Three authors autographing their books at the conference. Left to right: Patricia McCormick, Brian Pinkney, and Andrea Davis Pinkney.
On Saturday, January 29, 2011, the SLIS Indianapolis program co-sponsored the Indianapolis Youth Literature Conference. The conference was held at the Central Library of the Indianapolis Marion County Public Library from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
SLIS faculty member Marilyn Irwin wrote this about the conference:
"Brian Pinkney played the drums, Andrea Davis Pinkney sang, and Patricia McCormick said she was foolish to travel alone to Calcutta. Each was an element provided by these authors during the January 29, 2011 Indianapolis Youth Literature Conference to illustrate how they conduct their creative work.
Brian Pinkey is an author and illustrator of numerous books for youth, many in collaboration with his wife, Andrea Davis Pinkney. Several of the works they jointly produced are biographies of African Americans such as Ella Fitzgerald, Bill Pickett, Alvin Ailey, and Benjamin Banneker. In 1999, Mr. Pinkney was awarded the Coretta Scott King illustrator honor book and Caldecott honor book for Duke Ellington, authored by Ms. Pinkney. The couple shared how they find their words and art as she puts her book ideas to text and he moves them to a higher level with his range of artistic styles – a perfect marriage.
Patricia McCormick demonstrated the lengths that she will go to conduct research for her books. Before writing National Book Award Finalist, Sold, Ms. McCormick traveled to Calcutta to witness the brothels inhabited by teenage girls who were sold into sex slavery. She reminded us that there is no Amber Alert system in India. Her story and photographs captivated the audience as they realized the horror of the truth behind the novel. Ms. McCormick is also the author of Cut, My Brother’s Keeper, and more recently, Purple Heart.
The Pinkneys and Ms. McCormick also provided informal concurrent sessions where conference participants could ask questions. Other sessions included Shirley Mullin of KidsInk talking about recently published books for youth, Dr. Robin Moeller presenting graphic novels for youth adults, Julie Frye and Anne Elise Smith discussing their experience with elementary school students using audiobooks, Dr. Marilyn Irwin sharing information about ALA’s Schneider Family Book Awards, and staff from the Indianapolis Marion County Public Library’s Learning Curve using technology to enhance storytime for children ages three to six.
The conference was co-sponsored by the Indiana University School of Library and Information Science at Indianapolis, KidsInk Children’s Bookstore, Indianapolis Marion County Public Library, and the Indiana State Library."
See Related SLIS News Story:
• 2009 Indianapolis Youth Literature Conference
Posted February 02, 2011