Viewing Children's Books Through an Intersectional Lens

OVERVIEW:

Professional & Personal Development for Educators, Librarians, Storytellers, & Publishing Professionals

Build the skills you need to analyze children’s books for meaningful representation, reader engagement, visual literacy, and more.

• This is an in-person workshop at our Retreat Center packed with lectures, interactive discussions, and guest sessions.
• Lodging and meals are included.
• Begins at with dinner 5:30pm Eastern on Monday, June 20
  
• Ends with lunch at 1:00pm Eastern on Thursday, June 23
  
• 20 participants max

FEEDBACK EXPECTED:

• No feedback is expected for writers or illustrators. As part of our Essential Conversation series of programming the purpose of this event is to grow through the important discourse, not receive one-to-one or peer feedback on your works-in-progress.

WHY THIS WORKSHOP?

Reading, discussing, and analyzing children’s books makes for better children’s books.

Whether you are critically reading as an educator, writer, illustrator, editor, agent, or publisher, this important work must be done thoughtfully and with an intersectional lens.

Join children’s book educators, researchers, scholars, and storytellers: Dr. Laura M. Jiménez, Franki Sibberson, Clare Landrigan, Lynsey Burkins, and Grace Lin (who is visiting virtually) for a professional development workshop to:

• Build skills for meaningful representation, reader engagement, visual literacy, and more
• Learn, reflect, and share your discoveries with the group

THIS WORKSHOP IS A GREAT FIT IF:

• You are, or want to be, an ally, co-conspirator, or abolitionist in the fight for representation in children’s books. Join us to learn more and spread the word in all children’s lit spaces.
• You’re a classroom teacher, literacy leader, or you are teaching teachers. Reading, discussing, and analyzing children’s books is an essential skill for teachers at all levels.
• You’re a writer or illustrator of books for children. This course is especially geared toward stories in the elementary grades, but is applicable for all storytellers.
• You’re a librarian, or building a library. Not with hammers and wood, but with BOOKS! Whether it is a personal library, public library, classroom library, school library, Little Free Library, and/or book collection for profit, this course will guide you to a more equitable and inclusive approach to gather books for children.
• You work in the publishing industry. Editors, agents, and publishing professionals will deepen their understanding of these essential conversations in the industry.

DETAILED AGENDA:

Pre-Workshop:

• You will receive a link to our virtual classroom where you can introduce yourself to fellow attendees and engage in Highlights Foundation related resources (including our Community Standards).
• You should complete the required reading for the workshop.  See the list at the bottom of this page.  Participants are not required to purchase all texts for readings. Instead, you are encouraged to use your local library. If you do purchase, you are also encouraged to purchase from local independent bookstores where you are able.

Retreat Schedule:

(All times Eastern Standard Time)

Monday, June 20

• 3pm – 5pm Eastern:     Arrival and check-in
• 5:30pm:                          Appetizers & Dinner
• Following dinner:        Welcome & Introductions (Set up affinity groups)

A note about workshop agendas and how they change and evolve.

ABOUT OUR RETREAT CENTER:

The Highlights Foundation strives for a safe and inclusive environment. You will have access to our Community Standards prior to the workshop where we ask for your respectful engagement with fellow creatives, including our faculty and staff.

All in-person Highlights Foundation workshops (including this one) are held at our Retreat Center: The Barn at Boyds Mills.  This site was the home of the original founders of Highlights for Children Garry and Caroline Myers, and is located in the Poconos Mountains of Pennsylvania on the traditional and contemporary lands of the Lenape Nation.

Your workshop tuition includes lodging, farm-fresh meals with snacks, and shuttle service from our local airport or bus/train stations if you need it.  For more information about attending a workshop or retreat here, visit the Barn at Boyds Mills website.

HOW THIS WORKSHOP IMPACTS KIDS:

Educators, librarians, storytellers, publishing professionals: we’re all people who get books into kids’ hands.  Books impact their lives directly, and help shape their world view. As a result, we have a responsibility to ensure meaningful representation that serves all kids.

Why do we mention this? Learn about the Highlights Foundation mission.

COMMITMENT REQUIRED FOR THE BEST EXPERIENCE:

As an in-person event at our Retreat Center, you’ll have a chance to step away from everyday life to immerse yourself in this learning. We build in breaks and independent time so you have space for your personal needs. While we encourage participation in all group events, we know that as an adult learner you can decide if you need more time to yourself. Please let someone from our staff or faculty know if you plan to step away from group activities.

Another commitment that will help you get the most from this workshop is the required reading list.  Participants are not required to purchase all texts for readings. Instead, you are encouraged to use your local library.

Read some ideas about planning for the right level of commitment.

REQUIRED READING

Scholarship to read prior to workshop.

• Kimberlé Crenshaw: The Urgency of Intersectionality
• Laura M. Jiménez: The Overwhelmingly White, Straight, and Able Face of Children’s Literature. 2019, Michigan Reading Journal, 51(1), 9.
• Laura M. Jiménez: Mirrors and windows with Texts and readers: Intersectional Social Justice at work in the Classroom,. 2021, Language Arts, 98(3), 156-161.
• “Frog and Toad”: An Amphibious Celebration of Same-Sex Love by Colin Stokes in The New Yorker, May 31, 2016
• Hee Young Kim and Angelica Serrano: Enhancing Critical Visual Literacy through Illustrations in a Picture Book
• Lynsey Burkins: Incidental Diversity (A Bring Me a Book Toolkit)

Picture books to read prior to workshop

• Your Mama by NoNieqa Ramos and illustrated by Jacqueline Alcántara
• A Big MoonCake for Little Star by Grace Lin
• Fearless Heart: An Illustrated Biography of Surya Bonaly by Surya Bonaly and Frank Murphy, illustrated by Anastasia Magloire Williams
• In the Spirit of a Dream: 13 Stories of American Immigrants of Color told in poems by Aida Salazar and feature artwork by Alina Chau, Gaby D’Alessandro, Jose Ramirez, Ken Daley, and more
• What I Am, by Divya Srinivasan

FROM OUR COMMUNITY:

“As a writer, I am always trying to expand the way I think about, not only my writing, but the world around me. This course gave me tools to keep challenging that thinking as well as a peek into how this is being done in classrooms. I find myself referring back to the course material often.”–Heidi EY Stemple

“I learned so much from the team of experts that led this workshop. It was a life-changing experience and I’m looking forward to the next workshop in this series of Essential Conversations.”

“About the faculty: Fabulous, knowledgeable, able to have hard conversations and discuss challenging topics. So well versed in their area of expertise.”

“I was easily able to take what they were saying and not only take it onboard to make me a better human, but also I see ways to use the information and resources in my writing and teaching writing. I’m still reading–every one of their talks and readings and links sent me on to more things to learn and study. And it will take a long time–a lifetime?–to digest everything I’ve learned. But, I realize that is the intent, so I am happy for it all.”