Description

The Francelia Butler Conference is hosted every summer by the Graduate Program in Children’s Literature at Hollins University. Since 1995, this entirely student-run conference has honored critical and creative works by that summer’s graduate students with awards in the following categories: poetry, logo design, critical writing, visual art, narrative art, long form creative writing, and short form creative writing. The keynote speakers are renowned authors and scholars of children's literature who have authored esteemed books for all ages. The conference culminates with lectures by the current Margaret Wise Brown Book Award winners. This year’s recipients are Lucy Ruth Cummins for the winning title, Our Pool, and Ævar ?ór Benediktsson for this year’s Honor Title, Stranded! A Mostly True Story from Iceland.
 
Chip Sullivan, Francelia Butler Conference Keynote Speaker
C.W. Sullivan III, Ph.D., is emeritus distinguished professor of arts and sciences, retired from East Carolina University, and a full member of the Welsh Academy for his contributions to the study of medieval Welsh Celtic myth and legend. He is the author of several books, including Welsh Celtic Myth in Modern Fantasy, The Mabinogi: A Book of Essays, and is a past president of the International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts. His articles on mythology, folklore, fantasy, and science fiction have appeared in various anthologies and journals, and he was a Fulbright scholar at Debrecen University in Hungary. 
 
Lectures and silent auction, Saturday, July 20, 9 am, Niederer Auditorium, Wetherill Visual Arts Center, Auction in first floor lobby. Sponsored by the graduate programs in children’s literature.