2022
Because It Lasts: Time and Space in Children’s and Young Adult Literature and Media
The most recent conference focused on time and space in children’s and young adult literature and media. Keynote speakers included Justyna Deszcz-Tryhubczak and author Tanya Kyi.
2021
Fresh from the Fight: Heroes, Tricksters, and Villains in Children’s and Young Adult Literature and Culture
The 2021 conference featured keynotes from Dr. Stephanie Toliver, Dr. Angel Matos, and best-selling author Richard Van Camp.
2018
In the Shadows: Illuminating Monstrosity in Children’s and Young
Adult Literature and Culture
The 2018 conference featured Dr. Elaine Ostry as an academic keynote and the New York Times best-selling novelist Rachel Hartman as a creative keynote.
2016
Many Worlds to Walk In: Exploring Diversity in Children’s Literature, Librarianship, and Education
The 2016 conference explored the idea of diversity, encompassing narratives that depict diversity and the diverse formats we use to create and share narratives with children. Our presenters addressed a wide range of themes, including gender studies, indigenous narratives, immigrant and minority narratives, and diversity in library services and collections. Dr. Naomi Hamer and Dr. Renee Hill were our keynote speakers.
2014
“i Will Be Myself”: Identity in Children’s Literature, Media and Culture
Our 2014 conference explored, questioned, and analyzed the issues surrounding identity in various elements of children’s and young adult literature, with a multimodal approach to children’s media. Across novels, films, apps, picturebooks, we examined themes of identity, which can include liminality, hybridity, Otherness or Othering, gender, and transformation. We were very honoured to welcome Phillip Serrato as our keynote speaker.
2012
Stranger in a Strange Land: Exploring Texts and media for Young People Across Cultures and Continents
“Stranger in a Strange Land” was a one-day children’s literature conference exploring a diverse range of themes in literature and other materials for young people. With Sarah Park and Elizabeth Marshall as keynote speakers, this conference explored the many boundaries, physical and non-physical, that affect children’s media.
2010
“Second to the Right and Straight on Till Morning”: Navigating the Narrative Realm(s) of Children’s Texts
The third conference, held in 2010, featured Maria Tatar and Philip Nel as the keynote speakers. This event was the beginning of what has become a biennial conference, planned by students in the MACL program and other graduate student volunteers from the affiliated departments and programs.
2009
A following conference was held in 2009 and organized independently by MACL graduate students as an outcome of their enthusiastic response to the 2008 event.
2008
The first one, which took place in 2008, was a Language and Literacy Education Department-sponsored conference held in conjunction with visiting lecturer Aidan Chambers, from the UK.