Global Renderings of Childhood and Its Literatures
Global Renderings of Childhood and Its Literatures 2023-2024 features an assemblage of public events, research projects, course enrichment opportunities, and outreach initiatives centered on children’s literature, and the narratives of childhood and adolescence.
Developed in collaboration with ten CAL faculty members including Quentin Bailey, Kyung Chun, Clarissa Clò, Lashon Daley, Anne Donadey, Alvin Henry, Minjeong Kim, Kristin Rebien, Kylie Sago, and Roy Whitaker, Global Renderings bridges the work of five departments, four language programs, and the National Center for the Study of Children’s Literature (NCSCL).
This unprecedented collaboration amongst CAL faculty members is a unique opportunity
to share resources, build knowledge, and further research and outreach efforts that
center children’s and adolescent literature.
Current Events
NCSCL Spring Keynote Speaker Author/Illustrator Helen Wu
Thursday, April 18, 2024
2 - 3:30 p.m.
Location: Digital Humanities Center (Love Library, Room 61)
Helen Wu is the author of Long Goes to Dragon School and Tofu Takes Time. Her talk titled, "Books and Beyond: From Idea to Global Reach in Children's Publishing," will provide attendees with a global understanding of children's literature. Wu will also provide attendees with a glimpse into her career as a children's book author. This presentation will cover topics such as the writing process, publishing, and marketing.
This event is free and open to the public.
Global Renderings Research Luncheon featuring Dr. Anne Donadey, Professor, European
Studies & Women's Studies at San Diego State University
Monday, October 30, 2023
11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Location: SDSU Faculty Staff Club (Room B)
Donadey's talk analyzes how Chibundu Onuzo’s novel Sankofa critiques everyday racism, connects it to a history of colonialism, provides various instances of resistance to microaggressions, and offers models for how one learns to identify microaggressions and deal with them as a young Black person.
Book Release
This Is What I Live For: An Afro-Italian Hip-Hop Memoir
By Amir Issaa
Tuesday, October 31, 2023
2 - 3:15 p.m.
Location: Gold Auditorium, Shiley BioScience Center
Born and raised in Rome to an Italian mother and an Egyptian father, Amir Issaa is an internationally renowned hip-hop artist who has creatively collaborated with many Italian and international artists over the decades. Amir will present the book with some of the contributors from SDSU, Dr. Clarissa Clò and Jorge Hernandez (Italian and European Studies), and Dr. Roy Whitaker (Study of Religion), as well as Dr. William Nericcio, SDSU Press Director.
Reading and discussion with Dorit Linke
Author of the novel Beyond the Blue Border (Jenseits der blauen Grenze)
Tuesday, November 7, 2023
9:30-10:45 a.m.
Location: SLHS 149
Linke will discuss her book, Beyond the Blue Border. This work of historical fiction follows teens Hanna and Andreas as they attempt to leave the oppressive environment of socialist East Germany to pursue educational and professional opportunities in democratic West Germany.
Dorit Linke is the author of four acclaimed novels for middle-grade and young-adult
readers. Her debut work, Beyond the Blue Border, was nominated for the prestigious German Youth Book Award in 2015 and has since
found its place on the stage and in school curricula.
Research presentation by Dr. Quentin Bailey, Associate Professor & Chair, English
& Comparative Literature at San Diego State University
Monday, November 27, 2023
11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Location: SDSU Faculty Staff Club (Room B)
Bailey's talk explores how the Romantic period in Britain saw the "effective beginning of mass education" for children, with the competing visions of Bell and Lancaster championed by diverse writers and thinkers. These systems sought to inculcate "virtuous habits" in students and to root out "licentiousness" in "the whole people."