YALSA's YA Lit Symposium Programs

Once again, I find myself in superb company as the American Library Association reveals the list of programs planned for YALSA's inaugural symposium (Nashville, November 7-9):

• Hit List or Hot List: How Teens Read Now, presented by Rosemary Chance and Teri Lesesne
• Inside the Authors’ Studios: Award Winners Right Out of the Gate, presented by Lisa Wemett and Olivia Durant
  
• Never Enough Nonfiction, presented by Pam Spencer Holley
  
• Listening to Literature, presented by Sharon Grover and Francisca Goldsmith
  
• Just Keepin’ It Real: Teens Reading Out of the Mainstream, presented by Rollie Welch
  
• Reading: It’s Not Just about Books Anymore, presented by Linda Braun
  
• Thrilling Young Adults: How to Keep the Attention of Today’s Teens, presented by Amy Alessio
  
• Quickest of YALSA’s Quick Picks, presented by Diana Tixier Herald and Diane P. Monnier
  
• Zine-a-Paloosa 2008: Teens and Zines!, presented by Julie Bartel
  
• Explaining and Exploring Fandom, Fan Life, and Participatory Culture, presented by Liz Burns
  
• Beyond the Rainbow Canon: Books for LGBT Teens, presented by Angie Miraflor and Daisy Porter
  
• Books between Cultures, presented by Mitali Perkins (me!)
  
• Connections: YA Literature and Curriculum, presented by Jane P. Fenn
  
• Teen Readers' Advisory: How Research Informs Practice, presented by Jessica E. Moyer
  

L.M. Montgomery Conference: Call For Proposals

June 30, 2007 is the deadline for proposals for the 8th international conference on L.M. Montgomery. "L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables and the Idea of Classic" is set for June 25-29, 2008 at the University of Prince Edward Island in Canada.

From the conference organizers:

Imagine Pippi Longstocking, Heidi, Nancy Drew, Tom Sawyer, Tarzan, and Harry Potter at one gathering. What is a classic and what popular books will become classics? In 2008, we invite you to consider Anne of Green Gables, Lucy Maud Montgomery, and the very idea of "classic" itself. What does the word "classic" mean to young readers today and why does this matter? You may want to consider Anne of Green Gables in relation to other phenomenally best-selling books that had or have a cross-generational appeal but did not or may not last through time; you may want to think about Anne of Green Gables readers as part of a "fandom" and how this readership compares with other fandoms. Why has Anne of Green Gables been around 100 years? Will it make it for another 100? What do classics tell us about perceptions of gender and class?

Join us in June of 2008 for an international celebration of imagination and creativity and for a critique of the meaning and power of the (popular) designation "classic."

Please send one-page abstracts (no more, please) and a short, one paragraph biographical sketch to the L.M. Montgomery Institute (address information below) either electronically or by mail.

Deadline for submissions: June 30, 2007
Contact Information:
L.M. Montgomery Institute
University of Prince Edward Island
550 University Avenue
Charlottetown, PE
C1A 4P3 CANADA
Tel: (902) 628-4346
Fax: (902) 628-4345
Email: lmminst@upei.ca

This conference is part of a larger year long celebration. The year 2008 marks the 100 years since Anne of Green Gables was first published in 1908. Imagine celebrating 100 years of Montgomery's "Anne" with us on Prince Edward Island. L.M. Montgomery is a trademark of the Heirs of the L.M. Montgomery Inc. used under license by the L.M. Montgomery Institute.