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LSU Young Adult Literature Conference & Seminar: In Review

6/16/2014

2014 Conference in Review

We are so grateful to all of our attendees and participants for a phenomenal inaugural year! Thinking about attending in 2015? Check out what some of our participants had to say about their experience below:

"This experience has been one of a kind. My mind is spinning with thoughts about my own work and the happiness I feel for having this experience...I've had the fortune of working with librarians, graduate students, academics and professional writers in an intimate forum to share the love of books written for adolescent readers. The pastiche of author insight with teacher practice has been absolutely amazing."

--Workshop & Breakout Presenter, Bryan Ripley Crandall

"There is nothing better for book recommendations than a conference on YA literature. While I was in Baton Rouge, LA...I kept a running list of book titles and authors on my phone, adding five or six books to it every day. The YA lit conference at LSU was composed of two keynotes each day presented by an author and an academic, a selection of workshops in the mornings, and breakout sessions in the afternoon. All of these options for learning about and engaging with YA lit were compounded by author readings and receptions in the evenings."

--Breakout session presenter, Amy Bright

"I had the privilege of meeting Mr. de la Pena at LSU and found him to be a wonderfully friendly person with a fascinating story of his journey to the world of fiction."

--Workshop presenter, Louise Freeman

"I had the chance to sit and listen to the inimitable Chris Crutcher talk about books, reading, censorship, educators, and kids...I love how Chris can take simple statements like this and convey perfectly the important roles of books and reading and teachers and choice and libraries to an audience. I almost feel the need to have each of these emblazoned on a shirt."

--Keynote Speaker, Teri Lesesne

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LSU Young Adult Literature Conference & Seminar: At the Library

6/6/2014

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Authors Crutcher, Crowe, Willis Holt and Guillory Read at East Baton Rouge Parish Library

Authors Chris Crowe, Chris Crutcher, Sarah Guillory and Kimberly Willis Holt took time out of their schedules at the
LSU Young Adult Literature Conference & Seminar to visit the East Baton Rouge Parish Public Library to read to the public from their works. They also took questions from fans and LSU conference guests in attendance and signed copies of their novels.

Attendees snacked on pizza and other sweet treats while hearing from some of their favorite authors. The authors also shared more personal details about their own childhoods, families and writing processes.

The events were hosted by the Main Library on Goodwood Boulevard in Baton Rouge.

All photos of Sarah Guillory & Kimberly Willis Holt are courtesy of Sonya Gordon at the East Baton Rouge Parish Library.

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LSU Young Adult Literature Conference & Seminar: Day 4 Re-cap

6/5/2014

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Dr. Alan Brown of Wake Forest University & Local Author Sarah Guillory Deliver Final Keynote Addresses

"When we hand our students that book, we should hope for and foster the amazement that awaits them inside it."

Assistant professor of English Education at Wake Forest University Dr. Alan Brown's keynote focused on the opportunities for connecting sports and literacy and engaging sports-minded students in reading by promoting a culture of literacy and participation in out-of-school spaces.

Dr. Brown is uniquely qualified in reaching reluctant readers as he confessed to being one himself in his youth. As a result, he takes a special interest in what preoccupies his students and student-athletes outside of the classroom.

"I'm interested in finding out what these kids are doing instead of reading," he said. "That's key in getting them to start reading."

Dr. Brown is particularly devoted to reaching the specific demographic of sports-minded adolescent males. This particular sample of the student population is notorious for lower student literacy rates. Dr. Brown encouraged educators to think outside the box when trying to reach these students. He shared various techniques that have been successful in non-traditional classroom settings.

"We've got to get books out of the library and into the classroom and gym," he urged his audience. "Most athletes don't go to the library at all, or they merely go for the computers to surf ESPN.com."

Dr. Brown shared alternatives such as libraries hosting sports movie nights featuring films based on novels and fantasy sports drafts that create a unique culture of participation and collaboration. He also charged his audience with making not only that initial connection to a student but also working to foster continued reading habits.

"We need to obtain and sustain," he stressed.

In closing, Dr. Brown played a video of late American poet Maya Angelou reciting her poem, "Amazement Awaits."

"When we hand our students that book, we should hope for and foster the amazement that awaits them inside it," he said.

Alan Brown is an assistant professor of English Education at Wake Forest University. He works regularly with middle, high school, and college students as well as secondary teachers/coaches to critically examine the culture of sports in school and society while connecting contemporary literacies with students' extra-curricular interests and out-of-school spaces.

For more information on Dr. Brown's work and his experiences at the conference, follow him on Twitter @Alando1423.
http://sportsliteracy.wordpress.com/

"I adore teens and I love writing for teens."

High school English teacher and debut author Sarah Guillory packs a ton of personality into a tiny package. She tackles reading, writing, and most importantly, talking about Young Adult Literature with much the same charm and enthusiasm. As the final keynote address of this year's conference, Guillory focused on answering the question, "Why YA?"

Her life-long passion for reading led her to become an educator, although her taste in literature has changed drastically. A self-confessed one-time "literature snob," Guillory's love of the written word began with the classics, which she read voraciously until college when she was forced to enroll in a Young Adult Literature course.

"I read Harry Potter and that was IT," she shared with her audience. "It just changed me as a person and as a reader."

She now reads YA almost exclusively. Guillory also shared her own journey as a teacher and writer.

"I became a teacher because I wanted kids to be as passionate about books as I am. And as a writer that is my hope as well," she said. "YA makes kids feel validated and like their voices are being heard."

Her own love of YA stems from the themes that the genre offers its readers.

"What makes YA so special is the message of hope that is almost exclusive to the genre. Adult lit doesn't always give us hope, but YA delivers every time."

Guillory's love for reading and writing YA is fueled by the audience it reaches.

"Teens are the most passionate group of people. They are amazing," she said. "At this point in life, the highs are the highest highs and the lows are the depths of despair. And there's a beauty in that. I adore teens and I love writing for teens."

Sarah Guillory teaches sophomore English just outside Baton Rouge, Louisiana and is an avid Young Adult Lit reader and the author of Reclaimed, her debut novel that was published in October 2013. She is currently penning a second novel.

For more info on Sarah Guillory's work and her experiences at the conference, follow her on Twitter @sguillory262.
http://sarahguillory.com/

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LSU Young Adult Literature Conference & Seminar: Day 3 Re-cap

6/4/2014

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Dr. Steven Bickmore of LSU & Author Kimberly Willis Holt Headline Day 3

"I don't have to read everything on my bookshelf, but I do need to know what books need to be there."

Conference Organizer and LSU's own Dr. Steven Bickmore delivered the opening keynote address on day three of the LSU Young Adult Literature Conference & Seminar.

The talk focused on the importance of the rich history of Young Adult Literature and the organizations that champion it. He stressed the importance of the legacy of YAL scholars.

"We need to know about the people who came before us in this field," he said of the founders and past editors and presidents of organizations like ALAN and YALSA.

Dr. Bickmore also stressed the essentiality of making the connection between the scholarly and the practical. He discussed the themes of traditional literature such as The Scarlet Letter and The Catcher in the Rye and how teachers can apply them in the classroom.

"These themes are not just academic themes," he said. "They are themes of humanity and we need to find a way to talk about them with students."

He also challenged educators to diverge from traditional teaching methods in which an entire class might read the same novel and to invest in the individual student.

"We need to figure out how to get the right book at the right time to the right kid," he said. "We want to promote reading every chance we get and turn these kids into readers as early as possible."

He cautioned that the only way to do this successfully was to be aware of the valued works within the genre. This knowledge comes from discernment and staying in tune with publications like the ALAN Review.

"We need to care less about grades and more about learning," he demanded to audience applause. "I don't have to read everything on my bookshelf, but I do need to know what books need to be there. We have a responsibility to learn which authors we can trust to our students."

Steven Bickmore is a current co-editor of the ALAN Review and assistant professor of education at LSU's College of Human Sciences & Education with an additional appointment within the LSU Department of English. His scholarly interests include how pre-service English teachers perceive young adult literature and its value as an instructional tool in the secondary English Language Arts classroom.

For more info on Dr. Bickmore's work visit http://uiswcmsweb.prod.lsu.edu/education/Faculty_and_Staff_Directory/item49071.html

"Only you can keep yourself from writing."

Nearly twenty years to day that she sat down to pen her first novel, Louisiana native and celebrated author Kimberly Willis Holt delivered the second keynote of the day at the LSU Young Adult Literature Conference & Seminar. The Boston Globe Horn Book Award-winner shared her writing processes, the joys and challenges of being an author and confessed that even as an accomplished author, she is still learning about writing every day.

"Care about what you write about," she urged her listeners. "If the writer doesn't care about what they're saying, no reader ever will."

She also described how her own childhood influenced her career. Hailing from Forrest Hill, LA, Willis Holt traveled the world as the child of a military family. Still, she has remained loyal to her Louisiana roots.

"Louisiana has always been home," she said. "Because it was the one place we kept coming back to."

Despite her reputation as one of the most well-respected YA authors in the country, Willis Holt confessed to struggling as a student, especially with reading. She credits the particularly painful social experiences of her 7th and 8th grade years with making her a writer.

"I didn't think I could be a writer because that was what smart people did," she confessed.

She credits her teachers with turning things around for her when one instructor praised an essay Willis Holt submitted for a class assignment.

"Teachers are powerful," she told her audience. "Some of my best teachers were people I never got to thank. They empowered me that day and that day changed everything for me."

Willis Holt now works to empower other budding writers.

"Only you can keep yourself from writing," she encouraged her audience after confessing that it took her three and a half years to write her first novel. "Keep writing and keep learning."

Kimberly Willis Holt is author of the award winning novel, My Louisiana Sky. Published in 1998, the book was named an ALA Notable Book and an ALA Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults. It also received a Boston Globe Horn Book Award.

For more info on Kimberly Willis Holt's life and work, visit http://www.kimberlywillisholt.com/

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LSU Young Adult Literature Conference & Seminar Welcome Reception

6/4/2014

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Tuesday night's Welcome Reception provided a unique opportunity for conference attendees to network and mingle with leading academics and authors in the field of Young Adult Literature.

Authors Chris Crutcher, Kimberly Willis Holt, Chris Crowe, Sarah Guillory and Matt de la Peña interacted with fans, signed copies of their novels and posed for photos.

LSU Provost Stuart Bell and wife Susan, who is a strong advocate for child literacy within the state of Louisiana, welcomed attendees and thanked educators and authors alike for their devotion to reaching children through the written word and fostering a love for literacy and education. LSU Vice Provost Gil Reeve also returned following his welcome address on Monday.

Enjoy a slideshow of the night's events below.

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LSU Young Adult Literature Conference & Seminar: Day 2 Re-cap

6/3/2014

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Dr. Chris Crowe of Brigham Young University & Author Matt de la Peña Usher in Day Two

"Historians can learn a lot from novels."

Historical fiction and non-fiction author and professor of English at Brigham Young University, Dr. Chris Crowe's Tuesday morning keynote focused on the fundamental connection between history and literature.

"Historians can learn a lot from novels," he told his audience.

He shared his own philosophy on writing historical fiction, emphasizing the importance of discernment on the part of the author. He argued that only the most important pieces of the historical narrative should be presented to the fiction reader.

"Not everything that happens needs to be told," he cautioned. "Every little detail doesn't need to make it to the reader, only what's most important."

Between sharing his own writing processes, humorous anecdotes that have inspired his work and presenting the audience with some of the most fascinating "untold stories" throughout history that have yet to be presented in historical fiction, Dr. Crowe also revealed aspects of his personal life that have had a major impact on his writing career.

As the father of two adopted African-American children, Dr. Crowe shared that he was inspired by the multitude of social and personal layers that defined his children's upbringing and existence in the world. He credited his relationships with them for inspiring many of his works, particularly to explore stories of African-American kids and identity.

"My wife and I learned quite a lot about the world we live in," he shared of his experiences raising children of a different race.

Dr. Crowe also shared his love of haiku with the audience and previewed his latest book Death Coming Up The Hill, due out in October 2014, which is written entirely in the Japanese poetry form. The work centers on the year 1968, the deadliest year of the Vietnam War, as told through the eyes of a reflective soldier.

Dr. Crowe is past president of ALAN and the author of scholarly works as well as fiction and non-fiction for young adults. His most notable works center on Mildred D. Taylor, Presenting Mildred D. Taylor and Teaching the Selected Works of Mildred D. Taylor, and two books about Emmett Till, one a novel and the other a work of non- fiction for adolescents.

For more on Chris Crowe's research, work and experiences at the Conference, follow him on Twitter @CroweChris.
http://www.chriscrowe.com/
http://humanities.byu.edu/directory/cec4/

"You can never be a good writer if you aren't a great reader first."

Critically acclaimed author Matt de la Peña's afternoon keynote focused on the importance of reaching racially and socioeconomically diverse young adult audiences through literature. He also shared his own passion of reaching youth through his writing and read excerpts from his novel, Mexican WhiteBoy, which was inspired by his own childhood.

Growing up in a working class, Southern California neighborhood as a biracial child (half Mexican, half white) deeply influenced de la Peña's own path in life and has had a great effect on his writing.

He struggled with his own racial identity and confessed to being a less than stellar student, being held back in the second grade because of his low reading skills. He also struggled to define himself within his family and the world around him.

"I felt like an alien in school settings," he confessed. "I felt like an impostor because I had decided that I wasn't a good student. You will encounter all sorts of definitions of who you are in life, but the hardest one to break free from is
self-definition"

De la Peña overcame his personal insecurities in high school and eventually went to college on a basketball scholarship where he also discovered a love for writing, and later, reading.

"Once I had a tangible goal, my entire life changed," he said of his decision to earn a scholarship to college. "I think that is something so many kids are lacking in today's society."

De la Peña's run in with Alice Walker's The Color Purple during his sophomore year of college set his life on a new path. He empathized with Walker's main character, saying her plight gave him perspective on his own life.

"I thought my life was so tough and then I read that book and thought 'Oh, my God. My life is so easy.'"

Having discovering Walker's classic, De la Peña began to read more and more, a pastime he deemed essential for any accomplished writer.

"You can never be a good writer if you aren't a great reader first," he said. "That book changed my life. It was the book that made me a reader."

Matt de la Peña is the author of critically-acclaimed young adult novels: Ball Don’t Lie, Mexican WhiteBoy, We Were Here and I Will Save You; the award-winning picture book A Nation’s Hope: The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis; and a fifth YA novel, The Living released in 2013 along with his first middle grade novel, Curse of the Ancients.

For more on Matt de la Peña's work and experiences at the Conference, follow him on Twitter @MattdelaPena.
http://mattdelapena.com/

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LSU Young Adult Literature Conference & Seminar: Day 1 Re-cap

6/2/2014

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Dr. Teri Lesesne of Sam Houston State University & Author Chris Crutcher Open Day One

"I hear voices a lot. They tell me to talk about books everywhere I go."

The LSU Young Adult Literature Conference & Seminar began on Monday, June 2, 2014. Attendees were welcomed by LSU Vice Provost Gil Reeve and Conference Director Dr. Steve Bickmore.

Dr. Teri Lesesne, the whimsically pink and blue-haired "Goddess of YA Literature," delivered the opening keynote. Lesesne's address focused on the marriage of YAL and common core curriculum and the importance of building a reader's community in the classroom. She shared her own love of reading and passion for teaching others to appreciate the written word ("I hear voices a lot. They tell me to talk about books everywhere I go," she confessed.) and also offered tactics and other best practices that she has found to be successful from her own classroom experiences.

"It's impossible to establish community in the classroom without the teacher being a reader themselves," she shared. "And their students must have access to books."

Dr. Lesesne also dismissed test standards as a valid gauge on how literature affects students.

"Testing can't tell you how much that book meant to that child," she cautioned her listeners.

She also sited several studies demonstrating that students comprehended what they read better when their teachers are avid and enthusiastic readers as well and that 20 minutes of reading daily drastically improved students' reading scores.

Dr. Lesesne is past president and current executive director of the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of the NCTE (ALAN) and professor of library science at Sam Houston State University. She is the author of Making the Match: The Right Book for the Right Reader at the Right Time, 4-12, Reading Ladders: Leading Students from Where they are to Where We’d Like Them to Be, and Naked Reading: Uncovering What Tweens Need to Be Lifelong Readers that help teachers and librarians choose books for adolescents.

For more on Teri Lesesne's research and experiences at the Conference, follow her on Twitter @ProfessorNana. http://professornana.livejournal.com/
http://www.shsu.edu/lis_tsl/

"If your education doesn't make your life better, what good is it?"

True to form, celebrated author and self-proclaimed "loud mouth" Chris Crutcher did not disappoint! Delivering the second keynote of the day, Crutcher moved the crowd to tears of laughter and empathy.

As a child therapist and former teacher, Crutcher spoke about the need for honesty in writing, no matter how brutal, and shared his own experiences with a common consequence of such writing: censorship.

"One of the good things about being censored is they have to read you to censor you," he joked. "But if you're going to tell a story, tell it in its native language."

He also regaled attendees with anecdotes from his own life and shared the real people and circumstances that inspired some of his most beloved characters. A pin drop could be heard as he read an excerpt from his novel, Deadline, which like the majority of his work, deals with adolescents coping with grief and loss.

"If you want to make a life important, shorten it," he shared of the book's hero, a teen fighting Leukemia.

"You grieve until you are finished," he concluded. "And don't let anyone tell you its time to move on or hurry.

Despite his penchant for ending up on school boards' banned lists, Crutcher insists that his writings and the stories they tell are vital to youth education, and can often be life-saving.

"If your education doesn't make your life better, what good is it?" he demanded.

Crutcher is an award winning novelist of teen fiction. His novels focus on teen athletes, including his most recent
Period 8, published in 2013. Five of Crutcher’s books appeared on an American Library Association list of the 100 Best Books for Teens of the Twentieth Century (1999 to 2000). A child psychologist by trade, Crutcher writes about children in
crisis. His work gives a voice to the thousands of unheard children struggling with issues far greater than those of the characters in his books. In an age of preoccupation with decreasing the stigma of mental illness, Crutcher’s work
brings an empathetic, human aspect to a prevalent societal issue.

For more on Chris Crutcher's work and experiences at the Conference, follow him on Twitter @ChrisCrutcher.
http://www.chriscrutcher.com/

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Stay tuned for information regarding the Summit on the Research and Teaching of Young Adult Literature!

LSU Young Adult Literature Conference & Seminar: In Review

2014 Conference in Review

LSU Young Adult Literature Conference & Seminar: At the Library

Authors Crutcher, Crowe, Willis Holt and Guillory Read at East Baton Rouge Parish Library

LSU Young Adult Literature Conference & Seminar: Day 4 Re-cap

Dr. Alan Brown of Wake Forest University & Local Author Sarah Guillory Deliver Final Keynote Addresses

LSU Young Adult Literature Conference & Seminar: Day 3 Re-cap

Dr. Steven Bickmore of LSU & Author Kimberly Willis Holt Headline Day 3

LSU Young Adult Literature Conference & Seminar Welcome Reception

LSU Young Adult Literature Conference & Seminar: Day 2 Re-cap

Dr. Chris Crowe of Brigham Young University & Author Matt de la Peña Usher in Day Two

LSU Young Adult Literature Conference & Seminar: Day 1 Re-cap

Dr. Teri Lesesne of Sam Houston State University & Author Chris Crutcher Open Day One

Dr. Steve Bickmore
Creator and Curator

Co-Edited Books

Archives

Categories

Blogs to Follow

Stay tuned for information regarding the Summit on the Research and Teaching of Young Adult Literature!

LSU Young Adult Literature Conference & Seminar: In Review

2014 Conference in Review

LSU Young Adult Literature Conference & Seminar: At the Library

Authors Crutcher, Crowe, Willis Holt and Guillory Read at East Baton Rouge Parish Library

LSU Young Adult Literature Conference & Seminar: Day 4 Re-cap

Dr. Alan Brown of Wake Forest University & Local Author Sarah Guillory Deliver Final Keynote Addresses

LSU Young Adult Literature Conference & Seminar: Day 3 Re-cap

Dr. Steven Bickmore of LSU & Author Kimberly Willis Holt Headline Day 3

LSU Young Adult Literature Conference & Seminar Welcome Reception

LSU Young Adult Literature Conference & Seminar: Day 2 Re-cap

Dr. Chris Crowe of Brigham Young University & Author Matt de la Peña Usher in Day Two

LSU Young Adult Literature Conference & Seminar: Day 1 Re-cap

Dr. Teri Lesesne of Sam Houston State University & Author Chris Crutcher Open Day One

Dr. Steve Bickmore​Creator and Curator

Co-Edited Books

Archives

Categories

Blogs to Follow

Dr. Steve Bickmore
Creator and Curator