In Crusoe’s Footsteps: Robinson Crusoe and the Robinsonade – A Tercentenary Appraisal
NCRCL Conference
Friday, 6th September 2019
Digby Stuart College, University of Roehampton
Bookings via:https://estore.roehampton.ac.uk/conferences-and-events/conferences/robinson-crusoe/in-crusoes-footsteps-robinson-crusoe-and-the-robinsonade-a-tercentenary-appraisal
Programme
In Crusoe’s Footsteps: Robinson Crusoe and the Robinsonade – A Tercentenary Appraisal
NCRCL Conference
Friday, 6th September 2019
Digby Stuart College, University of Roehampton
Bookings for the conference are now open here:
Writing in 1834, the Scottish novelist Sir Walter Scott observed the following of Daniel Defoe’s most influential novel, Robinson Crusoe: ‘There is hardly an elf so devoid of imagination as not to have supposed for himself a solitary island in which he could act Robinson Crusoe, were it but the corners of the nursery’ (Biographical Memoirs, 279). While Scott’s comment evidently speaks to the pervasiveness of The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, published in 1719, it also more explicitly aligns the Robinson Crusoe story with childhood.
Continue readingIBBY UK/NCRCL CONFERENCE: A World of Information: Children’s Non-Fiction Books in the Digital Age
Centre for Literacy in Primary Education
London SE1 8QW
Saturday 9th NOVEMBER 2019
Booking is now open for the IBBY UK/NCRCL conference 2019! Please click here to secure your place.
Image via IBBY.
This year’s conference asks:
Programme
9.00 – 9.30 Registration and coffee
9.30 – 9.45 Welcome and IBBY News
9.45 – 10.30 Sue Walker, Reading University
Design of children’s information books and the legacy of Marie Neurath and Isotype
10.30 – 11.15 Joe Sutliff Sanders, University of Cambridge, and Karen Bentall, Librarian, Oakridge Elementary School, Arlington, Virginia (USA)
Beauty in theory and truth: connecting academic approaches to non-fiction and school storytime
11.15 – 11.45 Coffee
11.45 – 12.45 Parallel sessions
1.00 – 2.00 Lunch
2 – 2.30 Nicola Davies
The world into words: writing about big things for small people
2.30 – 3.30 A panel of publishers in conversation with writers and illustrators – Thames & Hudson with Yuval Zommer, Flying Eye, Hachette Children’s Group with Neal Layton. Chaired by Liza Miller, Hachette Children’s Group
Publishing non-fiction: challenges and successes
3.30 – 4.00 Tea
4.00 – 4.30 Karenanne Knight, Portsmouth University
How far is far away? Where fact and fiction meet. Cartography and the information book, a Research Project.
4.30 – 5.00 Chris Routh, Librarian, Leighton Park School
Celebrating the best non-fiction for children: SLA Information Book Awards and National Non-fiction November
Information via IBBY.
Review written by Emily Corbett.
Two PhD students embark on a field trip to Newcastle to talk all things children’s and YA literature
‘Building New Communities in UK Children’s Literature Research: A Colloquium for Contemporary Issues in the Field’ was organised by Cambridge doctoral student, Andy McCormack, to bring together PhD students and academics from Roehampton, Newcastle, Glasgow and Cambridge universities. It was hosted by Newcastle University and Seven Stories, the National Centre for Children’s Books, and so fellow PhD student Harriet Salisbury and I ventured north to meet new people, share our research and enjoy all that the colloquium had to offer. As it turns out, the colloquium had plenty to offer!
Review written by Marcia Kean
A Distance Learner Finds Her Way to Roehampton At Last!
One of the most delightful aspects of the Roehampton Distance Learning program is the opportunity to chat with our tutors on the phone during the semester. Now, double that pleasure for an actual onsite visit, which I did last month for the ‘Being Human in YA Literatures’ symposium and the MA Open Day. I used these events as my ‘excuse’ and Virgin Atlantic was happy to carry me across the Pond from Boston. Here, I share my experiences of both events.
Review written by Charlotte Taylor.
On Saturday May 18th 2019, members of the NCRCL gathered at the gleaming Duchesne building at the University of Roehampton for their annual MA Open Morning. After informally gathering over tea, coffee and pastries amidst a colourful display of vintage and contemporary children’s books, the members headed to the lecture theatre where the director of the NCRCL, Lisa Sainsbury, welcomed the group and began the morning’s programme. The group comprised of potential and current MA students as well as some distinguished alumni, and so Lisa explained about the different modules available to those starting the course in September. In addition, Nicki Humble and Alison Waller also spoke about their courses and their respective current research projects: Nicki on the presentation of craft and hobbies in 20th Century Children’s Literature, and Alison on her recent book Rereading Childhood Books: A Poetics.
“Prison Reading Groups was set up in 1999 to help start, fund and support reading groups in prisons. Since 2017 it has been part of registered charity Give a Book. We now run groups in over 35 prisons nationwide and supply more than 3000 books a year to support them. We also support Family Days and family reading initiatives in more than 50 prisons across the country.”
The NCRCL has a longstanding relationship with Prison Reading Groups. In 2015 volunteers from the NCRCL created a database of age-appropriate books and continue to volunteer with the scheme.
We are pleased to share their new website with you. Head to http://prisonreadinggroups.org.uk/ for information about PRG, including how you can support their work!
We are delighted to share two exciting events at our NCRCL coming up in May 2019. See below for more detail, including how to book your place on each day!
A symposium hosted by the National Centre for Research in Children’s Literature at the University of Roehampton, London.
Friday 17th May 2019
9.30am (for a 10am start) – 4.45 pm
What does it mean to be human? Identity categories such as race, religion, gender, ability, size, and age intersect in definitions of the self, shaping how we construct ourselves and are perceived by others. Humanity is also under scrutiny, as other forms of consciousness help define what we are and what we are not. A growing corpus of young adult narratives across a range of genres and media attempt to engage with the plurality of the human experience. The NCRCL’s symposium will consider how ‘being human’ is explored through YA narratives. It will feature a keynote paper from renowned YA literature critic Dr Alison Waller, and include a plenary from Dr Leah Phillips, founder of YALMCA and co-organiser of Adolescent Identities.
Tickets now available via https://estore.roehampton.ac.uk/conferences-and-events/conferences/being-human
More information on conference speakers and how to get to the University of Roehampton can be found on the Blog.
An open day hosted by the National Centre for Research in Children’s Literature at the University of Roehampton, London.
Saturday 18th May 2019
10am – 1pm
Duchesne Building, Ground Floor, Digby Stuart Campus
PROGRAMME
10.00 Registration & refreshments
10.20 Introduction from the NCRCL team
10.30 Research Talk from Dr Karen Williams: ‘‘…an entirely new line’: The Creation and Reception of the Juvenile Christmas Annuals’
11.15 MA Poster Presentations (a chance to talk to current students about their work), refreshments, and meeting the NCRCL team
12.00 Q&A with MA/PhD Children’s Literature Alumni: Isabel MacDonald & Karen Williams
12.45 News from the NCRCL and Student Prizes
1.00 Farewell
Refreshments and cakes will be available to everyone.
NB If you would like to look around the library (and you are not a current student) you will need to sign in with photo ID for a temporary day pass, so please do remember to bring ID with you. There is a café in the library if you need more substantial refreshment than cake and biscuits!
The Open Day is free, but please book your place so that we have numbers for catering. Please contact Julia Noyce in conferencing to confirm your booking: Julia.Noyce@roehampton.ac.uk
