Entering the Next Decade of Youth Literature and Beyond
Friday 28th February, 2pm
Room GS5 in the Donald McIntyre Building at the University of Cambridge Education Faculty
The Race, Empire and Education (REE) Collective at the University of Cambridge’s Faculty of Education, in association with Researchers Exploring Inclusive Youth Literature (REIYL), invite you to attend an event with author, editor, and poet Kwame Alexander.
On the 28th of February, Mr. Alexander will be presenting, “Entering the Next Decade of Youth Literature and Beyond: A Conversation with Newbery Award Winner Author Kwame Alexander” at 3:30 pm with a Q&A and book signing to follow.
At 2pm, community members will gather before Mr. Alexander’s arrival to discuss the enclosed reading list with a prompt of examining inclusive futures for children’s literature. Most of the articles and studies are short, but please do come even if you haven’t completed the entire list!
Reading List:
- Alexander, Kwame. The Crossover. Andersen Press, 2015.
- Bold Ramdarshan, Melanie. “Representation of People of Colour Among Children’s Book Authors and Illustrators.” Booktrust.org.uk, Apr. 2019, www.booktrust.org.uk/globalassets/resources/represents/booktrust-represents-diversity-childrens-authors-illustrators-report.pdf.
- Flood, Alison. “Only 1% of Children’s Books Have BAME Main Characters – UK Study.” The Guardian, 16 July 2018, www.theguardian.com/books/2018/jul/17/only-1-of-uk-childrens-books-feature-main-characters-of-colour.
- Low, Jason, et al. “Where Is the Diversity in Publishing? The 2019 Diversity Baseline Survey Results.” Lee & Low Blog, 7 Feb. 2020, blog.leeandlow.com/2020/01/28/2019diversitybaselinesurvey/.
- Myers, Christopher. “The Apartheid of Children’s Literature.” The New York Times, 15 Mar. 2014, www.nytimes.com/2014/03/16/opinion/sunday/the-apartheid-of-childrens-literature.html?action=click&module=RelatedCoverage&pgtype=Article®ion=Footer.
- Myers, Walter Dean. “Where Are the People of Color in Children’s Books?” The New York Times, 15 Mar. 2014, www.nytimes.com/2014/03/16/opinion/sunday/where-are-the-people-of-color-in-childrens-books.html.
- “Reflecting Realities: Survey of Ethnic Representation within UK Children’s Literature.” CLPE, clpe.org.uk/publications-and-bookpacks/reflecting-realities.