Wicked author Gregory Maguire speaks at national Children's Literature Conference held at Simmons College
More than 400 scholars, critics, and literary professionals are expected to attend the 39th Annual Children's Literature Association Conference hosted by Simmons College and featuring renown author Gregory Maguire. Maguire is a Simmons alumnus and former children's literature professor whose book Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West was adapted into a hit Broadway play.
The three-day national conference will be held June 14-16 and Maguire will deliver the distinguished Francelia Butler Lecture on Friday, June 15.
SIMMONS Magazine recently caught up with Maguire who credits Simmons with expanding his literary viewpoint while also honing his skills as an author and storyteller:
"I had splendid professors at Simmons: kind, devoted to students individually, knowledgeable without being lofty, inclusive," says Maguire. "They taught me, by their example, not just to know the subject, but to know how to think further, ask deeper questions, and, incidentally, quite a bit about how to teach."
The theme of this year's conference, "Literary Slipstreams," will explore the ways children's literature is currently straddling, crossing, confusing, and even redefining genre boundaries. Other conference guests include Phoenix Award Recipient Karen Hesse, author of the novel Letters from Rifka; Roger Sutton, editor in chief of The Horn Book; Nick Clark, curator at The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art; and more.
You can read more about Gregory Maguire's Simmons experience in the Spring 2012 issue of the SIMMONS Magazine.
For more information about the 2012 conference including the full program schedule, please visit the Children's Literature Association Conference website.
Photo courtesy of Andy Newman
Posted by 
