Conversations with... Series

An annual series from the Foundation for Children's Books, Inc. of informal dialogues featuring award-winning authors, illustrators, editors, and publishers. Each conversation reveals the guest speaker's insights into the creative process. Direct exposure to authors and illustrators and networking opportunities provide invaluable insights and resources for classroom, library, and home use.

Among past guest speakers are Newbery Award winners Katherine Paterson, Lois Lowry, and Avi. Book sales and signings complete each session. Begun more than a dozen years ago, Conversations with... continues to be the only program of its kind in New England.

View the calendar of speakers below - All sessions begin at 7:30 pm in Vanderslice Hall unless otherwise noted.

Enrollment: $65 for series; $15 each individual session, College students with I.D $5. All "Conversations" events are free to attendees with Boston College ID's. No advance registration is required, and there is no reserved seating. PDPs are not available for individual sessions. Enroll in the entire series of Conversations with... register from the Foundation for Children's Books website.

New England Voices

The culminating event in the Conversations with... series, New England Voices presents new works read by area authors and illustrators and spotlights new talent in the world of children's literature.

Among past guest speakers are illustrator Timothy Basil Ering, author/illustrator D.B. Johnson, illustrator Christopher Bing, and young adult author Ellen Wittlinger. This event is free and open to the public. See below for this year's details.

What's New In Children's Books K-6? Saturday, November 07, 2009

This annual half-day autumn workshop highlights the seasons best new literary releases. Renowned authors and illustrators present their work. Children's literature specialists present book selections and resource listings. It's a great opportunity for participants to network and exchange ideas and opinions.

Past presenters have included Maryann Cocca-Leffler, Janet Taylor Lisle, Carol Otis Hurst, Kevin Hawkes, Giles Laroche, and Elizabeth Dahlie. The day includes an exhibit of new books, resource folders, and a book sale and author signing.

Enrollment includes:

Coffee, tea, and pastries at morning registration.
Resource folders with materials from presenting authors/illustrators and experts.
Exhibit of new books, provided by Boston College Lynch School of Educational Resource Center.
Books available for purchase, courtesy of The Children's Book Shop in Brookline.
Author Q&A and book signings.

8:30 a.m.:  Registration, coffee & book sale

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.: Program, Boston College, Vanderslice Hall

Jane Yolen is the author of over 200 books for children. She has been called the Hans Christian Andersen of America and the Aesop of the twentieth century. Her books and stories have won the Caldecott Medal, two Nebula awards, and two Christopher Medals. Her daughter, Heidi Stemple, also writes for children, sometimes with her mother. Together, they'll talk about their lives as writers, both together and apart. Illustrator/author Scott Magoon's playful and charming books include The Luck of the Loch Ness Monster, Monster Ride, and his latest book, Spoon, a collaboration with author Amy Krouse Rosenthal. Allen Kurzweil has written two acclaimed novels for children: Leon and the Spitting Image and Leon and the Champion Chip. He invents and uses many of the scientific instruments featured in his novels. Susannah Richards, professor of children's literature at Eastern Connecticut State University, will present her picks for Best New Books. The conference includes an exhibit of new books and a book sale and signing.

$50 for FCB members; $75 for non-members; $25 for students with I.D., $10 BC student rate.

Conversations with... Series Calendar

MORDICAI GERSTEIN, Tuesday, October 13, 2009
7:30 p.m. - Vanderslice Hall, Boston College

Mordicai Gerstein has written and illustrated over 30 books for children, including the Caldecott Winner The Man Who Walked Between the Towers. His books have frequently been cited as the best illustrated books of the year in the New York Times. He describes the picture-book medium as "film and drawing and theater all in one." His books are wide-ranging in subject and style, from contemporary fantasy to biography to absurd alphabets. Mr. Gerstein's latest, "A Book," is the charming story of a young girl who lives inside a book (sleeping when it's closed and rising when it's open), although she doesn't know what kind of story her book is. Join us to hear his story.

 

NANCY WERLIN, Tuesday, December 01, 2009
7:30 p.m. - Vanderslice Hall, Boston College

Nancy Werlin writes literary psychological thrillers for young adults, among them The Rules of Survival, a 2006 National Book Award Finalist, and the Edgar-Award winning The Killer's Cousin. In an essay on fear in The Horn Book, she writes, "...I work out my fear using writing. And thus I know exactly how to map my fear onto my characters, so that you-the-reader can feel its reality. You will feel it not only because I am skilled at writing, but because my skill will force you, in turn, to map the characters' fears onto your own fears. To become one with them, and with me." Inspired by the ballad Scarborough Fair, her latest book, Impossible, combines suspense, fantasy and romance.

 

"WHAT'S IN A SERIES?": A PANEL DISCUSSION Tuesday, January 26, 2010
7:30 p.m. - Vanderslice Hall, Boston College

Children, young adults and adults--all of us love a great series. What's it like to write a series? Is it pre-planned? Does it happen naturally? What are the challenges of sustaining character? Do characters have to age? How does writing a series differ from writing a stand-alone novel? We'll explore these and other questions in a panel discussion featuring authors Lucinda Landon (Meg Mackintosh series), Tony Abbott (Secrets of Droon and Time Surfers series), and Jacqueline Dembar Greene (the Rebecca stories in the American Girl Series).

 

STUART MURPHY, Tuesday, March 09, 2010
7:30 p.m. - Vanderslice Hall, Boston College

Stuart Murphy is the creator of the popular MathStart books, a series of 63 titles (and counting!) that features stand-alone books with their own characters and look. A champion of visual learning approaches, Stuart himself didn't much like math as a child, and preferred art, drawing and making up stories. He has collaborated with more than 30 illustrators in creating the series that Booklist magazine named one of the Top Ten Nonfiction Series for Young Children. His new series for preschool children, I See I Learn, uses visual learning to teach important skills for school readiness and daily life.

All "Conversations" events are free to attendees with Boston College ID's

 

What's New in Children's Books? Saturday, April 10, 2010

9 a.m.: Registration, Coffee and Book Sale          
9:30 a.m.-1 p.m.: Program, Boston Athenaeum Library, Beacon Hill (see the Boston Athenaeum for directions)

Our 3rd year at the Boston Athenaeum--Join us!

Join us at the Boston Athenaeum--a 200-year-old independent library on Beacon Hill that is also a National Historic Landmark--for our "What's New in Children's Books?" half-day conference. Featured authors and illustrators to be announced on our website in the late fall. We'll also present our picks for Best New Books for Spring. This event includes refreshments, book sale and signing.

 

New England Voices and FCB Annual Meeting

Tuesday, May 25, 2010 - 7:30 p.m. - Walsh Hall, Boston College

New England Voices features area authors and illustrators reading from their new work and spotlights new talent in the field of children' s literature. Speakers will be posted on the FCB website in the late winter. BOOK SALES AND REFRESHMENTS--FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC