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Steinfirst Lecture combines with NC Literary Festival
Feb. 17, 2009—Children’s book illustrator and author Brian Pinkney is the first writer announced for the 2009 North Carolina Literary Festival, set for Sept. 10-13, 2009.
With the theme “A Celebration of Reading and Writing,” the free public festival at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will include a stage dedicated to programs for children. Pinkney will read from his works, share his illustrations and interact with the audience at 10 a.m., Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009.
Pinkney’s participation in the festival is sponsored by the Susan Steinfirst Memorial Lecture in Children’s Literature in the UNC School of Information and Library Science. Steinfirst taught children’s and young adult literature in the school from 1976 to 1996.
Pinkney has received Caldecott Honors twice, for “The Faithful Friend” (Simon & Schuster, 1995), written by Robert D. San Souci, and “Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra” (Hyperion Books, 1997) by Pinkney’s wife, Andrea Davis Pinkney. Annual Caldecott Honors, from the American Library Association and the Association for Library Service to Children, recognize illustrators of the most distinguished picture books published in the United States.
Books Pinkney has written and illustrated include “Hush, Little Baby” (HarperCollins, 2005), “Cosmo and the Robot” (Greenwillow, 2000), “JoJo’s Flying Side Kick” (Simon & Schuster, 1995), and the winner of the 1997 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, “The Adventures of Sparrowboy” (Simon & Schuster, 1997).
Pinkney followed in the brush strokes of his father, Jerry Pinkney, also a children’s book illustrator. Brian Pinkney received the Coretta Scott King Award from the American Library Association, which honors black authors and illustrators of outstanding books for children and young adults, and three Coretta Scott King Honor Awards.
Brian Pinkney Web site: http://www.brianpinkney.net/
The Susan Steinfirst Memorial Lecture in Children's Literature
The Susan Steinfirst Memorial Lecture in Children's Literature honors the memory of Susan Steinfirst, a professor of children's and young adult literature at SILS from 1976 to 1996. She dedicated her life to the promotion of children's literature by teaching future librarians and by publishing scholarly works in the field.
The North Carolina Literary Festival
The North Carolina Literary festival is an educational outreach project designed to promote reading and writing, spotlighting the literature of the American South. The libraries of UNC and N.C. State and Duke universities, with additional support from N.C. Central University, organize and sponsor the festival, whose location rotates biennially among Carolina, N.C. State and Duke. Since the festival began, it has been held in 1998 and 2002 at Carolina, 2004 at N.C. State and 2006 at Duke.
“The fifth North Carolina Literary Festival will include readings, discussions, exhibits, performances, book signings, lectures and book sales,” said Amy Baldwin, festival director. “Programs and activities will be designed to attract people of all ages from across North Carolina and beyond.”
More than 100 volunteers will be needed for the festival. Those interested in helping may register starting March 1 at: www.NCLiteraryFestival.org
The festival’s children’s area will cater to those 12 and under. Besides hearing from children’s authors, illustrators and storytellers, kids will be able to join in activities including making book bags, drawing, getting their pictures taken with character mascots and getting autographs from some of the presenters.