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21st Century Religion and Culture in Youth Literature
Fall 2024
Publishers Roundtable: Children’s Literature and Religion
Tuesday, September 24, 9:00 AM CST
Featuring PJ Library, Black Bears and Blueberries, and Shadow Mountain Publishing from 9-10 AM and Lee and Low, Heartdrum, Salaam Reads, and We Need Diverse Books from 10:15-11:15 AM.
Format: Virtual via Zoom.
Description: Two roundtable discussions featuring representatives from various publishing firms who will discuss how religion and culture factor into their work with diverse communities.
Gryphon Lecture: Rethinking the Influence of Religion and Religious Identity in Contemporary US Children’s Literature
Monday, October 21, 12:00 pm CST
Guest Speaker: Anastasia Ulanowicz, Associate Professor of English at the University of Florida
Format: Hybrid (Virtual via Zoom and In-Person room 126 501 E. Daniel St.)
Isabel Lopez Coelho: “Where the Wild Things Are: North America’s Cultural Influence Over the Brazilian Editorial Market”
November 4, 2024, 12:00 CST
Format: Virtual via Zoom
Description: Isabel Lopez Coelho is the author of The Representation of the Child in Children’s Literature (2020). For twelve years, Coelho ran the Children’s and Young Adult Literature division at Cosac Naify publishing house in Brazil. She is currently a postdoctoral student at PUC-SP and publisher at FTD Educação.
Spring 2025
Religion and Culture in Fantasy
Tuesday, February 18, 12:00 PM CST
Participants; Aden Polydoros, Kwame Mbalia, and Radiya Hafiza.
Format: Virtual via Zoom.
Description: Fantasy authors Aden Polydoros, Kwame Mbalia, and Radiya Hafiza discuss how their books intersect with religion, culture, and youth literature.
Religion and Culture in Fantasy
Wednesday, February 19, 12:00 PM CST
Participants: Taylor Driggers, Michelle Chan, and Sarah Winters.
Format: Virtual via Zoom
Description: International scholars Taylor Driggers (University of Glasgow), Michelle Chan (Hong Kong Shue Yan University), and Sarah Winters (Nipissing University) discuss the intersections of religion and culture in youth literature.
The ALA Archives and Communities of Faith
Thursday, March 27, 2025, 12:00 pm CST
Participants: Cara Bertram (Archives Program Officer, University Archives and American Library Association Archives, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)
Format: Virtual via Zoom
Description: An exploration of religions and religious identities within the archival record of the American Library Association.