A year ago, noted children’s book specialist Betsy Bird reported on the School Library Journal’s blog that many U.S. publishers and librarians were opposed to buying or republishing picture books first issued overseas. American publishers, Bird said, rejected non-U.S. works as culturally inscrutable or inappropriate for American audiences—a controversial opinion that stems the flow of imaginative, beautiful, and sometimes provocative work into our country today.
Where the Wild Books Are was conceived by artist Etienne Delessert, who along with author/illustrator and Parsons faculty Steven Guarnaccia will present the eventas a creative response to explore cultural trends and changes in the field of global publishing and their impact on the cultural literacy and the imaginative capacities of the next generation.
Join critics, authors, illustrators, publishing professionals, and educators from Europe, the United States, and beyond as they introduce audience members to a diverse array of important picture books published in France, Switzerland, Italy, Germany and Japan. Take part in a lively exchange on the ethical, commercial, and aesthetic dimensions of the evolving global publishing scene.
Historian and critic Leonard S. Marcus will give the keynote address, which is followed by presentations, a panel discussion among influential industry insiders, and a reception.
Presenters
Leonard S. Marcus, author;eminent historian, criticof children’s literature.
Betsy Bird, critic of children’s literature; author; producer of fusenumber8
Christine Plu,professor of children’s literature at the University of Cergy-Pontoise, Paris-Seine
Denise von Stockar, Swisscriticof children’s literature (MS Education, University of California, Berkeley)
Giorgia Grilli, Professor of children’s literature at the Bologna University; founder of the Center of Research in Children’s Literature at the Bologna University
Junko Yokota, professor emeritus at National Louis University, Chicago; children’s book critic and Asian picture book specialist
Panelists
Steven Guarnaccia, moderator, author; illustrator; associate professor of Illustration, Parsons School of Design
Claudia Bedrick,independent publisher of Enchanted Lion Books
Etienne Delessert, artist; author; publisher.Ionesco’s Stories 1,2,3,4. Night Circus
David Macaulay,artist; author; publisher.The Way Things Work, Black and White
Sponsors
Services Culturels de l’Ambassade de France in New York
Laurence Marie, Cultural Attachée
Cultural Affairs, Consulate General of Switzerland in New York
Elena Baenninger, Project Manager
The Italian Cultural Institute in New York
Donatella Baldini, Attachée for Cultural Affairs
The Creative Company
The New School
This public event is made possible by generous funding from the cultural services of the French, Swiss, and Italian Embassies as well as support from The Creative Company and The New School (The School of Art, Media, and Technology at Parsons School of Design and the MFA Creative Writing program).
Register today: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/where-the-wild-books-are-tickets-16144292012