Call for Papers: Robert Leeson

I am chairing a symposium on Robert Leeson’s Reading and Righting 34 years after publication. Please do have a look and contact me for any further information.

Call for Papers: Symposium- Robert Leeson’s Reading and Righting: Culture and representation in children’s literature, 34 years on

Date 20^th June 2019

Abstracts due 15^th January

Location: University of East London, Stratford E15

Confirmed speakers:

• Michael Rosen, poet and author, former children’s laureate and Professor of Children’s Literature at Goldsmith’s, University of London

• Farrah Serroukh, Learning Programme Leader, Campaign for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE)

Robert Leeson, the children’s author and literary editor of the socialist newspaper The Morning Star, died on 29^th September 2013. 2019 marks 34 years since the publication of Reading and Righting; The past, present and future of fiction for the young, where he called for a more socially and culturally representative children’s literature. However, the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education’s (CLPE) research, Reflecting Realities (2018) indicates that only 1% of children’s books published in 2017 featured a BAME main character.

This symposium seeks papers related but not limited to:

• Robert Leeson’s fiction
• Children’s publishing and representation
• Gender, race/ethnicity, social class, disability, sexuality and/or cultural or religious backgrounds in children’s literature
• Children’s historical fiction and under-represented groups

This CfP particularly welcomes presentations from scholars from diverse backgrounds, and from school-based colleagues.

It is expected that presentations will be worked into short essays for publication.

Abstracts and any questions should be sent to Alison Baker, LeesonSymposium@gmail.com.

For more information on Robert Leeson, please see here http://www.walker.co.uk/contributors/Robert-Leeson-1649.aspx

For more information about the Teacher Education Research Group, please see here https://www.uel.ac.uk/research/the-teacher-education-research-group

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