Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of NCTE

The purposes of this Assembly are to promote communication and cooperation among all individuals who have a special interest in adolescent literature; to present programs and conferences on this subject; to promote and increase the number of articles and publications devoted to it; and to integrate the efforts of all those with an interest in this literature.

ALAN, the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of NCTE, will hold its annual workshop in Denver immediately following the 1999 NCTE Annual Convention. This workshop, chaired by Joan F. Kaywell, ALAN President, will feature numerous speakers, panels, and other presentations on the theme "Saving Our Students’ Lives with Literature and Laughter."

Noted secondary school teacher and author Sharon M. Draper will deliver the keynote address. Ms. Draper was honored by President Clinton as the 1997 National Teacher of the Year. She is a professional educator, as well as a popular writer. She is the published author of Tears of a Tiger (1994), Forged by Fire (1997), Ziggy and the Black Dinosaurs (1994), Ziggy and the Black Dinosaurs: Lost in the Tunnel of Time (1995), Ziggy and the Black Dinosaurs: Shadows of Caesar’s Creek (1997), Let the Circle Be Unbroken (poetry), and Buttered Bones (poetry). Sharon Draper currently lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she has spent more than 25 years teaching junior high and high school students how to appreciate the beauty of literature and how to communicate their ideas effectively. She travels extensively, and is an accomplished public speaker, discussing issues of educational and literary significance to both national as well as international audiences. Authors of young adult novels who will give presentations include Marion Dane Bauer, Michael Cart, Jan Cheripko, Christopher Paul Curtis, Jack Gantos, Nancy Garden, Sara Holbrook, Tim Wynne-Jones, Marie G. Lee, Ann C. LeMieux, Lois Lowry, Chris Lynch, John Neufeld, Adam Rapp, Beatrice Sparks, Carol Lynch Williams, Dan Woog, among others.

The ALAN Breakfast will be held Saturday, November 20, at 7:30 a.m., with Chris Crutcher giving the breakfast address. Chris Crutcher is a former teacher and director of a K-12 alternative school in Oakland, California. He is a certified mental health counselor and child mental health specialist who has worked for 13 years at the Spokane Community Mental Health Center in the area of child abuse and neglect, working with family members of all ages. He currently does that same work in private practice and is the chairperson for the original Spokane Child Protection Team, a group of voluntary professionals who advise Child Protection Service workers on high-risk cases. Chris Crutcher is also the author of six young adult novels and a book of short stories ( Athletic Shorts , 1991)–all designated as ALA Best Books for the year of their publication–as well as an adult suspense novel. His award-winning novels include Ironman (1995), Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes (1993), Chinese Handcuffs (1991), Stotan! (1990), The Crazy Horse Electric Game (1987), and Running Loose (1983).

Tickets for this event, including breakfast, can be ordered ONLY by sending a check, PAYABLE TO ALAN , to Ted Hipple, 443 Claxton Education Building, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-3400. Mail deadline is November 4. No tickets will be available in Denver, but people who wish to hear the author may do so by arriving approximately an hour after the breakfast. Chairs will be available in the rear of the room for that purpose. People who wish TO JOIN ALAN may do so by simply mailing a check for $15.00 (made out to ALAN/NCTE) to ALAN Membership, National Council of Teachers of English, 1111 W. Kenyon Road, Urbana, Illinois, 61801-1096.

ALAN continues to publish The ALAN Review , a journal appearing three times a year featuring articles about young adult literature, trends and news in the field, and reviews of books. The current editor is Pamela "Sissi" Carroll, and she can be reached at the following address: College of Education, 209 MCH, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, 32306-4490.

The ALAN officers and directors, as of the conclusion of the 1998 Annual Workshop are as follows: Joan F. Kaywell, President; Connie S. Zitlow, President-Elect; Lois T. Stover, Past President; and Terry C. Ley, Rita Karr, Suzanne Reid, Michael Cart, Sarah K. Herz, Bill Mollineaux, Sandra Broadnax Betts, F. Todd Goodson, and Lisa Spiegel, Directors. Ted Hipple is the Executive Secretary of ALAN.