ALAN Conference--NYC

A thoroughly enjoyable and energizing conference! The ALAN Conference (Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of the National Council of Teachers of English), held November 19-20, 2007, featured about four dozen authors of teen literature talking about their writing, teens’ reactions to their books, and the needs they see among teens. There were special sessions concerning censorship and developing plays and poetry slams, with all sessions of the conference dealing with the topic of “helping teens discover a sense of ‘place’ and ‘self’ through Young Adult literature.” Particularly moving talks were given by Sherman Alexie, winner of the 2007 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, Chris Crutcher, and Peter Sis. The two breakout sessions I attended focused on Young Adult literature about mental illness (good discussion of books and a helpful resulting bibliography) and a censorship case against Marilyn Reynolds’ book Detour for Emmy (a grandmother objected to the book’s sexual content and language). The librarian, also a grandmother, felt strongly about protecting the freedom to read and ultimately succeeded in keeping the book in the library.