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[CCBC-Net] seibert award
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From: Benita Strnad <bstrnad>
Date: Tue, 14 Mar 2006 16:03:12 -0600
There are two things I want to address in this e-mail.
1. Seibert Award - I really cannot address the award winner or the honor books as I have not received any of them in my library - as of yet. In contrast I have already received both the Newbery and Caldecott books and the honor books except for Hitler Youth. So I have to ask myself why? I receive the ALA award winning books through an approval plan from a very good vendor. This is a vendor who tries very hard to stay on top of children's and YA books. I don't blame my supplier. My guess is that the publishers, while they should be commended for at last paying attention to quality non-fiction, are at fault. By that I mean that they are not promoting non-fiction to the same degree that they do fiction. I find this interesting.
This winter at ALA I ate supper with several publishers representatives and the general talk was all about the James Frey fiasco and the importance of keeping fiction out of non-fiction. I asked why this issue was of such importance. The answer was that adult non-fiction sales are rising while adult fiction sales are "dead in the water." Is this true for YA books as well? If so why aren't publishers promoting YA non-fiction to the same degree as fiction? Do they send out as many advance copies of non-fiction to librarians and critics as they do fiction? Do they print as many copies of non-fiction as they do fiction? Are the major YA jobbers (I am thinking of BWI) have as many copies of non-fiction as they do fiction available to sell? I think all of these would be a factor in how soon after the Seibert Award is given that I receive the books in the library. In turn I am unlikely to promote books that are not in my collection, or even to talk these up to generate local buzz. This in turn effects sales. Sort of the snake eating the tail effect.
2. In a short paragraph I wish to address the message about George Clooney's speech at the Academy Awards ceremony. I noted that Mr. Clooney failed to acknowledge that while Hollywood did give Ms. MacDaniels an award it did nothing to force integration of the theaters in which its movies were played. In a message to this group last month I stated that it is very hard to unteach historical myths once they get established. Mr. Clooney's speech points out one such instance of historical myth. There are so many misconceptions about all kinds of history. The history of the movie industry is just one of those areas in which misconceptions abound. I am not excusing Mr. Clooney for making erroneous statements, but I do congratulate him for what he said because he reminded this society that art answers to a higher power - that of conscience.
I believe that it is important for artists of all ilks, including literature, to have the freedom to write about subjects that are not mainstream and to write about subjects that might contradict the current beliefs, historical myths, and or outright lies. I believe that Mr. Clooney's speech pointed that out and set the tone for an awards ceremony that helped to explain to the public why Hollywood seems so out of touch to them. (I for one don't think that Hollywood is out of touch, but that is not the subject at hand.) I do not believe that Mr. Clooney's speech was an attempt at brainwashing but rather the exact opposite. It might not have been 100% correct because it was based on the misconception that Hollywood did not observe a color line in 1939, but at least it was an understandable attempt to justify artistic freedom and promote social justice. While pointing out the myths on which the speech was based, I think that librarians should be just as grateful as those involved in the acting professions for Mr. Clooney's short speech.
Date: Tue, 14 Mar 2006 16:03:12 -0600
There are two things I want to address in this e-mail.
1. Seibert Award - I really cannot address the award winner or the honor books as I have not received any of them in my library - as of yet. In contrast I have already received both the Newbery and Caldecott books and the honor books except for Hitler Youth. So I have to ask myself why? I receive the ALA award winning books through an approval plan from a very good vendor. This is a vendor who tries very hard to stay on top of children's and YA books. I don't blame my supplier. My guess is that the publishers, while they should be commended for at last paying attention to quality non-fiction, are at fault. By that I mean that they are not promoting non-fiction to the same degree that they do fiction. I find this interesting.
This winter at ALA I ate supper with several publishers representatives and the general talk was all about the James Frey fiasco and the importance of keeping fiction out of non-fiction. I asked why this issue was of such importance. The answer was that adult non-fiction sales are rising while adult fiction sales are "dead in the water." Is this true for YA books as well? If so why aren't publishers promoting YA non-fiction to the same degree as fiction? Do they send out as many advance copies of non-fiction to librarians and critics as they do fiction? Do they print as many copies of non-fiction as they do fiction? Are the major YA jobbers (I am thinking of BWI) have as many copies of non-fiction as they do fiction available to sell? I think all of these would be a factor in how soon after the Seibert Award is given that I receive the books in the library. In turn I am unlikely to promote books that are not in my collection, or even to talk these up to generate local buzz. This in turn effects sales. Sort of the snake eating the tail effect.
2. In a short paragraph I wish to address the message about George Clooney's speech at the Academy Awards ceremony. I noted that Mr. Clooney failed to acknowledge that while Hollywood did give Ms. MacDaniels an award it did nothing to force integration of the theaters in which its movies were played. In a message to this group last month I stated that it is very hard to unteach historical myths once they get established. Mr. Clooney's speech points out one such instance of historical myth. There are so many misconceptions about all kinds of history. The history of the movie industry is just one of those areas in which misconceptions abound. I am not excusing Mr. Clooney for making erroneous statements, but I do congratulate him for what he said because he reminded this society that art answers to a higher power - that of conscience.
I believe that it is important for artists of all ilks, including literature, to have the freedom to write about subjects that are not mainstream and to write about subjects that might contradict the current beliefs, historical myths, and or outright lies. I believe that Mr. Clooney's speech pointed that out and set the tone for an awards ceremony that helped to explain to the public why Hollywood seems so out of touch to them. (I for one don't think that Hollywood is out of touch, but that is not the subject at hand.) I do not believe that Mr. Clooney's speech was an attempt at brainwashing but rather the exact opposite. It might not have been 100% correct because it was based on the misconception that Hollywood did not observe a color line in 1939, but at least it was an understandable attempt to justify artistic freedom and promote social justice. While pointing out the myths on which the speech was based, I think that librarians should be just as grateful as those involved in the acting professions for Mr. Clooney's short speech.
-- Benita Strnad Curriculum Materials Librarian McLure Education Library The University of Alabama Our whole American way of life is a great war of ideas, and librarians are the arms dealers selling weaposn to both sides. James QuinnReceived on Tue 14 Mar 2006 04:03:12 PM CST
