From: Elsa Marston <elsa.marston>
Date: Sat, 4 Jul 2009 16:52:17 -0500

Hello, CCBC friends--

A quick report on the international conference on children's literature held in Beirut, June 12-14, which by all evidence came off very well indeed--especially for something that has never been done before in the Arab countries (at least on this scale). I was able to attend only the third day, when I spoke on U.S. children's/YA literature about the Arab world. I was most impressed by the eager attendance and high energy, and was told that the first two days were the same. There were presenters from the U.K., Denmark, Germany, Iran, Tunisia, Egypt, France, Italy, as well as Lebanon; and the simultaneous translation was quite amazing.

Later I met with a couple of the women who had organized the conference, to brainstorm ideas for the next, planned for 2011. One thing will have to be different: box lunches instead of the lavish gourmet meals the hotel served, Beirut cuisine at its most elegant! (This conference was paid for by corporate, governmental, and NGO contributions, with no registration fees; but that kind of thing can hardly be counted on in the future.) Something else struck me: the need for writers to develop a certain spirit of "critical encouragement," or "encouraging criticism," as they work together to develop their craft professionally. Anyone who has ever been in a writers' group, or critiqued a work in progress, knows that constructive criticism, that neither praises too much nor hurts too much, is a fine art....and it doesn't come naturally in every culture.

The papers and presentations (the majority in English, I think, the rest in Arabic) will be published in a volume, presumably by the end of the year. When I get my copy, I'll announce it here--and will welcome inquiries from anyone who might like to get a copy.

Elsa www.elsamarston.com
Received on Sat 04 Jul 2009 04:52:17 PM CDT