Children’s Literature and Comics/Graphic Novels at MLA 2018

It is time again to gather ’round in fluorescent rooms, adjust the sound (“can you hear me?”), smile, and present to all four or fifty-seven who found the right room, the right day. Coffee! Insecurity! MLA! January 3rd through 7th is the Modern Language Association’s annual conference, held this year (2018) in New York City.

MLA 2018 Call for Papers! Calling Dumbledore’s Army: Activist Children’s Literature

Books can encourage children to question rather than accept the world as it is. Literature for young people can invite them to imagine a world where black lives matter, women’s rights are human rights, poverty does not limit one’s life choices, LGBTQ youth know they are loved, indigenous peoples’ rights are respected, the disabled have

Children’s Literature and Comics/Graphic Novels at MLA 2017

In January, before the kleptocracy, In Philly, mourning an ailing democracy, Find comfort, anxiety, knowledge, and despair! (When academics gather, these tend to be there.) January fifth through eighth, at the MLA, We’ll meet and think. We’ll eat and drink. What do you say? Ahem. Here are all the sessions on children’s literature and/or comics/graphic novels at the 2017

MLA 2017 Call for Papers! Border Conflicts: Migration, Refugees, and Diaspora in Children’s Literature

In September 2015, photos of 3-year-old Alan Kurdi – his corpse washed ashore on a Turkish beach – came to symbolize the urgency of the Syrian refugee crisis. World leaders promised to do more, people debated whether printing the pictures was appropriate, and charities experienced a surge in donations. In children’s literature, the figure of

Children’s Literature and Comics/Graphic Novels at MLA 2016

Attending MLA in Austin, Texas this January? These are all MLA sessions devoted* to children’s literature, children’s culture, or comics/graphic novels. There are other panels with individual papers on these subjects, but (to the best of my knowledge) these are the sole panels with a central focus on these areas of inquiry. If I’ve missed any

Children’s Literature and Comics/Graphic Novels at MLA 2015

Heading to the MLA in Vancouver next month? Well, thanks to Lee Talley (for the children’s lit panels), here’s a list of all the children’s literature and comics/graphic novels panels. If we’ve missed any, then please let me know and I’ll add them! 35. The Graphic South Thursday, 8 January, 12:00 noon—1:15 p.m., 114, VCC West

Calls for Papers (Children’s Literature): MLA 2015, Vancouver, BC

Scholars of Children’s Literature, Young Adult Literature, Children’s Culture!  Attention! Here are some calls for papers, for the 2015 Modern Language Association, held from January 8 to 11, 2015, in Vancouver, British Columbia. All are sponsored or co-sponsored by the MLA’s Children’s Literature Division. Send in a proposal to one of the organizers!  Come to

Children’s Literature and Comics/Graphic Novels at MLA 2014

With thanks to Craig Svonkin for assembling the children’s literature panels list and Charles Hatfield for assembling the comics panels list, here’s a list of panel sessions on either children’s literature or comics/graphic novels at the Modern Language Association Conference in Chicago, 9-12 January 2014.  Is there anything missing here?  Drop me a line, and I’ll

Children’s Literature and Comics/Graphic Novels at MLA 2013

For those heading to the MLA in Boston (3-6 January 2013), here’s a handy list of panel sessions on either children’s literature or comics/graphic novels.  I compiled the list below by searching the MLA’s program for children’s literature (so, I may have missed some), and by re-posting the comics/graphic novels sessions from the MLA Comics/Graphic

Children’s Literature & Comics/Graphic Novels at MLA 2012

For those who may be heading to the MLA in Seattle (5-8 Jan. 2012), here’s a list of all the panels on either children’s literature or comics/graphic novels. I count sixteen panels exclusively devoted to one or more of these subjects, and an additional nine panels in which one ore more paper addresses either children’s