SU Children's and Young Adult Literature Festival Continues April 14

SALISBURY, MD---The public has the chance to meet renowned authors and illustrators during Salisbury University’s 2015 Children’s and Young Adult Literature Festival, held April 9-14.

Events begin with a reception with award-winning author Susanne Gervay 5 p.m. Thursday, April 9, in the Great Hall of Holloway Hall. Gervay is one of the most acclaimed authors for youth in Australia. Her rite-of-passage book I Am Jack, focused on school bullying, has been translated into several languages, including Vietnamese and Korean, and was adapted into a theatrical production. It recently was released in the United States. Other books in this series include Super Jack and Always Jack.

The festival continues with the diversity and literature conference “Books for Freedom: We Will Breathe Again” 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, April 11, in the Teacher Education and Technology Center’s Curriculum Resource Center, Room 226. In addition to Gervay, participating authors, illustrators and guests include Kwame Alexander, Bryan Collier, Miranda Paul, Isatou Ceesay, James Roy, Sushmita Mazumdar, Teena Gorrow and Diana Hastings. (Many of the authors and illustrators also visit local schools throughout the week.) Registration is $35, $20 for SU ID holders. To register visit https://webapps.salisbury.edu/clf.

A reception for the exhibit “The Art of Bryan Collier” follows at 2 p.m., also in the Curriculum Resource Center. A native of Pocomoke City, MD, Collier is a nationally celebrated artist and illustrator, who mixes watercolor and collage to bring stories to life. He is a five-time Coretta Scott King Award winner, and his Martin’s Big Words, Rosa, and Dave the Potter also are Caldecott honor books. He was the United States’ 2014 nominee for the Hans Christian Andersen Award for illustration, the most prestigious international award for children’s literature.

His exhibit continues through Monday, May 11. On Tuesday, April 14, he concludes the festival with a discussion of his work at 1 p.m. in the Nanticoke Room of the Guerrieri University Center.

Sponsored by SU’s Samuel W. and Marilyn C. Seidel School of Education and Professional Studies and Teacher Education Department, admission to all activities is free unless otherwise noted. The public is invited.

For more information call 410-543-6509. For a full list of events and author biographies, visit the festival website at http://faculty.salisbury.edu/~elbond/childlitfestival.htm.