Top children’s writers, illustrators coming to Fresno State

A conference titled “Painted Words and Spoken Pictures” will bring award-winning children’s writers and illustrators to the Fresno State campus on Oct. 6, 2007.

Presented for authors, illustrators, teachers, librarians, collectors and fans of children’s and young adult literature, the conference is sponsored by The Arne Nixon Center for the Study of Children’s Literature at California State University, Fresno, and the North Central California Chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Conference speakers will include:

Aliki, the award-winning author or illustrator of 200 children’s books including “How a Book is Made,” “William Shakespeare and the Globe,” “My Five Senses” and “The Play’s the Thing.”

Karen Cushman, the Newbery-winning author of “The Midwife’s Apprentice”; “Catherine, Called Birdy;” “The Ballad of Lucy Whipple;” “Matilda Bone;” “Rodzina;” and “The Loud Silence of Francine Green.”

Yuyi Morales, illustrator of “Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez,” “Sand Sister” and “Los Gatos Black on Halloween” and the author/illustrator of “Little Night” and “Just a Minute: A Trickster Tale and Counting Book,” which won the Pura Belpré Medal for illustration

Carolyn Yoder, author of “George Washington: The Writer” and the forthcoming “John Adams: The Writer” and editor of Calkins Creek, the United States history imprint of Boyds Mills Press.

The cost is $85 with discounts for members and for early registration. Manuscripts may be submitted for critique for an extra charge. The deadline for submissions or early registrations is Aug. 6. For information send e-mail to anc@listserv.csufresno.edu or call 559.278.8116.

The Arne Nixon Center is one of North America’s leading research centers for the study of children’s and young adult literature. The growing collection of 45,000 books, periodicals, manuscripts, illustrations and related materials has a multicultural emphasis, dating from 1865 to current publications. The center serves students, faculty, scholars, authors, illustrators, translators, collectors and critics from the fields of English, education, library science, art, storytelling, history, sociology, women’s studies, multicultural studies and American studies.

Arne Nixon taught children’s literature and storytelling for more than 30 years. When he died in 1997, he left the Madden Library at Fresno State his extensive personal collection and a bequest. The Arne Nixon Center opened with his 22,000 books and other donations in April 2001.