Simmons College Center for the Study of Children's Literature
Encyclopedia
The Simmons College Center for the Study of Children's Literature is an academic program at Simmons College
specializing in the critical study of children's literature
. The program was founded in 1977, and was the first program in the United States
to offer a master's degree
in the field.
Currently, the program offers an MA and an MFA
. It also offers an institute to the children's literature academic community in alternate summers. Guest speakers in previous years have included such notables as Louis Sachar
, Maurice Sendak
, Robert Cormier
, Daniel Handler
, and Lois Lowry
. In 1986, a collection of speeches from the summer institute was published as Innocence and Experience: Essays and Conversations on Children's Literature, edited by Gregory Maguire
and Barbara Harrison. The Lion and the Unicorn Poetry
Award is presented at the institute.
The program is currently directed by Cathryn Mercier, a reviewer for the Horn Book Magazine
and co-author, with Susan Bloom, of Presenting Avi
(1997). Previous directors include Susan Bloom, Gregory Maguire
, and Barbara Harrison.
Simmons College (Massachusetts)
Simmons College, established in 1899, is a private women's undergraduate college and private co-educational graduate school in Boston, Massachusetts.-History:Simmons was founded in 1899 with a bequest by John Simmons a wealthy clothing manufacturer in Boston...
specializing in the critical study of children's literature
Children's literature
Children's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...
. The program was founded in 1977, and was the first program in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to offer a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in the field.
Currently, the program offers an MA and an MFA
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts is a graduate degree typically requiring 2–3 years of postgraduate study beyond the bachelor's degree , although the term of study will vary by country or by university. The MFA is usually awarded in visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, dance, or theatre/performing arts...
. It also offers an institute to the children's literature academic community in alternate summers. Guest speakers in previous years have included such notables as Louis Sachar
Louis Sachar
Louis Sachar is an American author of children's books who is best known for the Sideways Stories From Wayside School book series and the 1998 novel Holes, for which Sachar won a National Book Award and the Newbery Medal...
, Maurice Sendak
Maurice Sendak
Maurice Bernard Sendak is an American writer and illustrator of children's literature. He is best known for his book Where the Wild Things Are, published in 1963.-Early life:...
, Robert Cormier
Robert Cormier
Robert Edmund Cormier was an American author, columnist and reporter, known for his deeply pessimistic, downbeat literature. His most popular works include I Am the Cheese, After the First Death, We All Fall Down and The Chocolate War, all of which have won awards. The Chocolate War was challenged...
, Daniel Handler
Daniel Handler
Daniel Handler is an American author, screenwriter and accordionist. He is best known for his work under the pen name Lemony Snicket.-Personal life:...
, and Lois Lowry
Lois Lowry
Lois Lowry is an American author of children's literature. She began her career as a photographer and a freelance journalist during the early 1970s...
. In 1986, a collection of speeches from the summer institute was published as Innocence and Experience: Essays and Conversations on Children's Literature, edited by Gregory Maguire
Gregory Maguire
Gregory Maguire is an American writer. He is the author of the novels Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, and many other novels for adults and children...
and Barbara Harrison. The Lion and the Unicorn Poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
Award is presented at the institute.
The program is currently directed by Cathryn Mercier, a reviewer for the Horn Book Magazine
Horn Book Magazine
The Horn Book Magazine, founded in Boston in 1924, is a bimonthly periodical about literature for children and young adults. It began life as a "suggestive purchase list" prepared by Bertha Mahony Miller and Elinor Whitney Field, proprietresses of the country's first bookstore for children, The...
and co-author, with Susan Bloom, of Presenting Avi
Edward Irving Wortis
Edward Irving Wortis , better known by the pen name Avi, is an American author of young adult and children's literature. He is a winner of both the Newbery Honor and Newbery Medal.- Biography :...
(1997). Previous directors include Susan Bloom, Gregory Maguire
Gregory Maguire
Gregory Maguire is an American writer. He is the author of the novels Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, and many other novels for adults and children...
, and Barbara Harrison.
Notable alumni
- Gregory MaguireGregory MaguireGregory Maguire is an American writer. He is the author of the novels Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, and many other novels for adults and children...
1978, author of WickedWicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the WestWicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, is a parallel novel published in 1995 written by Gregory Maguire and illustrated by Douglas Smith. It is a revisionist look at the land and characters of Oz from L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, its sequels, and the... - Susan Rich 2003, editor at HarperCollinsHarperCollinsHarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
who persuaded Daniel HandlerDaniel HandlerDaniel Handler is an American author, screenwriter and accordionist. He is best known for his work under the pen name Lemony Snicket.-Personal life:...
to take on his Lemony SnicketLemony SnicketLemony Snicket is the pen name of American novelist Daniel Handler . Snicket is the author of several children's books, serving as the narrator of A Series of Unfortunate Events and appearing as a character within the series. Because of this, the name Lemony Snicket may refer to both a fictional...
pseudonymPseudonymA pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
and write for children - Kit PearsonKit PearsonKathleen Margaret Pearson is a Canadian writer and winner of numerous literature awards. Pearson is perhaps best known for her linked novels The Sky Is Falling , Looking at the Moon , and The Lights Go On Again , published in 1999 as The Guests of War Trilogy, and Awake and Dreaming which won the...
1981, best-selling Canadian author of The Sky is Falling, Awake and DreamingAwake and DreamingAwake and Dreaming is a children's novel by Canadian author Kit Pearson. It was first published in 1996. The book follows an impoverished, introverted nine-year-old girl named Theo Caffrey, who dreams of living with a "real" family.- Plot summary :...
among others. - Elena Abos 1999, Spanish translator of Holes, as well as the works of Diana Wynne JonesDiana Wynne JonesDiana Wynne Jones was a British writer, principally of fantasy novels for children and adults, as well as a small amount of non-fiction...
, Margaret MahyMargaret MahyMargaret Mahy ONZ is a well-known New Zealand author of children's and young adult books. While the plots of many of her books have strong supernatural elements, her writing concentrates on the themes of human relationships and growing up.Her books The Haunting and The Changeover: A Supernatural...
, and Jack GantosJack GantosJohn Bryan Gantos, Jr., better known as Jack Gantos is an American author of children's books renowned for his portrayal of fictional Joey Pigza, a boy with ADHD. Gantos has won a number of awards, including the Newbery Honor, the Printz Honor, and the Sibert Honor from the American Library...
. Also writes articles for the Horn Book MagazineHorn Book MagazineThe Horn Book Magazine, founded in Boston in 1924, is a bimonthly periodical about literature for children and young adults. It began life as a "suggestive purchase list" prepared by Bertha Mahony Miller and Elinor Whitney Field, proprietresses of the country's first bookstore for children, The... - Kristin CashoreKristin CashoreKristin Cashore is an American fantasy author, whose debut novel, Graceling, was published in October 2008. The book has been nominated for the Andre Norton and William C. Morris awards, and is held in over 1000 libraries. Her second book, Fire, came out in October 2009, and is described as being a...
, author of GracelingGracelingGraceling is a young adult fantasy novel by Kristin Cashore. It is her debut novel. The story is about Katsa, a young warrior, and her journey of self-discovery. The book earned a place on the Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year for 2008 and received generally favorable reviews...
. - A number of judges for the Newbery MedalNewbery MedalThe John Newbery Medal is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association . The award is given to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. The award has been given since 1922. ...
, the Caldecott MedalCaldecott MedalThe Caldecott Medal is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children , a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children published that year. The award was named in honor of nineteenth-century English...
, and the Boston Globe-Horn Book AwardBoston Globe-Horn Book AwardThe Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards were first presented by The Boston Globe and Horn Book Magazine in 1967. They are among the most prestigious honors in the United States in the field of children’s and young adult literature...
.