teacher Quality Grant. Prior to joining the faculty at Kennesaw State University in 2006, she taught English Education courses at The University of Alabama and taught middle and high school English. Dail served as co-editor ofSIGNAL Journal, International Reading Association’s journal focusing on young adult literature, from 2008 – 2013. She is also an active member of several educational organizations including National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and National Writing Project (NWP). She serves on the board for Georgia Council of Teachers of English (GCTE) as the conference director and first vice president. Dail has published extensively on the intersections of young adult literature and digital media, including Toward a More Visual Literacy: Shifting the Paradigm with Digital Tools and Young Adult Literature (Rowman and Littlefield, 2018) and Young Adult Literature and the Digital World: Textual Engagement Through Visual Literacy (Rowman and Littlefield, 2018), both with Shelbie Witte and Steven Bickmore.

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dail_politics_of_teaching___researching_yal.pdf
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dail___witte_remix___mashup_with_ya_voices_.pdf
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Laura Davis currently spends her time as the senior Dual Credit teacher at Keller High School. In her time in education, she has had the opportunity to explore the streets of Maycomb County with freshmen, revisit the Greek Parthenon with sophomores, interact with young adult social justices with juniors, and investigate the duality of man with seniors. With a Bachelors and Masters degree in English, each day proves to be a great adventure. When she’s not talking Captain America or Superman with her students, she dedicates her time to bettering her knowledge of her content area. Ms. Davis intends to explore the relationships between young adult literature and affluence as she researches Ph.D programs in the fall.
Here is the link to Laura's presentation: Defining Normal for Upper-Middle Class Readers

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Sarah J. Donovan is a junior high ELA teacher and adjunct professor in teacher education at DePaul University. She is the author of Genocide Literature in Middle and Secondary Classrooms and a forthcoming young adult novel, Alone Together. She writes a weekly blog, Ethical ELA.com, where she writes about the ethics of teaching English and her #bookaday journey. Follow her @MrsSJDonovan.​

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​Dr. Sybil Durand is an assistant professor in English Education in the Department of English atArizona State University. Her research examines representations of youth of color in young adult literature, including U.S. multicultural, international, and postcolonial young adult texts, and how teachers and students engage these narratives. Her latest study investigated how middle school students engaged young adult literature in the context of a Youth Participatory Action Research after school program.
Email: sybil.durand@asu.edu

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Louise M. Freeman is a Professor of Psychology at Mary Baldwin University in Staunton, Virginia, where she has taught for 18 years. She also provides in-home behavior support for children with conditions such as autism, attention deficit disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. A behavioral neuroscientist by training, Dr. Freeman has recently expanded her research into the study of psychology and young adult literature. She has explored psychological themes in popular series such as Harry Potter, Hunger Games and Divergent, and studied how reading fiction can influence empathy and theory of mind in children and young adults. She is a faculty blogger at www.hogwartsprofessor.com and has been a frequent guest on the Mugglenet Academia and Reading, Writing, Rowling podcasts. She coordinates academic programming for Staunton's annual Queen City Mischief and Magic Festival. She received her undergraduate degree from Emory University and her master's and doctorate from the University of California at Berkeley.

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diagnosing_ptsd_in_literary_characters.pdf
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freeman_ptsd_in_ya_fiction.pdf
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Huston Green is the Operations and Programs Manager at the UNLV Teacher Development & Resources Library where she is responsible for managing daily operations, conducting library instruction sessions, and planning community/campus outreach and engagement opportunities. Huston's interests are in literacy development, special education, and promoting inclusive and diverse children and young adult literature.
Here is a link to Huston's presentation:
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Undiscovered Formats for Undiscovered Readers
https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/libfacpresentation/155/

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Karly Marie Grice is an Assistant Professor of English Education in the English Department at Millikin University. She received her Ph.D in Literature for Children and Young Adults at The Ohio State University and has taught courses in composition, children’s literature, adolescent literature, and ELA methods. She has published works mostly on multicultural comics and young adult literature which have appeared or are forthcoming in The ALAN Review, English Journal, and Red Feather Journal as well as the edited collection Graphic Novels for Children and Young Adults. Prior to graduate school, Karly taught high school English for four years.

just_say_no_handout._ya_lit_summit.pdf
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justsayno.presentation.pdf
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Alice Hays is an Assistant Professor of Education at California State University, Bakersfield. After 19 years of teaching high school English and coaching and judging winter guard, she recognizes the amazing power of secondary students to be agents of change. This has led her to study the ways that young adult literature can tap into that capacity and her research explores the ways YA impacts students’ and teachers’ pro-social behavior. Some publications can be found in the ALAN review, Study and Scrutiny the Southern Oregon English Journal, and the Journal of American Indian Education. 

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hays_ya_summit_2018_final.pdf
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hays_action_plan_peer_review.docx
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hays_action_plan_write-up.docx
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hays_literature_circles_role_sheets_advanced-2.doc
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After teaching high school English for 18 years in California and Idaho, Crag Hill earned a PhD. in Curriculum & Instruction from the University of Idaho in 2008. He edited the award-winning NCTE affiliate journalInLand and is the founding editor of Study & Scrutiny: Research on Young Adult Literature (current issue:https://journals.shareok.org/studyandscrutiny/issue/view/133). He has published articles and chapters on young adult literature and comics and has edited collections of essays on young adult literature, Coming of Age: The Critical Merits of Young Adult Literature (Routledge, 2014), and on comics, Teaching Comics Through Multiple Lenses: Critical Perspectives (Routledge, 2016). His latest project, co-edited with Victor Malo-Juvera, Critical Approaches to Teaching the High School Novel: Reinterpreting Canonical Literature,will appear in 2018 (Routledge). He is currently the coordinator of English Education at University of Oklahoma.

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ya_context_lv_2018.pptx.pdf
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Justin Joschko, Author of YELLOW LOCUST (May 2018, Month9Books)
Justin Joschko is an author from Niagara Falls, Ontario. His writing has appeared in newspapers and literary journals across Canada. Yellow Locust is his first novel. He currently lives in Ottawa with his wife and two children. ​

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apocalypse_now_dystopia_later.pdf
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​Dani Kachorsky is a former high school teacher and current doctoral candidate in the Learning, Literacies, and Technologies PhD program at Arizona State University. Her research focuses on how readers transact with visual and multimodal texts, in particular multimodal children’s and adolescent literature/comics, and the pedagogical approaches that support the use of these texts in classrooms and other contexts.

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kachorsky___reid_a_tale_of_two_covers.pdf
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kachorsky___reid_book_cover_analysis_tool.pdf
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​Sharon Kane is a professor at the State University of New York at Oswego, where she teaches English methods, young adult literature, and literacy courses. Her publications include Integrating Literature in the Content Areas (2008, Holcomb Hathaway), and Literacy & Learning in the Content Areas: Enhancing Knowledge in the Disciplines, Fourth Edition (forthcoming 2018, Routledge). 

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​Sarah Klein is an 8th grade ELA teacher in Senoia, Georgia. An advocate for the teaching profession, Sarah is also an adjunct professor at Mercer University and Georgia State University where she works with future middle school teachers. She has a PhD in Language and Literacy from Georgia State University.  Sarah is a big fan of YA literature and loves sharing her passion for this genre with students and colleagues. 

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​Cindi Koudelka is an 8th grade ELA teacher at Fieldcrest School District in Wenona, Illinois and adjunct faculty for Aurora University. She is a Region Director for Illinois Reading Council (IRC) and member of International Literacy Association (ILA), Literacy Research Association (LRA), and National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). She is currently pursuing her Doctorate degree in Literacy Studies at Judson University. Her scholarship is grounded in sociocultural, critical literacy, and positioning theories. Her research focuses on adolescent literacies, situated discourse, social justice, and youth participatory action research. She is currently working on her dissertation examining how youth participatory action research affects adolescent’s critical literacy and social agency.

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koudelka_yal_and_identity_book_list.pdf
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koudelka_ya_lit_summit_2018_thursday.pdf
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koudelka_ya_lit_summit_2018_saturday.pdf
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​A former high school English and theatre teacher, Aaron Levy served as an Associate Professor of Creative Writing and English Education at Kennesaw State University in Atlanta, GA. In the summer of 2016, however, he began working full-time as the Director of Academics for the Georgia Film Academy.  He earned an MFA in creative writing and a PhD in curriculum and instruction from Arizona State University – go Sun Devils! His first work for young adults, Pizza With Shrimp On Top (Dramatic Publishing), has enjoyed over 60 national and international play productions, and was nominated for the 2007 Distinguished National Play Award for the Middle and Secondary School Audiences. Recently, his stories have appeared in Bohemia Art & Literary Journal, Every Day Fiction, Black Heart Magazine, Linguistic Erosion, and Eleveneleven Arts and Literary Journal. Levy's play BOLT CUTTER MAN was selected for production by Thespian Production Inc's for its 2014 Halloween Play Festival this October in NYC's Joria Mainstage Theatre. Levy is really excited about the debut of his first young adult novel, Blood Don't Lie which was released by Good Reads Press in March, 2017, and has been taught at over 10 middle and high schools its first year. In his free time, and when he’s not injured, Levy loves to play attempt basketball…and plays high above the rim! For more information about Aaron Levy and his work, along with tons of teacher resources, visit www.aaronlevy.org.  

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levy_summit_on_research_and_teaching_for_ya_lit_6-11-18.pdf
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blood_don’t_lie_aaron_levy_ya_summit_presentation_unlv.pdf
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Becki Maldonado is an English teacher at an alternative high school in Oklahoma City. She is also a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Oklahoma with a degree in Instructional Leadership and Academic Curriculum, focusing on English Education. Her scholarship encompasses the use of Young Adult Literature to explore critical and cultural theory and how to improve secondary students' literacy skills. Follow her @beckilaoshi.

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Amanda Melilli is the Head of the UNLV Teacher Development & Resources Library which supports the teacher education programs within the UNLV College of Education as well as P12 educators in the Las Vegas Community.  She specializes in youth library services and collections with a focus on the discovery and evaluation of diverse children’s/young adult literature. Her primary research interest is exploring library contributions to student success through programming and collection development.  

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Here are the Links to Amanda's presentations:
Undiscovered Formats for Undiscovered Readers
https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/libfacpresentation/155/
Fighting Bullying Through LGBTQIA+ Inclusive Education
https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/libfacpresentation/156/

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Caitlin Murphy is currently a doctoral candidate in the Literature for Children and Young Adults program at The Ohio State University and has taught courses in adolescent literature, reading foundations, and new media studies. Her research interests include reciprocal disclosure between teachers and students and the role literature plays in eliciting those exchanges, youth incarceration, and humanizing pedagogies in the English classroom. She earned her M.Ed. from Wake Forest University. Before working on her doctorate, Caitlin taught high school English for eight years.

just_say_no_handout._ya_lit_summit.pdf
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justsayno.presentation.pdf
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Jen Nails, a proud Las Vegas native, Jen's passions include theater, yoga, writing & books (of course), and her two sons, Zac and Simon. She is the K-12 librarian at the Adelson Educational Campus here in Las Vegas and has published the middle grade novels Next to Mexico (HMH, 2008) and One Hundred Spaghetti Strings (HarperCollins, 2017). She's also wild about baking anything involving chocolate, preparing homemade spaghetti, and hiking; she's a national park enthusiast and would like to visit all 59 parks while she's still kicking (only 49 more to go). Her novel-in-progress centers on three 6th graders' reactions to the implosion of a loved Las Vegas landmark. She is thrilled to be presenting among the impressive line-up that Dr. Bickmore has assembled. @jenmnails, www.jennails.com ​​

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nails_100_library_triumphs.pdf
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Heather O'Loughlin is a High School ELA teacher at ASU Preparatory Academy which is located in the heart of Phoenix, AZ.  In addition to teaching, Heather is pursuing her doctorate in the English in Education Ph.D program at Arizona State University.
Email: Heather-Ann.Oloughlin@asu.edu

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Trista Owczarzak is currently in her 5th year of teaching English at Oakfield High School in Oakfield, Wisconsin. She teaches English 1, Senior English, Strategic Reading, and AP English Language and Composition. She has previously presented at both College English Association (CEA) and International Literacy Association (ILA) conferences.

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owczarzak__re_shaping_the_high_school_curriculum_-_ya_summit_2018_-_owczarzak.pdf
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owczarzak__re_shaping_the_high_school_curriculum_handout_-_owczarzak.pdf
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In her 25-year career, Jenny Cameron Paulsen, has been an English teacher and an instructional and technology coach. She currently teaches middle level American history and world studies in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Reading YA hooked her in 7th grade when her best friend gave her a copy of The Outsiders. Teenagers are her chosen people. 

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​Dr. Amy Piotrowski is an assistant professor of secondary education and English education at Utah State University-Uintah Basin.  Her scholarly interests focus on 21st century literacies, digital literacies, young adult literature, and teacher education.  Before becoming a teacher educator, Dr. Piotrowski taught middle school and high school English in Houston, Texas.  Here is the link to Amy's presentation on her webpage.

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piotrowski_tech_yal_presentation.pdf
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​Ritu Radhakrishnan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction at State University of New York in Oswego, NY. She is the coordinator of the Adolescence Social Studies Education Program, and also teaches courses in Literacy Instruction and Assessment, and facilitates a professional development program at a K-8 school in Syracuse, NY.  She is also a member of the National Council for the Social Studies Notable Trade Book Selection Committee.

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Rachel L. Rickard Rebellino is a doctoral candidate specializing in Literature for Children and Young Adults at The Ohio State University. She received her MA in Children’s Literature from Eastern Michigan University and has taught courses in composition, children’s literature, and adolescent literature. Her research interests include diary books, multicultural children’s and young adult literature, and youth culture, and she has published work in The ALAN Review and English Journal as well as in the edited collection Graphic Novels for Children and Young Adults.

just_say_no_handout._ya_lit_summit.pdf
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justsayno.presentation.pdf
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​Stephanie F. Reid is a former middle school teacher and current second year doctoral student in the Learning, Literacies, and Technologies PhD program at Arizona State University. Her research interests include children's and young adult literature, multimodality, and visual literacy. 

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kachorsky___reid_a_tale_of_two_covers.pdf
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kachorsky___reid_book_cover_analysis_tool.pdf
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​Kia Jane Richmond, PhD, is a professor of English at Northern Michigan University in Marquette, Michigan, where she directs the English Education program and teaches courses in English methods and young adult literature. She was selected for NMU’s Excellence in Teaching Award in 2014. An active member of the National Council of Teachers of English, the Conference on English Education, and the Michigan Council of Teachers of English (MCTE), she was awarded the Charles Carpenter Fries Award for Excellence in Teaching/Mentoring by MCTE in 2015. Her publications have appeared in English Education, Composition Studies, Language Arts Journal of Michigan, Wisconsin English Journal, and Journal of Language & Literacy Education among others. She is a co-recipient of the Conference on English Education's English Leadership Quarterly Best Article Award for 2017. Her most recent research on mental illness in young adult literature is forthcoming in a book being published by ABC-Clio/Greenwood Press in 2018:Mental Illness in Young Adult Literature: Exploring Real Struggles through Fictional Characters.

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flyer_2018_mental_illness_in_ya_lit_richmond.pdf
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kia_jane_richmond_handouts_for_session_language_in_ya_lit_wintergirls_and_impossible_knife.pdf
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language_and_representations_of_mental_illness_kia_richmond_presentation_revised_6.6.18.pdf
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Jo Schaffer, Author of STANLEY and HAZEL, (May 2018, Month9Books)Jo Schaffer was born and raised in the California Bay Area in a huge, creative family. She is a YA novelist, speaker and a Taekwondo black belt. She’s a founding member of the nonprofit organization that created Teen Author Boot Camp, one of the nation’s biggest conferences for teens where bestselling authors present writing workshops to nearly a thousand attendees. Jo loves being involved in anything that promotes literacy and family. She is passionate about community, travel, books, music, healthy eating, classic films and martial arts. But her favorite thing is being mom to three strapping sons and a neurotic cat named Hero. They live together in the beautiful mountains of Utah.

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writing_with_kids_.pdf
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Diane Scrofano is a tenured English instructor at Moorpark College in southern California where she teaches composition and literature, including young adult literature. She holds an MA in English and an MLIS, as well as teaching credentials in English and library media services. Prior to assuming her current position in 2007, she worked as a high school English teacher for two years and a high school librarian for another two years. In the spring of 2014, Scrofano embarked upon a sabbatical project on mental illness in young adult fiction and memoir.

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hamilton_and_ya.pdf
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Darby Simpson is an English Education doctoral student at Arizona State University and is the Writing Center Coordinator at ASU’s Tempe campus. She previously taught middle and high school English.
Email: Darby.Simpson@asu.edu

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​Kelli Sowerbrower is currently teaching high school senior English and English 1101/1102 at The University of West Georgia.  She has taught at the middle, secondary, and post-secondary levels for the past 18 years and LOVES her time in the classroom.  Kelli has a Ph.D. in Language and Literacy from Georgia State University.   Her research interests include teacher stories and using contemporary young adult literature in the secondary classroom.  

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sowerbrower_preparing_yourself_to_teach_young.pdf
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​Shauna Stephens teaches Introduction to Literature and College Writing I as a non-tenure track instructor at Montana State University. Before taking the position at MSU, she taught high school English for five years. As a teacher Stephens explores ways of using young adult literature to support student learning in every area from literary terminology and critical thinking to creative writing and rhetorical analysis. Her research interests include depictions of family in young adult literature, using a “youth lens” to examine the cultural construct of youth through literature, and expanding the academic definition of "literature" to include young adult texts and graphic novels. 
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R. Byron Stringer is a creative playwright, who uses challenging experiences that he has witnessed as a 26 year police veteran of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. He brings awareness about the troubles our youth go through daily. For over two decades Mr. Stringer has been credited with changing and saving the lives of thousands of young people who were in desperate situations.  R. Byron, the founder of Vision Theatrical Foundation Inc. helps our kids make better choices by using the message of the Toe Tag Monologues.  The Toe Tag Monologues are a series of monologues that present real life and death situations that our children face daily; such as school violence, drug abuse, drunk driving, gang violence, teen suicide, bullying, snitching, human trafficking, molestation, domestic violence, self-esteem and much more.  The Toe Tag Monologues uses drama to help kids get through their own drama. R. Byron’s goal is to take the Toe Tag Monologues into Schools, Juvenile Detention Centers and Communities across our country.  R.Byron Stringer is setting the stage for our Children to play their role in life with Character, Confidence, Courage, Communication, Critical Thinking and Commitment to themselves, their families and their communities.

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​S.R. Toliver is a second-year doctoral student at The University of Georgia. Her current research is based in the critical tradition, analyzing representations of and responses to people of color in speculative fiction. Her research interests include young adult speculative fiction, Afrofuturism, and Black girl literacies. When she’s not working on her research or classwork, she is reading speculative fiction and writing about it on her blog, www.diversefutures.net. She can be reached at: srtoliver@uga.edu

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Brooklyn Walter is the director of the Undergraduate Writing Center at Washington State University and is working toward a PhD in Rhetoric and Composition. She completed an MA in English Teaching at the University of Montana in 2011 and has taught at both the high school and college levels. Teaching, reading, and talking about the two are just a few of the things that bring her joy.

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C.G. Watson is a 27-year veteran high school teacher and conflict resolution counselor. Her first book QUAD (2007) deals with the painful and gripping reality of a school shooting. Her novel The Absoluteness of Nothing (2016) tackles subjects of grief, video game addiction, and family. Watson resides in Northern California. 

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Shelbie Witte, Ph.D. is the Chuck and Kim Watson Endowed Chair in Education and associate professor in Adolescent Literacy and English Education at Oklahoma State University, where she directs the OSU Writing Project and the Initiative for 21st Century Literacies Research. She serves as editor (with Sara Kajder) of Voices from the Middle, NCTE’s premiere middle-level journal. Witte has published extensively in the area of 21st Century Literacies, including Toward a More Visual Literacy: Shifting the Paradigm with Digital Tools and Young Adult Literature (Rowman and Littlefield, 2018) and Young Adult Literature and the Digital World: Textual Engagement Through Visual Literacy (Rowman and Littlefield, 2018), both with Jennifer S. Dail and Steven Bickmore.

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Our Partner Hotel!
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Hyatt Place Las Vegas, YA Lit Conference

Hotel:A hotel block has been made for the Young Adult Literature Conference at the Hyatt Place Las Vegas, conveniently located near UNLV. A special rate of $149.00 + tax/night has been secured for a 1 King or 2 Double bed room. This rate is available through May 13, 2018 only, and availability lasts. Continental breakfast included.
Hyatt Place Las Vegas
4520 Paradise Road
Las Vegas, NV 89169
Phone: 702-369-3366
Reservations can be made by calling: (888) 492-8847 or by visiting the Hyatt Place Las Vegas, YA Lit Conference link.
At this website please be sure you:
1. Choose your check-in/check-out dates. (Your arrival and departure dates must be between June 13-17, 2018).
2. Enter Code: G-YALC in the box labeled Group/Corporate #
3. Click on check availability.
4. Verify the group name is specified next to rate details, and if everything matches, click book.


To secure the special group rate, all reservations must be booked by May 13, 2018.
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