IRSCL NEWSLETTER

No. 50 Autumn 2005

Letter from the PresidentAugust 2005 was a particularly busy month for me in a particularly busy year. There seem to be more children’s literature conferences and events than any of us can manage to attend, and many new faces from a variety of academic disciplines participating in them. This dynamism was very evident in the build-up to the 2005 congress in Dublin, with record numbers of new members from a number of different countries, and equally impressive numbers of delegates and participants from backgrounds other than children’s literature. I am pleased to say that all of those for whom Dublin was their first IRSCL congress had an excellent introduction into the field of children’s literature research.

The congress, organised by Valerie Coghlan supported by a local committee, was immaculately organised from beginning to end. The social and domestic arrangements were excellent, the setting stunning, and most important of all, the variety and quality of the papers was very pleasing. The panels worked particularly well and point to the rewards for those who are prepared to do the extra work involved in co-ordinating these sessions. Feedback on the conference is contained in this newsletter as well as on the web site (www.irscl.ac.uk), where it will be extended by photographs, so I will say no more here about the programme other than thank you and congratulations! to Valerie and her team.

I do, however, want to remind members that it is at the annual congresses that much of the important business of the IRSCL takes place. The web site contains minutes from the General Members Meeting, where you can read about the decisions and discussions which were made in Dublin. One of the most important pieces of business is the election of the new board. The results of that election are:President: Kimberley Reynolds (UK)Vice-president: Clare Bradford (Australia)Treasurer and Membership Secretary: Dan Hade (USA)Secretary: Morag Styles (UK)Board membersAriko Kawabata (Japan - responsible for 2007 congress)Mavis Reimer (Canada – responsible for archives)Contact details for the board appear on the last page of the newsletter and the web site. All those standing for the board posted brief personal statements on the web site where you can read about their backgrounds and ambitions for the IRSCL.

While this is a very experienced and capable board, questions were asked about the fact that so few members were standing for election. It is vital that members be prepared to do the work the Society needs if it is to thrive, so please look again at the information about the board on the web site and in previous newsletters and start thinking now about what you want the next board to look like and who might be approached to stand for election.

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Another important part of the congress is the announcement of the IRSCL Award, Research Grant and Fellow. Details of all of these are found later in the newsletter and on the web site.

The next IRSCL congress will be in Kyoto in 2007. Two members of the local organising committee, Ariko Kawabata and Tomoko Masaki, invited members to Kyoto through a highly amusing and well-observed sketch based on a traditional Japanese form of humour. As well as entertaining those of us who had the chance to listen to them, they talked about some of the arrangements for the congress and the attractions of the Kyoto region. I’m pleased to be able to say that the conference theme has already been agreed and the call for papers is in preparation, so we all have plenty of time to prepare ourselves for what will be a fascinating and supremely well-planned congress.

Finally, in Dublin we said farewell to several very hard-working board members who have served the IRSCL extremely well over many years. I would like to end by once again offering my personal thanks, and those of members to:Sandra Beckett (Past President)Valerie Coghlan (2005 congress)Emer O’Sullivan (Vice President)Anne deVries (Treasurer and Membership Secretary)Junko Yoshida (2007 congress)Kimberley Reynolds

ContributionsIf you have ideas for the newsletter or web site or would like to offer your services in developing either or both, please don’t hesitate to contact Kim Reynolds. All information for the next newsletter and website should be sent to Kim Reynolds, School of English Literature, Language and Linguistics, University of Newcastle, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE1 7RU UKEmail: Kim.Reynolds@ncl.ac.uk

IRSCL Congress 2007The 18th Biennial Congress of the IRSCL will be held between 25 to 29 August, at the Kyoto International Conference Hall in Kyoto, Japan.  The Congress theme is "Children's Literature and Power".  As this is the first congress ever held in Asia, the local committee looks forward to welcoming members and to engaging in many lively discussions. Watch the web site for more information and the Call for papers.

IRSCL BUSINESSBusiness conducted at the General Members Meeting is summarised in the minutes, which can be read on the web site under the heading ‘Dublin Congress’.

Special offers to IRSCL membersThe board is seeking ways to enhance what membership in the IRSCL offers. We are pleased to announce that in addition to the newsletter, website, directory, discussion list, archives, congress and other benefits of IRSCL membership, members may now subscribe to two major journals at a special rate.Those who would like to subscribe to Canadian Children’s Literature (edited by Perry Nodelman) at the IRSCL rate can do so by going to http://ccl.uwinnipeg.ca/irscl.shtmlThose who want to receive the Australian journal Papers (edited by Clare Bradford) at the discounted rate should contact Clare Bradford at clarex@deakin.edu.au

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IRSCL 17th Biennial Congress: EXPECTATIONSAND

EXPERIENCES: CHILDREN, CHILDHOOD AND CHILDREN’S

LITERATURETrinity College, Dublin, Ireland

13 – 17 August, 2005

Some of those who participated in the Dublin congress have offered responses to it which give a flavour of what attending an IRSCL congress is like. More accounts and photographs are available on the website.

Author Siøbhan Parkinson was on the local committee and has kindly provided an overview of the congress.The 17th biennial congress of IRSCL, ‘Expectations and Experiences: Children, Childhood and Children’s Literature’, was held in the venerable Trinity College Dublin in August 2005. Delegates from thirty countries attended, and there was a good local contingent also, in the form of Irish academics, writers, illustrators, librarians, teachers and people personally or professionally involved with children’s books as well as in the formal study of children’s literature. The conference ran for four full (to bursting) days, each starting with a keynote plenary. The keynote speakers were the well-known Irish literary scholar and champion of children’s literature as an academic discipline, Declan Kiberd of University College Dublin; the acclaimed and beloved British children’s poet, broadcaster and performer, Michael Rosen; the well-known American art historian and critic Anne Higonnet; and one of Ireland’s very finest poets, currently based at Princeton, Paul Muldoon. Running alongside the concurrent presentations of papers on the conference’s four strands (childhood and families, childhood and morality, childhood on display and childhood and theory) were three symposia of special local interest: one on childhood and families in fiction with the children’s writers Siobhán Parkinson (Ireland) and Gillian Cross (Britain); one on Irish picturebooks with Ireland’s three leading

illustrators, Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick, PJ Lynch and Niamh Sharkey; one on poetry, with the Irish poets Áine Ní Ghlin and Rita Anne Higgins; and in addition two symposia presented by the NorChiLit group on Hans Christian Andersen to celebrate the HCA bicentenary. There are people who say that taking a bus in Dublin is a literary experience in itself. (Yeah, say the locals, what literary experience would that be? Oh, right, Waiting for Godot.) Certainly it is a lively city, with more pub life than you could shake a PowerPoint presentation at, as no doubt some of our more adventurous delegates discovered for themselves. These same adventurers were in good voice, in any case, at the final céilí of the conference. On the programme, this was billed coyly as ‘conference dinner’. Hah! Fooledya! Though there was indeed dinner and plenty of it, and more delicious than is usual at such events. Foreign delegates, please note: ‘Molly Malone’ is not considered comme il faut in the better circles of Dublin life. You’ll know better next time. Modify your expectations, people, and improve your experiences – or words to that effect. Seriously minded delegates took their dose of Dublin more sedately, preferring to tag along on one of the pub crawls, I mean, walking tours of the city, led by O’Brien Press authors. (O’Brien Press is Ireland’s leading publishing house for children’s and young adult books. This is a shameless plug, but they deserve it, and so do you.) Other entertainments included

a reception offered at the Mansion House by the Lord Mayor (who is a lady, not a lord, but this is Ireland, anything can be an isomorph – my favourite word of the conference – of anything); I attended this and there was Far Too Much Wine

a reception hosted by Dublin City Public Libraries at their splendid new premises in an old building (See what I mean about isomorphs? Think ‘morph’ and you get it.)

a visit to the studio of the Irish writer-illustrator Marie-Louise

Fitzpatrick, where they could see for themselves evidence of the processes Marie-Louise so spectacularly presented at the symposium on Irish picturebooks

the most unusual privilege of a private viewing of Irish prints and drawings at the National Library of Ireland

viewing Ireland’s most precious ancient treasure, the illuminated gospel known as the Book of Kells, housed on campus in Trinity College

a ‘hooley’ at the Old Jameson Distillery –‘hooley’ is a word in no particular language but general use, meaning a party with drink, though it is not possible to imagine one without drink, at least not at the Old Jameson Distillery

IRSCL and the local organizer cum steam engine, Valerie Coghlan, most sincerely thank those organisations who supported the conference; their assistance was especially valuable and necessary in the absence of government support of any description. Thanks are also due to Conference Partners, who do exactly what it says on the tin: they partner conference organisers, and they do so splendidly.

Dublin is an expensive city as well as a fun one, and delegates’ willingness to dig deep and pay up cheerfully is also gratefully acknowledged. We hope it was worth it. We think it probably was.

Laura Atkins is a PhD student based in the UK and attending her first IRSCL congress.The IRSCL conference in Dublin was a wonderful combination of challenging and provocative lectures and papers, along with a fun social atmosphere where children's literature scholars from all over the world intermingled. I enjoyed moving from a presentation on how children perceive the constructions of childhoodin one session, to talking with a lecturer from Egypt about children's literature in her country while sipping wine at a library reception where we were shown a first

edition of Gulliver's Travels. Trinity College made for a stunning and historical central location, and the overall organization was excellent. It felt well worth the travel and expense to get such an overview of scholarly approaches from many countries and individuals, and to build friendships that I'm sure will last for years to come.

‘Poetry Ireland’ covered the poetry strand of the conference for its members. The following is reproduced with their kind permission.Serious Fun: a report from the IRSCL Congress by Poetry Ireland intern, Colleen Bazdarich

Scholars of children's literature from around the world gathered at Trinity College in Dublin this August for the International Research Society for Children's Literature's 17th Biennial Congress. The Congress, themed Expectations and Experiences: Children, Childhood and Children's Literature, featured keynote speeches from Irish critic Declan Kiberd, children's novelist and poet Michael Rosen, art historian Anne Higgonet and poet Paul Muldoon, whose keynote on the last morning of the Congress brilliantly complemented the Poetry Ireland symposium that followed it, Poetry, Children and Childhood/s. The symposium was led by Morag Styles of the IRSCL and Poetry Ireland's Jane O'Hanlon, and included poet, publisher and anthologist Seamus Cashman, poets Rita Ann Higgins and Áine Ní Ghlinn, and scholar Mary Shine Thompson.

Paul Muldoon's keynote speech, Hanging out with Narcissus Batt: a reading of poems for children, was what one would expect from the witty, sometimes irreverent poet: a light-hearted and informal mix of humour and gravity that at one moment recounted anecdotes about Muldoon's own experience with his children, and the next discussed Keats' idea of negative capability. Muldoon stressed the importance of ‘serious fun’ in children's literature – a kind of playfulness free of condescension, the kind ‘that our friend Joyce was interested in’ – which is

embodied in his own poem ‘The Noctuary of Narcissus Batt.’ Congress-goers were treated to a reading of this poem, an abecedary of animals which rhapsodises on such varied topics as art, criticism, Andrew Marvell and dope dealers.

Muldoon then changed gears from poetry written for children to the importance of poetry written by children. Adult poets have a lot to learn from children, he argued, as they naturally embrace the mystery of words, while maturity brings consciousness and over-concern for the reader. ‘The six- or eight-year-old has the distinct advantage of not knowing what he or she is doing,’ he told the audience. The ‘knowing’ that comes from traditional schooling, especially the study of poetry in the classroom, was a subject of debate not only for Muldoon but for the panel members of the symposium that followed. ‘One of the terrible things that happens in school,’ Muldoon quipped, ‘is that one is taught.’ The teaching of poetry is especially dismal, he concluded, because most teachers consider verse ‘too difficult’ – a ‘fact’ they learned as children at school – and pass on that sense of poetry's impossible esotericism to their students.

Poet Áine Ní Ghlinn shared similar experiences with the school system in her symposium talk, in which she read from test questions posed on the Leaving Certificate about some of her poetry, questions in which the students were made to pick from short one-line descriptions of ‘what the poem is about.’ The pressure of exams to produce a ‘correct’ answer robs the work of its mystery, she argued, and drains the act of reading poetry of all its pleasure. From her experience in the schools, students engage in poetry only to the degree they can extract basic information; Ní Ghlinn recounted one school visit where a student asked her to ‘retell your poem in your own words.’ As the anecdote drew exasperated laughs and sighs from the audience, Ní Ghlinn ended her talk by wondering how we as writers and scholars can keep children excited – and not just anxious – about poetry.

One possible answer came from moderator Morag Styles, who pointed out that while reports may seem grim, second-level students today show more enthusiasm for verse than their predecessors. Anthologies of children's literature are being released by the dozens, and sales are high; the problem, she posited, is quality. The ‘serious fun’ Muldoon lauded has been replaced by thrown-together books that do little to challenge young minds. Public initiatives like Poetry Ireland's Writers in Schools scheme may be the solution to the dilemma, she concluded, as the programmes not only engage the students in poetry on a more intimate level, but are just as educational for the adult poets who, through their first-hand experience with the students, come to better understand their audience and pursue more challenging subject matter, honing the ‘ironic, multi-layered and multi-textual’ quality of the best of children's poetry.

Seamus Cashman, editor of Something Beginning with P, also expressed a distaste for the majority of publications in children's literature today, but described such output as a necessary evil, work that sells well and keeps the market open for the rare brilliant work to come out. Cashman made an impassioned argument for the delicate and important work of compiling children's poetry, pointing out how much influence a popular anthology can have on ‘the face of civilisation.’ While the key to compiling a book for children is providing fun, Cashman concluded, he is also not afraid to present his young readers with a bit of a challenge. Working by his motto ‘power comes with slow time,’ Cashman includes a few poems in all his anthologies that no child could easily comprehend on first reading.

Poet Rita Ann Higgins, along with Mary Shine Thompson of DCU, talked about poetry as a way of empowering young people, a force for change. While Thompson admitted that poetry won't solve political problems – citing Auden’s ‘poetry makes nothing happen’ – she did acknowledge the role poetry has played in revolutions throughout the ages, especially that of Ireland in the 20th century. ‘What

role can poetry play in putting the world into children's hands?’ Thompson asked her audience. Though finding a definitive answer is elusive, Thompson hinted that great poetry can reflect our lives and our children's lives back to us, allowing us to see more clearly the political and social arrangements of our world in a way that can be both inspiring and healing. Rita Ann Higgins spoke of her work in a similar vein. Name-checking Blake’s Songs of Experience, she writes mainly for working-class children on the verge of adulthood – often an adulthood that has arrived prematurely – and uses verse as a way to ‘give children a sense of control over a world that seems unknowable.’ Higgins spoke passionately of poetry as ‘power,’ a means for discovering the source of inequality in the world as well as enacting change.

Following the talks by panellists, Jane O’ Hanlon opened the floor of the Poetry, Children and Childhood/s symposium to questions, which led to a vibrant and colourful conversation that ranged from the role of parents in poetic education to the BBC's efforts to standardise – and from the opinion of many in the audience, dilute – the English language. Questions were followed by excellent readings by Rita Ann Higgins and Áine Ní Ghlinn. Higgins read ‘His i's Were Empty’ and ‘Anto's Inferno’; Ní Ghlinn read in Irish and then English ‘Bunoscionn’ and ‘Tostanna,’ among others.

New MembersWe are pleased to welcome 24 new members. Do please remember to mention the Society to colleagues whose research interests reflect those of the society and who could benefit and contribute to the work of the IRSCL. Information about the Society and application forms can be found on the website: www.irscl.ac.uk.Dr. Anna Therese Cosslett, Reader in

Victorian Studies and Women’s Writing, Department of English and Creative Writing, Lancaster University, Lancaster, England (UK)

Dr. Patricia Dean, Assistant Professor, Salisbury University, Salisbury, Maryland (USA)

Dr. Coralline Dupuy, Teaching assistant & Seminar leader, National University of Ireland, Galway (Ireland)

Piet Grobler, MA, Freelance illustrator and writer of picture books, Stellenbosch (South Africa)

Naomi Hamer, PhD student, School of Culture, Language and Communication, Institute of Education, University of London (UK)

Hiroko Homma, PhD student, Kantogakuin University, Yokohama City (Japan)

Dr. Angela Hubler, Associate Professor of Women’s Studies, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas (USA)

Milla Elina Huovinen, PhD student, Åbo Akademi University, Åbo (Finland)

Dr. Anna Jackson, Lecturer, Victoria University of Wellington (New Zealand)

Dr. Najla Jarkas, Assistant Professor, University of Sharjah (Sharjah, United Arab Emirates)

Kristján Jóhann Jónsson, MA & MPaed, Associate Professor in Icelandic, Iceland University of Education, Reykjavík (Iceland)

Dr. Helen Kilpatrick, Lecturer, University of Wollongong // Honorary Associate, Macquary University, Sydney (Australia)

Dr. Dagný Kristjánsdóttir, Professor, Icelandic Department, University of Iceland, Reykjavík (Iceland)

Cathlena Martin, MA, PhD student / Teaching Assistant, University of Florida (USA)

Dr. Piet Mooren, Lecturer, Tilburg University. Tilburg (The Netherlands)

Marilyn Anne Pemberton, MA, PhD student, Warwick University, Warwick (United Kingdom)

Dr. Jacqueline Reid-Walsh, Lecturer, Bishop’s University, Lennoxville, Quebec (Canada)

Dr. Rachel G. Salas, Assistant Professor, School of Education, University of North Carolina Greensboro (USA)

Dr. Teresa Strong-Wilson, Assistant Professor Early Childhood Education, McGill University, Montreal (Canada)

Kim Szymanski, Senior Lecturer, University of Sunderland (United Kingdom)

Mihoko Tanaka, MA, Lecturer, Tokyo Woman’s Christian University, Tokyo (Japan)

Dr. Midori Todayama, Associate Professor, Hachinohe National College of Technology, Hachinohe (Japan)

Dr. Alicja Ungeheuer-Gołąb, Lecturer, University of Rzeszów, Faculty of Education, Rzeszów (Poland)

Dr. Kathryn Margaret Walls, Reader, School of English, Film and Theatre, Victoria University of Wellington (New Zealand)

Members’ news and announcementsPlease send all items for this section to Kim.Reynolds@ncl.ac.uk.Betinna Kümmerling-Meibauer, in cooperation with students from the University of Mainz, has organized an exhibition on international Jewish children's literature which will be shown at the municipal library in Mainz (September 16, 2005 - November, 26, 2005) and at the International Youth Library in Munich (December 5, 2005 - February 26, 2006). The accompanying illustrated catalogue Jüdische Kinderliteratur. Geschchte, Traditionen, Perspektiven (Jewish Children's Literature. History, Traditions, Perspectives) with biographical information about 65 international Jewish authors/illustrators and their works, consists of 160 pages and can be ordered from: Aktives Museum Spiegelgasse für Deutsch-Jüdische Geschichte, Spiegelgasse 7, 65183 Wiesbaden, Germany. fax: + 611/30 56 50, e-mai: spiegelgasse@web.de Price 5 Euro (plus shipping costs).

Affiliated societies and organisationsWe are happy to welcome appropriate societies who would like to become affiliated with the IRSCL. An application and description of eligibility can be

found on the web site under the heading ‘Join the IRSCL’.

The Australasian Children's Literature Association for Research (known asACLAR) See CALLS FOR PAPERS (below)

The Irish Society for the Study of Children’s Literature (ISSCL) See CALLS FOR PAPERS (below)Selected papers from the ISSCL 2004 Conference will be published in October as 'Treasure Islands: Studies in Children's Literature', ed Mary Shine Thompson and Celia Keenan.

Institutional membersInstitutional membership is an effective way to support the work of the IRSCL, to disseminate information about the Society’s activities and those of its members, and to alert members to relevant activities and resources at each others’ institutions. If your university/institution/region has a research centre, library collection or other organisation that reflects the work of the IRSCL, it would be helpful if you would introduce the idea of institutional membership. The annual fee for institutions is just $60 (US).

News from Institutional members

National Center for the Study of Children’s Literature, San Diego State University:While websites always seem to be “under construction,” interested members may wish to visit our newly revamped site for more information about the National Center for the Study of Children’s Literature at San Diego State University: www-rohan.sdsu.edu/~childlit/  There you will find information on our M.A. Specialization in Children’s Literature as well as news about: visiting international scholars in residence, the award made by the Children’s Literature Association to emeritus Professor Peter Neumeyer for his lifetime contribution to the field, the generous donation for an endowed professorship in Children’s Literature (to begin in nine year’s time), and our new

assistant professor. At the site, you will also find information about faculty endeavors in this research group, including audio links to radio programs on children’s theater, Hans Christian Andersen’s bicentennary, the newest Harry Potter book, and the new film “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”Jerry Griswold, Director

Children’s Literature Unit, School of English Literature, Language and Linguistics, University of Newcastle, UK.The first Fickling lecture was given by Philip Pullman to a full house on 27 September. New Masters modules are now available (see the School of English site at www.ncl.ac.uk under the heading ‘Children’s Literature’).

Seven Stories, The Centre for Children’s Books opened on 19 August and the first collaborative doctoral student, jointly supervised by the CLU and Seven Stories and funded by the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council, has begun creating research pathways for future scholars.

The 2006 IRSCL board meeting will be held in Newcastle in conjunction with the PhD forum, The Child and the Book (April 7 – 10). Specialist research training in conjunction with the archivists in Seven Stories will form part of the programme. Details will appear on the IRSCL website.

In November the newly appointed advisory board, which is helping to shape the relationship between Newcastle’s Children’s Literature Unit and Seven Stories to the benefit of researchers, will hold its first annual meeting and participate in a public lecture and debate at Seven Stories as part of the celebrations in honour of Hans Christian Andersen 2005. Several IRSCL members serve on the advisory board. Members’ publicationsAesthetic Approaches to Children’s Literature: An Introduction by Maria Nikolajeva published by Scarecrow Press ISBN: 0-8108-5426-0, price $45 (pbk).

Greats of Children's Literature Theory and Criticism, Edited by Morteza Khosronejad, with an introduction by Peter Hunt (both in English and Persian)Publisher: Nashr-e Markaz, Tehran, IranContributors: Aidan Chambers, Peter Hunt, Karin Lesnik-Oberstein, Gareth B. Matthews, Roderick McGillis, Maria Nikolajeve, Perry Nodelman, Jaqueline Rose, John Srephens, Jack Zipes.The book consists of essays selected by the contributors and is an entirely new venture in Iran. Forthcoming 2005.

Members’ teaching and supervisory expertiseTwo directories containing information about the courses members offer and their examination expertise are being developed on the website. The idea is for these to provide a useful resource for members seeking appropriate examiners for theses and courses to recommend to students. Its value depends on the information provided by members, so please contact Kim Reynolds with your details if you would like them added to the directories.

IRSCL AwardThe 2005 Award was presented to Roni Natov for The Poetics of Children’s Literature (extensive reviews can be read on the web site). Roni has provided a brief reaction to attending the congress and receiving the Award. The Poetcis of Childhood is almost out of print and so the IRSCL board has approached the publishers to encourage them to produce a paperback edition of the book. Remember that the 2001 Award book by Emer O’Sullivan is now available in English as Comparative Children’s Literature (Routledge 2005). Please try to order both books – and other books by members – for your institutional libraries.

The 17th IRSCL Congress was my first and I loved it. It was exquisitely organized, more so than any conference I’ve ever attended, so that I could go to the first half hour of one of the four concurrent sessions and the second half hour of another–and so forth. The sessions were informative and thoughtful. Some events–my favourite

was the actors’ pub tour–provided some entry into Dublin. What a lovely city! And at such a far-reaching conference, it was wonderful to have the time and space for socializing with people from around the world, most of whom I had never met before. I came away turned on to some new interests/perspectives–Japanese anime, new graphic novels, much dark and compelling adolescent literature. Of course, the highlight for me was winning the IRSCL Award for outstanding research for my book, The Poetics of Childhood.  It meant so much to me for my book to be recognized by international scholars. And with the award, I was presented with a most beautiful painting by South African illustrator, Piet Grobler. I am deeply honoured and look forward to the 18th

IRSCL Congress in Kyoto in 2007.Roni Natov

IRSCL Research GrantThe Research Grant of US $ 1,000 was set up in 1992 to encourage research by young (postgraduate) scholars of children’s literature involved in literary, historical, cultural, sociological, empirical or pedagogical research. Previous recipients were Faye Davies (1993), Larissa Klein Tumanov (1995), Karen Sands (1997), Maria Österlund, Beverly Pennell and Sylvia Warnecke (1999), Michelle A. May (2001) and Martina Seifert (2003)

Clare Bradford presented the 2005 Research Grant at the Dublin congress with the following announcement:It is a great pleasure to announce the winner of the 2005 IRSCL Research Award. The Board received ten applications, all of a high standard and indicative of the range of scholarship carried out by IRSCL members. The Board congratulates all those who applied for the Research Grant and wishes them well with their projects. In particular, we want to acknowledge the applications of Gaby Thomson-Wolgemuth, and of Kate McInally. The winner of the Research Award is Li Li, and the title of her project is ‘Translating Foreign Children’s Works in China (11898-1949): Influences and Reception’. Li Li comes from the Republic

of China and won a scholarship to the University of Hong Kong, where she is now completing her PhD. The Board congratulates her on her excellent project, which deals with a new and important area of research on the influence of foreign texts on Chinese children’s literature.

IRSCL FellowSandra Beckett introduced the third IRSCL Fellow, Jean Perrot. Some of the qualities that identify Jean as an appropriate recipient are summarised by Sandra below. The IRSCL Fellow was established in 2001 to honour someone who has made a significant contribution to the field of children’s literature research and to the IRSCL. The first recipient of the award in 2001 was Klaus Doderer, the first president of the IRSCL and the second recipient in 2003 was Göte Klingberg, the second president of the IRSCL. At the Congress in Dublin, it gave us great pleasure to announce the third recipient of the award, Jean Perrot.

Jean Perrot needs little introduction to most members of the IRSCL. I’m sure that many of you have attended one of the numerous conferences that he has organized at the Institut International Charles Perrault, a center for research in children’s literature which he founded in Eaubonne in 1994 and directed for many years.

Jean received a Doctorate from the Department of Comparative Literature at the Sorbonne with a dissertation on Henry James. He is an Emeritus Professor of Comparative Literature at the Université Paris-XIII, but he resembles no retired professor I know. He seems to be as busy as ever promoting children’s literature around the globe. His numerous publications include Art baroque, art d’enfance (Baroque art, children’s art, 1991), Carnets d’illustrateurs (Illustrators’ notebooks, 2000), and Jeux et enjeux du livre d’enfance et de jeunesse (Play and games: books at stake for children and young adults, 1999), a 2001 IRSCL Honour Book.

He has organized a host of

international conferences and edited many important collections of essays. In 1991, he hosted the highly successful 10th Biennial IRSCL Congress in Paris, and then edited the proceedings of the congress, Culture, texte et jeune lecteur, which were published with the Presses Universitaires de Nancy in 1993. He has also served on the board of the IRSCL.

Jean’s indefatigable promotion of international exchange and collaboration in the study of children’s literature has had a major impact on the field. In 2001 he was awarded the International Brothers Grimm Award.

Travel GrantSince the Congress in South Africa (2001), the IRSCL has awarded a number of travel grants of not more than US $1,000 each to members in need of financial assistance to attend the biennial IRSCL congress. It has not yet been decided if this tradition will be continued for the 18th Biennial Congress in Kyoto, in 2007. If it is the case, an announcement will be made in 2006. The announcement will include1) the number of travel grants2) the criteria for awarding the grants3) the precise requirements for applicationsNotifications about applications will be made by 1 May 2007.

Grants and awards receivedThis section is designed to share news and good practice relating to research projects and awards. Please contact Kim Reynolds or Clare Bradford if you have information for this section.

Forthcoming Conferences and Events including calls for papers(Please send details of any events you are organising to Kim Reynolds and remember to provide new copy for conference announcements after a call for papers has expired. Full details of events are provided on the website.)

Call for Papers: "Comics and Childhood"Fourth Annual University of Florida

Comics Conference, Gainesville, FloridaFebruary 24-25, 2006.

Deadline for Abstracts: October 7, 2005.

The University of Florida's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is pleased to announce the 2006 UF Conference on Comics: "Comics and Childhood". This fourth annual conference on comics will focus on the theme of comics and childhood, particularly the use of image and text in the hybrid forms of comics and children's literature. This conference will examine image and sequence and their relationship to comics and children's literature as oriented around several key themes:

    * How does the serial nature of comics and children's literature      influence and impact individual works and the fields themselves?    * What is the significance of sequence? How does sequence impact the      illustrative style?    * What constitutes illustration? How are illustration norms and      techniques established in each form and to what extent?    * What techniques cross over from comics into children's literature      or vice versa? What techniques do not cross over and why?    * What techniques carry over from animation into children's      animation and children's programming in general (including      television shows that include both live action and animation) or      vice versa? What techniques do not carry over and why? How do      these animation techniques impact printed works?    * To what extent are genre restrictions in children's literature and      comics limiting, and to what extent are they liberating or      generative?    * How does audience impact comics and children's literature in      general? in terms of illustrative style and content? in terms of      critical reception and archivization?

In addition, the conference seeks to examine how comics and children's literature have been treated and constructed given their hybrid representations and, in turn, how these have allowed for subversive possibilities in both children's literature and comics. Papers may feature an argument about particular works within these forms and/or address critical approaches to the forms themselves.

Abstract submissions should be approximately 250-500 words in length. Presentations will be 15 minutes with 5 minutes of question and answer. The deadline for abstract submissions is Friday, October 7, 2005. We accept abstracts in print form or in e-mail attachments. Email is preferred.

Send email submissions to Cathlena Martin or Laurie N. Taylor: Cmartin@english.ufl.edu or Ltaylor@english.ufl.edu

Or, send hard copies to:Donald Ault, Department of English, Univ. of Florida, 4008 Turlington Hall, P.O. Box 117310, Gainesville, FL 32611-7310

Please visit the conference website for more information: http://www.english.ufl.edu/comics/2006/

The 12th Annual NCRCL/British IBBY Children’s  Literature ConferenceNO CHILD IS AN ISLAND:THE CASE FOR CHILDREN’S LITERATURE IN TRANSLATION

Saturday November 12th 2005, Froebel College, Roehampton University, London, England

The 12th annual NCRCL/British IBBY conference will look at how children’s books from one language or culture are presented to a young audience from a different background, and how such books may help meet the urgent need to bridge the language and cultural gaps between

different groups of people. Speakers include academic Emer O'Sullivan; translators Sarah Adams (winner of the Marsh Award), Anthea Bell, and Patricia Crampton; and authors Isobelle Carmody and Isabel Hoving. There will also be parallel workshops on the theme. For more information visit the website, www.ncrcl.ac.uk, or email Laura Atkins atL.Atkins@Roehampton.ac.uk.

The 27th International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts, at theWyndham Fort Lauderdale Airport Hotel on March 15-19, will focus onthe fantastic in media other than the written word or film, includingcomics and graphic novels, web design and photo manipulation, coverart and illustration, picture books and pulps, film posters and CDcovers, trading cards and tarot cards, cityscapes and landscapes, mapsand tattoos and costuming, not to mention the stuff you hang on walls.Examine the role of art and artists as subjects of the fantastic, orthe influence of the fantastic, written or filmed, on the world ofart.  In addition, we look forward to papers on the work of Guest ofHonor Charles Vess, Guest Scholar M. Thomas Inge, and Special GuestWriter Kathleen Ann Goonan. As always, we also welcome proposals forindividual papers and for academic sessions and panels on any aspectof the fantastic in any media.

The deadline for submission of individual proposals is 30 November 2005.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINESIn order to be considered for the 2006 program, your proposal to (1)read a paper, (2) recruit and chair a paper session, or (3) organizeand chair a panel discussion must be date-stamped no later thanNovember 30, 2005; electronic correspondence is welcome. Proposalsmust be sent to the appropriate Division Head (addresses below).Advise the Division Head if you would like to volunteer to chair a

paper session. Proposals must include a 500-word abstract andappropriate bibliography indicating the project's scholarly ortheoretical context. Presenters must be members of IAFA at the time ofthe conference.  Be sure to indicate all audio-visual equipment needsin this initial proposal; later A/V requests cannot be guaranteed,especially given this year's theme.

THE FANTASTIC IN CHILDREN'S & YOUNG-ADULT'S LITERATURE & ILLUSTRATION[All aspects of the fantastic in work aimed at children and youngadults]. Division Head: Joe Sutliff Sanders, Dept. of English,Illinois Wesleyan University, Bloomington, IL 61702-2900(DR.JOESS@GMAIL.COM). Organization web site:http://www.iafa.org

IRISH SOCIETY FOR THE STUDY OF CHILDREN’S LITERATUREAnnual Conference 17 and18 FEBRUARY 2006

Irish Children’s Literature: National and International Contexts

Venue: Church of Ireland College of Education, Rathmines, Dublin6

Call for PapersProposals are welcome relating to the above and associated topics: Irish Children’s literature, its history, the children’s literature of the Irish diaspora, the function and reception of Irish children’s texts abroad, globalisation and Irish children’s literature, the translation of Irish children’s literature, the translation into Irish of literature from other countries. Proposals relating to poetry will be particularly welcome.Keynote speaker of the conference is Emer O’Sullivan, Professor of English Literature at the University of Lüneburg, Germany and author of the award-winning Kinderlitarische Komparatistik (2000) and Comparative Children’s Literature (2005)

Proposals of 250 words should be sent to:

Secretary Pádraic Whyte, Children’s Research Centre, Trinity College, Dublin 2. Email : whyteps@tcd.ie(Subject line should clearly indicate ‘ISSCL Proposal’)to arrive no later than 3 December 2005

Anne with an “E”: The Centennial Study of Anne of Green Gables

Proposals are being solicited for the centennial studies volume of Anne of Green Gables. Topics might include, but are by no means limited to:

the historic importance of Anne of Green Gables in relation to children’s and adolescent literature, women’s literature, Canadian literature, regional traditions, coming-of-age, feminism, orphan literature, or the novel of education;

the character of Anne and her relationships, particularly in regards to the changing nature of childrearing, parenting, and the family; the role of the imagination and child speech; the importance of friendship and children’s culture; and changing cultural visions of child/teen development;

adaptations of Anne in popular culture, including tourism, film, television, dolls, etc.;

histories and/or critical evaluation of the novel’s reception.

Send proposals of 1-2 pages by February 1, 2006, via Word Attachment to Holly Blackford, blackfor@camden.rutgers.edu, or snail mail, English Dept; Armitage Hall; 311 North Fifth St.; Rutgers University, Camden; Camden, NJ 08102. Completed essays will be due October 1, 2006, with the goal of spring 2008 publication with Scarecrow Press’s Centennial Studies Series.

Your world, my world: exploring global issues through children's literatureFriday 3 February 2006This conference looks at the ways children’s literature can embrace global issues. Workshops will provide guidance on book selection as well as providing practical support for placing children’s literature at the heart of the curriculum for addressing these issues.9.15 Registration and Coffee10.00 Keynote Lecture 1: Windows on the World: investigating the issues, with literatureacross the curriculumNikki Gamble, consultant and freelance children’s literature specialist10.45 Coffee, Bookshop and Publishers’ Exhibition11.30 Workshops:Engaging Words, Engaging Minds: an exploration of literature to challengestereotypical thinkingPaul Gardner, Senior Lecturer in Primary English, De Montfort UniversityThe Representation of Arabs in Children's LiteratureAnn Lazim, Librarian at the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education, LondonGlobal Environmental Issues - WaterJohn Cook, Lecturer in Education, ECPEThe Mirror and the Window: thinking about culture and ethnicity in children'sbooksPrue Goodwin, Lecturer in Literacy, University of ReadingMarilyn Brocklehurst, Norfolk Children’s Book Centre.War and Peas in the 21st Century: young children responding critically to

picture story textsJanet Evans, Senior Lecturer in Education, Liverpool Hope UniversityThe Journey of a Book Cally Poplak & Alison Kennedy, Egmont Publishers12.30 Lunch at Royal National Hotel and Exhibition Puffin Books,Louisa Young1.30 Workshops (see above)2.30 Tea and Bookshops3.00 Keynote Lecture 2: Journeys Across the Borders of the MindBeverley Naidoo, Children’s author4. 00 Close of conference with glass of wine and book signingLocation: Jeffrey Hall, Institute of Education University of London, 20 Bedford Way, London WC1H 0ALTo apply contact: cpd.inset@ioe.ac.uk or call (020) 7612 6600Fee: £120

Children's Literature at the Edge: New texts, new technologies, new readings, new readers: Call for Papers7th International Conference of the Australasian Children’s Literature Association for Research (ACLAR) Melbourne, Australia 13-14 July 2006.

We welcome abstracts which address the theme. Papers can address, but are not limited to, the following:

Emerging genres of children’s literature

Changing styles of narrative New technologies and their effects

on texts Traditional forms with a new twist New scholarly directions Cultural shifts and children’s texts New versions of older texts Marketing newness

Abstracts (of no more than 250 words) are due by: 31 March 2006.

Please email or post abstracts to: Prof Clare Bradford (email clarex@deakin.edu.au)Arts Faculty, Deakin University221 Burwood HighwayBurwood 3125AustraliaPhone: (03) 9244 6487

Notification of the acceptance of proposals will be made by 21 April 2006. For further inquiries contact the conference convenors: Clare Bradford (clarex@deakin.edu.au) or Elizabeth Parsons (parsons@deakin.edu.au)

CALL FOR PAPERS: Canadian Children’s LiteratureCCL: Canadian Children's Literature/ Littérature canadienne pour la jeunesseis moving to the University of Winnipeg as of January, 2005, with Perry Nodelman of the Department of English as Editor and Mavis Reimer of the Department of English and Anne Rusnak of the Department of French Studies and German Studies as Associate Editors.  The new editors are now accepting submissions. 

CCL: Canadian Children's Literature/ Littérature canadienne pour la jeunesse is a bilingual refereed academic journal that advances knowledge andunderstanding of texts of Canadian children's literature in a range of mediain both English and French.  Articles may be submitted as attachments in Word or RTF format to: ccl@uwinnipeg.ca 

Alternately, submit three copies on paper, along with a stamped, self-addressed return envelope, to:CCLDepartment of EnglishUniversity of Winnipeg515 Portage AvenueWinnipeg MB R3B 2E9

All submissions should conform to MLA style.  Since papers are vetted blind,the name and contact information of the author should be removed from thesubmission and appear on a separate page with your contact information (including phone number and e-mail address). Decisions about submitted papers should be made within three months.

CALL FOR PAPERS: Storytelling: A Critical Journal of Popular NarrativeThe peer-reviewed, quarterly journal Storytelling is dedicated to analyses of popular narratives in the widest sense of

the phrase and as evidenced in the media and all aspects of culture. Although past essays have focused on children‘s literature, comics, detective/crime fiction, film, horror/gothic, popular music, romance, science fiction, and television, submissions are by no means confined to these areas. Executive Editors: Bonnie Plummer andSharon Bailey, Eastern Kentucky University, USA Submission Details. Manuscripts should see the narrative as a reflection of culture; usetheory to analyze the work, not work to illustrate theory; employ scholarship; and be written for the general audience. The executive editors are especially interested in visual accomplishments, bibliographies, and interviews with creators of popular narratives. Submissions should include a short (50-word) abstract, be between 10 to 15 double-spaced, typed pages (approximately 3,300 to 6,000 words), and follow the MLA Style Manual by Joseph Gibaldi (2nd ed., 1998), including parenthetical citations in text and an alphabetized list of Works Cited. Authors should submit two copies of their manuscript with a stamped return envelope if return of manuscript is desired. Address submissions to:Elizabeth Foxwell. Managing Editor, Storytelling: A Critical Journal of Popular NarrativeHeldref Publications1319 Eighteenth St, NWWashington, DC  20036-1802  USAEmail: storytelling@heldref.org

CALL FOR PAPERS: International conference on ROALD DAHL To take place in Paris, BNFOctober 12-13, 2006

Organized by the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, La Joie par lesLivres-Centre national du livre pour enfants, the Centre d’HistoireCulturelle des Sociétés Contemporaines (CHCSC, Université de VersaillesSaint-Quentin-en-Yvelines), and the Department of Anglo-American Studies(Université ParisX- Nanterre), this

conference will pay homage to Roald Dahl(1916-1990) not only as the well-known writer of children’s books but alsoas the author of numerous stories and tales for adults.

Papers can focus on :·    Dahl’s books for children·    His autobiographical works·    His tales and  short stories for adults·    Film adaptations, CD Roms and audio books·    Scripts·    The illustrators of his books·    The publishing history and various editions of his books·    The French translations·    The reception of his works in Britain and abroad·    The adaptation and exploitation of his books for children as schooltexts

Proposals for papers (250-300 words) must be sent by e-mail before October30, 2005 to the following address : lucile.trunel@lajoieparleslivres.com

Coordinators for the conference :-    Monique Chassagnol (Université Paris 10-Nanterre)-    Joëlle Garcia (BNF)-    Françoise Hache-Bissette (CHCSC)-    Lucile Trunel (La Joie par les livres)

Book Reviews – PLEASE READ THIS APPEAL!Christine Wilkie-StibbsWe are very keen to promote the importance of reviewing newly published books from any source, but particularly from our own members. To help the process along, we are appealing to members who have had, or expect to have, a book published, to request their publishers to send a review copy to Christine Wilkie-Stibbs (address below) as soon as the book is out. If, indeed, you are able to persuade the publisher to send more than one review copy, that would greatly assist and speed up our practice of seeking multiple reviews for any one book.

Currently, when books arrive for review, we try to identify and approach individual members who may be interested

in reviewing them. But it is not always possible, or an exact science, to know who is willing and able and free to do reviewing at a given time. So we have introduced a new scheme which is to include a website slot title ‘Review Copies Received’, in which we shall appeal to members to come forward to offer to do reviews. This way we are hoping to widen the pool of people able to offer reviews for books in which they have an interest and expertise. In this way no-one should feel pressured to write a review at an inconvenient time. We look forward to a productive reviewing future!

The first list of books received is now available on the website. Please volunteer.

Review guidelinesReviews should be not more than 1,000 words with (as appropriate) a 200-300 word English language summary.  We anticipate that reviews will be fair, balanced, academically rigorous assessments of the books, and that the reviews will be a reliable source of information for colleagues' professional needs.

If members have seen reviews of relevant books in their local journals, it would be helpful to have copies of these sent for a 'round up' feature. 

Christine Wilkie-Stibbs, University of Warwick, CV4 7AL, UK. E-mail : c.wilkie@warwick.ac.uk or Cwilkiestibbs@aol.com.

IRSCL Publications (proceedings of biennial congresses)

The proceedings of the last IRSCL congress in Kristiansand are now available. Children’s Literature Global and Local: Social and Aesthetic Perspectives was edited by Emer O’Sullivan, Kimberley Reynolds and Rolf Romøren (Oslo: Novus Press, 2005). The volume contains 20 essays by the following contributors: Clare Bradford, Carole Carpenter, Valerie Coghlan, Mieke K.T. Desmet, Hans-Heino Ewers, Victoria Flanagan, Margot Hillel, Elwyn Jenkins, Lindsay Myers, Chie Mizuma, Sharyn Pearce, Jana Pohl, Beverley Naidoo, Mavis Reimer, Martina Seifert, Anna Karlskov Skyggebjerg, Margarita Slavova, Asfrid Svensen, Mary Shine Thompson, Elise Seip Tønnessen, Thomas van der Walt, Marina Warner, and Boel Westin, with an Introduction by the editors.An order form is available on the website or from

NOVUS PRESS, E-mail: novus@novus.no HERMAN FOSS GATE 19, Telefax: +47 2271 8107

NO-0171 OSLO, NORWAY Price 30 Euros

Aspects and issues in the history of children’s literature. Edited by Maria Nikolajeva. Westport (CT) / London:

Greenwood Press, 1995. 224 p. ISBN 0-313-29614-6. $ 62.95.Reflections of Change; Children’s Literature since 1945. Edited by Sandra L. Beckett. Westport (CT) / London: Greenwood Press, 1997. 216 p. ISBN 0-313-30145-X. $ 60.00.The Presence of the Past in Children’s Literature. Edited by Ann Lawson Lucas. Westport (CT) / London: Praeger Publishers, 2003. 264 p. ISBN 0-313-32483-2. $ 63.95.Children’s Literature and the Fin de Siècle. Edited by Roderick McGillis. Westport (CT)/ London: Praeger Publishers, 2003. 232 p. ISBN 0-313-32120-5. $ 59.95.Change and Renewal in Children’s Literature. Edited by Thomas van der Walt, assisted by Félicité Fairer-Wessels and Judith Inggs. Westport (CT) / London: Praeger Publishers, 2004. 256 p. ISBN 0-275-98185-1. $ 64.95.

Books may be ordered from bookshops or from Greenwood Press: http://www.greenwood.com

Contact the boardPresident: Kimberley Reynolds Kim.Reynolds@ncl.ac.ukVice-President: Clare Bradford clarex@deakin.edu.au Treasurer and Membership Secretary: Dan Hade ddh2@psu,eduSecretary: Morag Styles ms104@cam.ac.uk Board members:Ariko Kawabata (responsible for 2007 congress): ariko@cat.email.ne.jpMavis Reimer (responsible for archives): m.reimer@uwinnipeg.ca