Love Is a Dangerous Angel: Thoughts on Queerness and Family in Children's Books
The DC Public Library is proud to host the 2015 May Hill Arbuthnot Lecture sponsored by The Association for Library Service to Children on Friday, May 8, 2015 at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library.
The annual Arbuthnot lecture honors the life and work of May Hill Arbuthnot, creator of the famous Dick and Jane children's books and author of the seminal work Children and Books. Brian Selznick, author and illustrator of the 2008 Caldecott-winner, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, as well as many more titles, will deliver this year's lecture. His talk is entitled: Love Is a Dangerous Angel: Thoughts on Queerness and Family in Children's Books.
Speakers in sequence:
* Welcome: Richard Reyes-Gavilan, Executive Director, DC Public Library
* Welcome: Ellen Riordan, President, Association for Library Service to Children
* Introduction to Guest Speaker: Sue McCleaf Nespeca, Chair, 2015 Arbuthnot Honor Lecture Committee
* Love is a Dangerous Angel: Thoughts on Queerness and Family in Children's Books, the 46th Annaul Arbuthnot Honor Lecture
* Announcements: Wendy Lukehart, Youth Collection Coordinator, DC Public Library
About Brian Selznick
Brian Selznick is the winner of the 2008 Caldecott Medal for The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Caldecott Honor recipient for The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins, creator of many New York Times bestellers, and illustrator of multiple Sibert Honor books. He is widely recognized for his exquisite artistry, attention to detail, experimentation with form and narrative, and ability to stimulate minds and touch hearts with spellbinding storytelling.
Perusing a selection of subject headings for Brian Selznick’s books reads like a found poem and offers tantalizing hints of the magic located within: “Boy orphans. Clocks and watches -- repairing and adjusting. Secrets. Robots. Railway stations. Automata. Film industry and trade--history. Makeup Artists. Magicians. Monsters. Fathers -- Death.” Over the years, Selznick has built his many fascinations into a flourishing career as a children’s book author and illustrator.
Born in 1966, in New Brunswick, N.J., Selznick describes a childhood shaped by play and creation, whether building elaborate forts for G.I. Joe action figures in the woods at the edge of his backyard or taking art classes after school with a beloved teacher. “Mostly what I did as a kid was make stuff,” he has said. He also loved classic movies -- inspired by the cinematic storytelling and special effects of classic films like The Wizard of Oz and aided by a family connection -- the legendary Hollywood studio head David O. Selznick was his grandfather’s cousin.
While in high school and college, a number of people encouraged Selznick to become a children’s book illustrator, but he was initially resistant. At Rhode Island School of Design, he fell in love with the theater and began to pursue a career in set design. He eventually decided that illustrating children's books was a good match for his talents and interests, and he began a conscious apprenticeship in the field at Eeyore Children’s Bookstore in Manhattan. His first novel, The Houdini Box, which he also illustrated, was published in 1991 when Selznick was 23.
Selznick continued to create as an author/illustrator, in such novels as The Boy With a Thousand Faces and The Robot King, while also collaborating as an illustrator with several authors, including Pam Conrad, Andrew Clements, Pam Munoz Ryan, Ann M. Martin, Laura Godwin and Barbara Kerley.
In 2002, Selznick was awarded a Caldecott Honor for his work on The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins, a biography by Barbara Kerley. This project led Selznick to what he describes as one of the most exciting research opportunities: he traveled to Sydenham, England, where Waterhouse Hawkins’ huge dinosaur statues still stand. The hollow statues are normally closed to the public, but Selznick was allowed to climb inside and look out of the dinosaurs’ eyes.
In 2007, Selznick published The Invention of Hugo Cabret, his first author/illustrator project since The Boy of a Thousand Faces in 2001. The Invention of Hugo Cabret was a groundbreaking work in more ways than one; in 2008, it became the first novel for older readers to win the Caldecott Medal for excellence in illustration. Selznick followed up in 2011 with Wonderstruck, and will return in the fall of 2015 with a new novel, The Marvels.
The May Hill Arbuthnot Lecture
The Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, chooses an important figure in children's literature every year to honor with the May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Award. The selection for 2015 was Brian Selznick -- for more information read the American Library Association's Press Release. DC Public Library submitted a proposal to become the host for the lecture and won! Click here to read the American Library Association's Site Announcement.
May Hill Arbuthnot (1884-1969) was a strong believer in the importance of children's literature and reading. From writing her own works of fiction for children to writing books for parents and educators on children's literature, Arbuthnot was a preeminant figure in shaping the landscape of children's literature. Arbuthnot also believed that the spoken word has a unique ability to bolster and bring life to literature. Arbuthnot asserted, "I am a strong believer in the efficacy of direct speech.... a forthright vigorous lecture can set fire to a piece of literature that had failed to come to life from the printed page." (Quote from The Arbuthnot Lectures, 1970-79, ALA/ALSC, 1980.) The May Hill Abuthnot Honor Lecture continues Arbuthnot's legacy and commitment to great children's literature.
The Exhibit
An exhibit to explore Selznick's images and process is on view in the Great Hall of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library from March 22-June 21. Featuring images from Selznick's books, historical photographs from the Library's Washingtoniana department, multimedia stations and interactive componets, the exhibit is entitled, Building Wonder, Designing Dreams: The Bookmaking of Brian Selznick. The exhibit was made possible in part by The Institute of Museum & Library Services.
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