A Pocketful of Poets Inform and Inspire at WCU

On Saturday October 20th West Chester University’s Fourth Annual Children’s Literature Conference will attract a crowd of more than 350 K-12 teachers, librarians and undergraduate education majors to Emily Asplundh Concert Hall. It will be a special day for those who love books and children, and who want to learn new things about books and illustrations.

This year the conference is co-sponsored by West Chester University of PA’s Department of Literacy and Verizon. Through sponsorships of programs such as WCU’s Children’s Literature Conference, Verizon helps to assure that people gain the complex literacy skills needed to participate and compete in the 21st Century.

Dena Beeghly, West Chester University Professor of Literacy and co-organizer of the conference, recalls how it came to be:

“My co-organizer, Dan Darigan, began things. He set up seminars, inviting one noted author at a time to speak to a group of interested teachers and students. Then, colleagues in the Literacy Department joined in, with vencouragement from librarians and teachers of the region, to build something bigger. We realized that there was no other similar full-day conference offered on this subject in the area.”

The first conference attracted 200 and two years later it was necessary to turn people away for building safety reasons, when the attendance reached 350. This year another large crowd is anticipated to hear giants in the field of children’s poetry - Linda Sue Park, J. Patrick Lewis, and Jack Prelutsky. The trio -all nationally acclaimed award-winning poets- will read their works and comment on the creative processes of writing and book illustration.

Dr. Sharon Kletzien, Chair of the Literacy Department, points out some of the benefits to educators attending the conference:

“In addition to four Act 48 Credits awarded to teachers who apply for them and attend, this conference sparks many conversations about experiences with literature and using these experiences in the classroom. It gives pre-service and practicing teachers a perfect context for networking and mentoring.”

And how do school students benefit from this gathering of teachers and librarians? According to DenaBeeghly:

“The more a teacher reads – and reads broadly - the more they bring to class. Whenteachers and librarians are excited and knowledgeable about books, when they talk about what they are reading outside of class, they are modeling good practices for the kids. As kids pick up books recommended by a favorite teacher, they begin to get in touch with a variety of genres and styles. They ultimately open up to diversity in reading and achievement. They become ‘readers for life!’ ”

Are you interested in attending the conference? Call 610.436.6931 to register with a credit card.