I started the day with a great meeting with Robert Jones, the Coordinator, Library Services, for Clark County School District. It was a great meeting. Really, who doesn’t want to start the day talking about books, authors, library access for kids, professional development that works, and creating a wish list of who we might like to visit Las Vegas to visit with librarians, teachers, preservice teachers, and students at CCSD and UNLV.
Okay, here are some of the names that came up on the WISH list (remember a wish list, but if anyone out there knows about any rich donors give me a call.):
Jacqueline Woodson, Gordan Korman, Matt de la Peña, Kate DiCamillo, and Sharon Draper.
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No doubt, this is a great list, but as far as I know, none of these authors are sneaking into Las Vegas soon. Nevertheless, if you fine people are sneaking into town for some fun and sun in sin city, we can help make your trip meaningful for students and the adults who work with them.
Okay, here are some of the names that came up on the WISH list (remember a wish list, but if anyone out there knows about any rich donors give me a call.):
Jacqueline Woodson, Gordan Korman, Matt de la Peña, Kate DiCamillo, and Sharon Draper.
_
No doubt, this is a great list, but as far as I know, none of these authors are sneaking into Las Vegas soon. Nevertheless, if you fine people are sneaking into town for some fun and sun in sin city, we can help make your trip meaningful for students and the adults who work with them.
The conversation drifted a bit to the remarkable nature of kids who make a difference. Ten days ago, I didn’t know the name Marley Emerson Dias. Many of you still don’t know the name, but you are starting to know about the hashtag #1000BlackGirlBooks. I want to firmly suggest that you should know Marley’s name. Names matter. They make us individuals and they force people to see us as well as the movements, the ideas, and the accomplishments that come from our efforts. In addition, we should not ignore Marley’s friends Briana and Amina. They share a blog. Marley writes about pop culture and, apparently starts cultural movements as a sideline. Briana channels science topics and writes about animals and plans to be a Veterinarian. Amina claims to be the “funky fashion” reporter for the group, but my heart soared when she stated that she already reading Octavia E. Butler’s Kindred. These are the educational stories we need in the media. Smart African-American girls who don’t need to ask permission to make an impact. Thank you.
I like to plan ahead. So, I am working on plan now to figure out how to get Marley to the Gayle A. Zeiter Young Adult and Children’s Literature Conference at UNLV in 2017 as one of the academic keynotes. Heaven knows, I let myself speak as an academic and I haven’t begun to make the impact on the reading lives of adolescents that she has made in the last few weeks. I am not the only one to blog about her impact. You can read about her here in the Choice Words Blog in a posting by Natasha Ivery and in a blog post here by an emerging author, Jodi Baker. In addition, Marley has been mentioned by Nikki Grimes, Rita Williams-Garcia, Sharon Flake, Jacqueline Woodson, and Laurie Halse Anderson. I am sure there are many authors who recognize the important contribution that Marley is making. She was on ELLEN on 2/2/2016. Thanks Marley for helping me think more proactively about #1000BlackGirlBooks in the hands of adolescent during Black History Month. You go girl! Isn't there an author out there who want to escort Marley to the UNLV Young Adult and Children's Literature Conference in June of 2017! I am taking applications.
Authors are coming to Las Vegas!
We have an upcoming event at UNLV. On March 5th we will host:
Bill Konigsberg, Tom Leveen, James Blasingame, and Denise Dávila.
Register at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/gayle-a-zeiter-center-young-adult-and-childrens-literature-seminar-registration-20707040315
We have an upcoming event at UNLV. On March 5th we will host:
Bill Konigsberg, Tom Leveen, James Blasingame, and Denise Dávila.
Register at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/gayle-a-zeiter-center-young-adult-and-childrens-literature-seminar-registration-20707040315
I have been hinting about this event for weeks. I have admired the work of Bill Konigsberg for some time. I loved Openly Straight and eagerly awaited The Porcupine of Truth. Along with many others I was thrilled that Bill recently received the Stonewall Book Award for the second book. You just have to love a guy who mixes his passion for story telling with his desire to help struggling youth. You all know these kids, kids who are unnecessarily alienated. Bill spent a good portion of 2015 touring and visiting schools as part of the Trevor Project.
I was introduced to Tom Leveen by reading his fantastic novel, Sick. I will admit it in public, I am a fan of The Walking Dead on AMC and through the graphic novel series. Nevertheless, if your only introduction to Zombie culture is through this The Walking Dead, World War Z, or Warm Bodies, you are missing one of the great contributions to the Zombie genre. Check out Leveen’s Sick. You won’t regret it and you might just find yourself chuckling a bit about the end of the world. Tom Leveen was recently a TEDX speaker at ChandlerPublicLibrary. Over the last ten years, Tom has written 7 novels with another one coming in 2017. You don’t want to miss his talk. It has plenty to offer and your students will find another author to love.
Jim Blasingame is one of the most generous people I know. He is a dedicated teacher. He was Arizona State University’s professor of the year in 2008, he has been known to recite cowboy poetry—maybe we can get him to recite at least one while he is here. He is also the author of many publications—book reviews, articles, and academic texts. What I briefly want to highlight here is Books that Don’t Bore ‘Em. Go ahead, buy a copy. It will be the perfect addition to your professional development library. Our last, but by no means the least, addition to the group is Densie Dávila. I am thrilled that Denise joined the faculty at UNLV this January. I have admired Denise’s work since our editorial team with The ALAN Review accepted her first publication. As a graduate student at the Ohio State University, Denise submitted an article to us that we readily accepted. The full text of Not So Innocent: Book Trailers as Promotional Text and Anticipatory Stories can be found here. It is not a surprise to me or to anybody that has worked with her that she is one of the rising academic stars in the field of Children’s literature. Her most recent publication was in Research in the Teaching of English and can be found here. She provides an articulate discussion on the need “to cultivate religiously pluralist thinkers” as we explore the need and uses of diverse books in the classroom. Don’t take my word for the quality of her work. You can start reading with the links that are provided and you can come hear her speak at UNLV on March 5, 2016.
If you live in or near Las Vegas, plan to join us for these wonderful keynotes speakers. In addition, we will have a few breakout sessions for librarians, teachers, and parents. As part of the day, we will also have a panel discussion with Jim, Denise, and myself about the issues, challenges, and opportunities that the We Need Diverse Campaign has brought to our attention. Clearly, those of you who don't live in Las Vegas need to plan a trip so that you are here on March 5, 2016.
If you live in or near Las Vegas, plan to join us for these wonderful keynotes speakers. In addition, we will have a few breakout sessions for librarians, teachers, and parents. As part of the day, we will also have a panel discussion with Jim, Denise, and myself about the issues, challenges, and opportunities that the We Need Diverse Campaign has brought to our attention. Clearly, those of you who don't live in Las Vegas need to plan a trip so that you are here on March 5, 2016.
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