ALAN v23n2 - THE MEMBERSHIP CONNECTION

Kay Bushman, Editor
Ottawa High School, Ottawa, Kansas

News from ALAN

The ALAN Award for outstanding contribution to the field of young adult literature was presented to Robert C. Small, Jr. , at the ALAN breakfast on November 18, 1995, in San Diego, California. Besides publishing numerous articles concerning young adult literature, Small is the dean of the college of education at Radford University and has served ALAN as its president in 1982. He is currently co-editor of the The ALAN Review.

Election results were also announced in San Diego by election chairperson Connie Zitlow . President-elect is Gary Salvner , professor of English education at Youngstown State University in Ohio. The new directors serving three-year terms are Kylene Beers , young adult literature instructor at several universities in Texas; Pamela Sissi Carroll , associate professor of English education at Florida State University; and Ted Fabiano , English teacher at Blue Valley Northwest High School in Kansas. They will join the other board members Arthea "Charlie" Reed , president; Diana Mitchell , past-president; Ted Hipple , executive secretary; and John H. (Jack) Bushman , Patricia Campbell , Chris Crowe , Lois Stover , Ann Wilder , and Connie Zitlow , directors.

Nine recipients for the ALAN Foundation for Young Adult Literature have been announced: Kathleen M. Carico of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University for "Encouraging Literate Behaviors in Young Adults"; Rosemary Chance of Texas Woman's University for "Literary Elements of Young Adult Novels: A Content Analysis"; Melinda L. Franklin of Antioch High School, Nashville, Tennessee, for "A Voice Is Worth a Thousand Words"; F. Todd Goodson of East Carolina University for "Timeless Stories for Today's Young Adults: Folklore, Young Adult Literature, and the Classroom"; Teri S. Lesesne of Sam Houston State University for "Responding to the Needs of the At-Risk Middle School Reader: Electronic Mentoring and Book Responses"; Robert Lockhart of Radford University, Virginia, for "The Community of Young Adult Literature: Young Adult Literature As a Reflection of the Deweyan Pragmatic Theory of Community"; Elizabeth Poe of Radford University, Virginia, for "Exploring First Amendment Rights Through Young Adult Fiction"; Gary Salvner of Youngstown State University, Ohio, for "Breaking Taboos: The Evolution of Young Adult Literature As Seen Through The ALAN Review"; and Connie S. Zitlow of Ohio Wesleyan University for "Sounds and Images in Words: The Language in Literature for Young Adults." These grants for up to $1,000 are awarded annually and funded by royalties from Don Gallo's short story anthologies; by publishers of young adult books; and by a portion of ALAN dues. Applications from these grants are available from Ted Hipple, 301 Claxton Hall, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-3400 , and must be submitted by September 15, 1996.

The 1996 ALAN Workshop will be held in Chicago, Illinois, November 25-26, following the annual NCTE Conference November 21-24. The ALAN Breakfast will be Saturday, November 23, 1996.

News from NCTE

The 1995 Literacy Award from the National Council of Teachers of English has been awarded to Kevin Johnson of the Phoenix Suns basketball team. Johnson was recognized for his contributions to the development of literacy among youths in Phoenix and Sacramento, most notably through his works at St. Hope Academy, which he founded in 1989 to provide youngsters with opportunities for educational, cultural, social, and spiritual growth through after-school and summer programs.

NCTE announces the publication of the new Books for You: An Annotated Booklist for Senior High Students, 1995 Edition, edited by former ALAN Review editor and current English Journal editor Leila Christenbury . With a forward by young adult author Jerry Spinelli , this new edition is designed to help teachers, students, and parents identify engaging and insightful books for young adults by including over 1,000 books published between 1990 and 1994. The book is currently available from NCTE, 1111 W. Kenyon Rd., Urbana, IL 61801-1096.

News of Conferences and Workshops

The sixteenth annual Children's Literature Conference at Northern Illinois University will focus on "The One World of Children's Literature." The institute will be March 15 and 16, 1996, in DeKalb, Illinois. Featured speakers include Natalie Babbitt, Raymond Bial, John Bierhorst, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, Joseph Bruchac, Jeffrey Garrett, Megan McDonald, and Anne Pellowski . For further information, contact Jeanette Heinisch, College of Education--External Programs, NIU, DeKalb, IL 60115, or call 1-815-753-6926 .

"YA Bibliorama! The Best 100 Young Adult Books--So Far" was the title of an intensive all-day workshop on young adult literature presented at the Los Angeles Central Library on September 19 to an enthusiastic audience of 100 youth services librarians. Developed by renowned YA literature specialist Patty Campbell for Los Angeles Public Library under a grant, the YA Bibliorama is now being offered to libraries and schools nationwide for staff training. The half- or full-day sessions use lecture, video, and small-group discussion for a lively total immersion into the best and most relevant fiction for young adults. For further information and bookings, call 1-800-659-5222 .

Calls for Manuscripts and Publications

The Florida Council of Teachers of English invite you to share your good reading experiences with others. Send your book reviews to Rose Schmitt, FCTE Newsletter, 915 Miller Lane, Melbourne, FL 32934 .

Indiana English invites submissions of manuscripts reviewing favorite books which would interest students and teachers of English. Send reviews of no more than 500 words each to Dr. Sharon Vincz Andrews, Editor, Indiana English, Department of Elementary/Early Childhood Education, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN 47809 .

News of Awards

Laurence Yep has been named the recipient of the 1995 Phoenix Award for Dragonwings (Harper). This is an award given to a book originally published in English which "deserves additional recognition" twenty years following its publication.

The 1995 Maine Student Book Award was given to Lois Lowry for The Giver. (Houghton)

Joan Lowery Nixon received the 1995 Young Hoosier Book Award in the 6-8 grade division for Whispers from the Dead (Dell).

Do you have any announcements regarding conferences, publication, or awards in the area of young adult literature? If so, send them to the new Membership Connection editor, Chris Crowe, English Department, 3135 JKHB, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602 or e-mail him at chris_crowe@byu.edu . Deadlines are as follows: March 15 (spring issue), July 15 (fall issue), and November 15 (winter issue).