Past Conferences

2017

Bridging Worlds. Reaching out to Young Refugees with Books and Stories

The very first European Regional Conference Bridging Worlds. Reaching Out to Young Refugees With Books and Stories took place in Bologna on the last day of the Children’s Book Fair: Thursday, 6 April 2017.

The programme included an overview of the current situation worldwide, and there were three panels looking at issues related to libraries, to books and to the IBBY Silent Books collection. There were opportunities for the IBBY Europe National Sections to share activities and learn from each other. We also aim to develop a section on the current IBBY Europe website for sharing information, resources and looking at future activities.

2016

Marvellous Imaginations – Extending thinking through picture books

The 2016 conference was held on 5 November and explored the ways in which picture books contribute to the development of the child (or / and indeed the adult) through critical, imaginative, empathetic, creative or other responses. The 2016 conference was held on 5 November and explored the ways in which picture books contribute to the development of the child (or / and indeed the adult) through critical, imaginative, empathetic, creative or other responses.

We looked at the international world of picture books; at trends and developments in publishing; at specific academic research on children’s interaction with picture books; and at some of the wide range of programmes and projects that use picture books as a starting point for their work, including established programmes like the Reader Organisation in Liverpool and new programmes like CLPE’s Power of Pictures and Amnesty’s work with the Greenaway awards. We heard from eminent illustrators, including Laura Carlin who was presented with her medal for winning Biennale of Illustration, Bratislava, one of the oldest international honours for children’s book illustrators, and presented the new Klaus Flugge Prize to Nicholas John Frith for the most exciting newcomer to picture book illustration. The conference also included keynote presentations by well-known illustrators, academics, and key figures in the children’s literature world.

Read the ‘drawn notes’ from MA Graduates Emma Dunmore and Laura Davis who attended conference by clicking on the image to the left. You can also get involved in the day by reading the #IBBYPictures tweets on Storify.

Read the programme for the day and download conference papers here.

2015

Steering the Craft: navigating the process of creating children’s books in the 21st century

The 22nd Annual IBBY UK/NCRCL MA conference took place at Roehampton University, London, on Saturday 14 November 2015.The 22nd Annual IBBY UK/NCRCL MA conference took place at Roehampton University, London, on Saturday 14 November 2015.

Ursula Le Guin provided the title for the 22nd annual IBBY UK/NCRCL MA conference, a writer and thinker who has contributed a great deal to discourse surrounding the craft of writing. This year’s conference started with the concerns of Le Guin’s Steering The Craft (1998), considering the role of writers in book production, and beyond to explore the wider processes involved in creating books for young people. Developments in digital technology and social media, along with the shifting economic climate, have transformed the landscape of book production in recent years and this conference considered the implications of these changes for children’s books. We invited delegates and contributors to think about book production in the widest sense, taking in the various role of: authors; illustrators; translators; editors; designers; printers, agents; publishing houses/marketing teams; book reviewers; booksellers; curriculum design and so on.

The conference included a range of exciting parallel talks, plus keynote presentations from well-known writers, publishers, academics and key figures in the children’s literature domain.

  • Click here for the full programme.
  • Find out more on the NCRCL blog.
2014

Belonging Is… an Exploration of the Right to Be Included and the Barriers that must Be Overcome

Our 2014 conference ‘Belonging Is… an Exploration of the Right to Be Included and the Barriers that must Be Overcome’ took place on 8 November 2014.

  • Download available conference papers here .
  • Find out about the speakers at the conference.
  • Read our blog of the day and get immersed via Storify!
2013

Feast or Famine: Food and Children’s Literature

The 2013 conference took place on 9 November 2013 at the University of Roehampton. The title was ‘Feast or Famine: Food and Children’s Literature’. Digests of the talks by the main speakers and workshop presenters appear in IBBYLink 39 Spring 2014.
2012

Beyond the Book

The 2012 conference took place on 10 November 2012 at the University of Roehampton. The title was ‘Beyond the Book’.The 2012 conference took place on 10 November 2012 at the University of Roehampton. The title was ‘Beyond the Book’.Full details of the conference can be found via the following links to posts on the NCRCL blog:

  • Conference Programme
  • Conference Photos
  • Conference Report: Plenary Sessions
  • Conference Report: Parallel Presentations
2011

It doesn’t have to rhyme: children and poetry

The theme of the conference held in November 2011 was “It doesn’t have to rhyme: children and poetry”.The theme of the conference held in November 2011 was “It doesn’t have to rhyme: children and poetry”.

Michael Rosen has described poetry as saying ‘important things in a memorable way’, and this conference explored what this means for poetry written for and by children. The conference examined aspects of poetry that impinge on young people, with a focus on the question ‘Why does poetry matter?’, begging the more fundamental question ‘What is poetry?’.

  • Take a look at Issue 33 – Spring 2012 It Doesn’t Have to Rhyme: Children and Poetry
2010

Conflicts and Controversies: Challenging Children’s Literature

The title of the conference held in November 2010 was ‘Conflicts and Controversies: Challenging Children’s Literature’.The title of the conference held in November 2010 was ‘Conflicts and Controversies: Challenging Children’s Literature’.The theme reflects the breadth of discussion in which students of children’s literature engage, and the contributions themselves revealed that there is a long and involved history of controversy and conflict both within and about books for young people.

Individual papers from authors, publishers and scholars examined that history, but also considered what makes a book controversial, particularly in the opinion of adults, and how writers through the centuries have portrayed conflict – social, personal and political – to draw the attention of young readers to the often perplexing and uncomfortable realities of life.

  • Details of Proceedings from the 2010 Conference
2009

Going Graphic: Comics and Graphic Novels for Young People

The 2009 conference, whose title was ‘Going Graphic: Comics and Graphic Novels for Young People’, highlighted not only the rich and varied literary output that is developing from the interaction between an increasing variety of graphic media, but also the continuing and fruitful collaboration amongst a wide-ranging group of children’s literature enthusiasts. The conference explored the developing interest in the graphic medium from a variety of perspectives, in addition to considering developments in the range and content of comics and graphic novels now available to children and young people. The 2009 conference, whose title was ‘Going Graphic: Comics and Graphic Novels for Young People’, highlighted not only the rich and varied literary output that is developing from the interaction between an increasing variety of graphic media, but also the continuing and fruitful collaboration amongst a wide-ranging group of children’s literature enthusiasts. The conference explored the developing interest in the graphic medium from a variety of perspectives, in addition to considering developments in the range and content of comics and graphic novels now available to children and young people.

 

  • Details of Proceedings from the 2009 Conference
2008

Deep into Nature: Ecology, Environment and Children’s Literature

The 2008 conference, held on 15 November, had the title ‘Deep into Nature: Ecology, Environment and Children’s Literature’.The 2008 conference, held on 15 November, had the title ‘Deep into Nature: Ecology, Environment and Children’s Literature’.Discourses of global warming and ecological disaster dominate our contemporary world. This conference explored the relationship between texts for children, and nature and the natural world. Featuring contributions ranging from leading authors to eminent academics, it demonstrated the breadth of ways in which today’s ecological and environmental concerns are being confronted and interrogated by children’s writers, educators and scholars.

 

  • Details of Proceedings from the 2008 Conference