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.
What's New In Children's Books K-6?
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.Date, Time, Place: Saturday, October 13, 2007 - registration and book sale 8:30 am program from 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., Boston College, Vanderslice Hall
Richard Michelson is a prize-winning poet and picture book author and is the proprietor of R. Michelson Galleries in Western Massachusetts. Tonya Bolden's commitment to African-American history is apparent in her award-winning, non-fiction work for middle-grade students. Kathleen Duble's work includes historical fiction set in the Northeast, as well as fiction. Susannah Richards, Assistant Professor of Children's Literature at Eastern Connecticut State University, and Terri Schmitz, owner of The Children's Bookshop in Brookline, will present their 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
Saturday, October 13, 2007 What's New in Children's Books - 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., Boston College, Vanderslice Hall
Richard Michelson is a prize-winning poet and picture book author and is the proprietor of R. Michelson Galleries in Western Massachusetts. Tonya Bolden's commitment to African-American history is apparent in her award-winning, non-fiction work for middle-grade students. Kathleen Duble's work includes historical fiction set in the Northeast, as well as fiction. Susannah Richards, Assistant Professor of Children's Literature at Eastern Connecticut State University, and Terri Schmitz, owner of The Children's Bookshop in Brookline, will present their picks for Best New Books. The conference includes an exhibit of new books and a book sale and signing.
Molly Bang, Tuesday, October 02, 2007 -7:30 p.m. - Vanderslice Hall, Boston College
Molly Bang's first books were collections of folktales that she translated or collected, and then illustrated--books like The Grey Lady and the Strawberry Snatcher and The Paper Crane. When she became a mother herself, she moved into the world of childhood with Ten, Nine, Eight and When Sophie Gets Angry--Really, Really Angry. She probed scientific principles in Common Ground and My Light, which won the Massachusetts Book Award for Children's Literature in 2005. Her books have won the Caldecott Honor, the Boston Globe/Horn Book Award for Illustration, and the Giverny Prize for Best Children's Science Book.
Moderator: Susan P. Bloom, Associate Professor Emeritus, Simmons College Center for the Study of Children's Literature
Tuesday, November 06, 2007- Sy Montgomery, -7:30 p.m. - Vanderslice Hall, Boston College
Sy Montgomery is an author, naturalist, newspaper columnist, documentary scriptwriter, and radio commentator who writes for adults, as well as children. Her children's books offer fascinating glimpses into the lives of little-known creatures and the seldom-explored regions that they call home. Her award-winning work includes Quest for the Tree Kangaroo, The Snake Scientist, The Man-Eating Tigers of Sundarbans, and Journey of the Pink Dolphins. She has been chased by an angry silverback gorilla in Zaire; bitten by a vampire bat in Costa Rica; undressed by an orangutan in Borneo; and hunted by a tiger in India.
Moderator: Gail Hedges, Adjunct Faculty in Children's Literature at Lesley University and Framingham State College, President of the Foundation for Children's Books
Tuesday, January 22, 2008 - Building Bridges between Books and Movies: Randy Testa of Walden Media,- 7:30 p.m. - Gasson 100, Boston College
Randy Testa, Vice President of Education for Walden Media, travels the country talking with educators and audiences about such films as Hoot; The Chronicles of Narnia: the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; Because of Winn-Dixie; How to Eat Fried Worms; Charlotte's Web; and Bridge to Terabithia. Walden Media's mission in making these movies is to create faithful, high-quality film adaptations of beloved children's literature. Mr. Testa will help us ponder that tricky term--"faithful"--and will show clips of Walden films, including preview clips of Prince Caspian, scheduled for a May '08 release.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008 - Jarrett Krosoczka, 7:30 p.m. - Vanderslice Hall, Boston College
Author/Illustrator Jarrett Krosoczka has been making books since the 3rd grade--fun, fresh books featuring vivid characters, be they animal or human. His picture book "Punk Farm," the raucous story of a farm-animal band, is being developed as a feature film by Dreamworks, and the band gets loose in "Punk Farm on Tour." His other picture books include "My Buddy, Slug"; "Max for President"; and "Bubble Bath Pirates."
Moderator: Patricia Keogh, retired children's librarian and teacher of children's literature at area colleges.
April 12, 2008 NEW EVENT AT NEW LOCATION! Saturday, - 9 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., Boston Athenaeum Library, Downtown Boston
Among the featured authors at this half-day conference will be Jack Gantos, the author of the Joey Pigza books, the Rotton Ralph Rotten Readers, and many others from picture books to adult books. He is frequently spotted writing at the Boston Athenaeum. Other authors will be posted in the winter. We'll also feature our picks for Best New Books for Spring.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008 -Barbara McClintock 7:30 p.m. - Vanderslice Hall, Boston College
Barbara McClintock taught herself to draw by going to the library and checking out books of artists she admired, then copying every drawing. She learned that her favorite artists shared "an energetic line and a very strong narrative streak," qualities reflected in her own award-winning picture books, including "Adele & Simon," "Dahlia," "Animal Fables from Aesop," and "Molly and the Magic Wishbone," among others. Her work evokes long-ago times of the 19th and early 20th centuries, but with a charm and dynamism that capture contemporary readers. Moderator: Susannah Richards, assistant professor, Eastern Connecticut State University.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008 - 7:30 p.m. - location TBA , 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. Guest speakers will be posted on the FCB web site in the late winter. This event is FREE and open to the public. Guest speakers will be posted on the FCB website.