February 2012
13 posts
Alison Bechdel Meets Craig Thompson →
From the article:
“In some respects, they couldn’t be less alike. Raised by fundamentalist Christians, Thompson is a preternaturally gifted illustrator, less comfortable with text than a brush. “Drawing is the more obsessive and easy part,” he explained. “The writing is a lot of sweat.”
“I think I feel the opposite,” Bechdel admitted. “The...
Jesusland by Julia Scheeres →
From the book’s Amazon page:
“Journalist Scheeres offers a frank and compelling portrait of growing up as a white girl with two adopted black brothers in 1970s rural Indiana, and of her later stay with one of them at a Christian reform school in the Dominican Republic. The book takes its title from a homemade sign that Scheeres and the brother closest to her in age and temperament,...
Documentary: Kidnapped For Christ →
From the documentary’s site:
“Kidnapped for Christ is a feature-length documentary film, which follows the stories of several American teenagers who were sent to an Evangelical Christian reform school located in The Dominican Republic called “Escuela Caribe.” The school is run by Americans and is advertised as a “therapeutic Christian boarding school” whose mission is to “help...
Feminist Frequency: Lego & Gender, parts 1 + 2 →
From the article, Lego & Gender, Part 1: Lego Friends:
“In part 1 of my two part LEGO and Gender series, I’ll explore how LEGO went terribly wrong with LEGO Friends and provide a brief history of LEGO’s ridiculous and slightly hilarious attempts to market to girls since the late 70′s. In part 2 I’ll delve into LEGO’s intentional strategy to market almost exclusively to boys since the...
Call For Papers: Female Rebellion in Young Adult... →
From the call, deadline 05.01.12 for 500 word abstract and brief CV:
“In the last decade, stories of dystopian societies have become increasingly prevalent in young adult fiction, and almost all question young people’s places within such societies. Works such as Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games, Lauren Oliver’s Delirium, Ally Condi’s Matched, Veronica Roth’s Divergent, and Laini Taylor’s...
Call For Papers: Beyond Disney: Children’s Films... →
From the call, deadline 03.01.12 for 500 word abstract and brief biography:
“Bruce Babington and Noel Brown, editors
We are seeking contributions to a co-edited anthology which addresses global manifestations of children’s films and family films outside the Disney milieu.
There have been many scholarly works which focus on the historical, commercial and textual aspects of Disney films,...
Mooresville’s Shining Example (It’s Not Just About... →
From the article:
“As debate continues over whether schools invest wisely in technology — and whether it measurably improves student achievement — Mooresville, a modest community about 20 miles north of Charlotte best known as home to several Nascar teams and drivers, has quietly emerged as the de facto national model of the digital school…
The district’s graduation rate was 91...
TV’s Completely Implausible High School... →
Thought Catalog’s Stephanie Georgopulos makes incisive observations about the fantastic impossibilities in teen television characters, especially in regards to education and variations on orphan tale tropes. Selections from the article:
“Jordan Catalano, My So Called Life
I’ll accept that somewhere on earth, there’s a dyslexic, song writing (curious dynamic, there) Calvin Klein model...
Angry Father Shoots Daughter’s Laptop Over... →
From the article:
“This dramatic situation started when Jordan discovered a Facebook post from Hannah, complaining about her daily life at home. The note, which Jordan read and analyzed in his sit-down chat with the camera, takes issue with the slew of chores she’s forced to do each day. “To my parents: I’m not your damn slave,” the note begins. The teenage angst bleeds from the note, as...
Helicopter Parents Hover In The Workplace →
From the article:
“Michigan State University surveyed more than 700 employers seeking to hire recent college graduates. Nearly one-third said parents had submitted resumes on their child’s behalf, some without even informing the child. One-quarter reported hearing from parents urging the employer to hire their son or daughter for a position. Four percent of respondents reported that...
Prom Night: Youth, Schools and Popular Culture by... →
From the book’s description:
“Best shows us that, while the prom is often trivialized, most kids take the prom seriously. The prom is a space where kids work through their understanding of authority, social class, gender norms, and multicultural schooling. Proms are more than just pictures and puffed sleeves—they are a mythic part of youth culture and, for better or worse, will...
Dude, You're a Fag: Masculinity and Sexuality in... →
From the book’s description:
“High school and the difficult terrain of sexuality and gender identity are brilliantly explored in this smart, incisive ethnography. Based on eighteen months of fieldwork in a racially diverse working-class high school, Dude, You’re a Fagsheds new light on masculinity both as a field of meaning and as a set of social practices. C. J. Pascoe’s...
January 2012
11 posts
Teenagers Sharing Passwords As A Show Of Affection →
From the article:
“Rosalind Wiseman, who studies how teenagers use technology and is author of “Queen Bees and Wannabes,” a book for parents about helping girls survive adolescence, said the sharing of passwords, and the pressure to do so, was somewhat similar to sex.
Sharing passwords, she noted, feels forbidden because it is generally discouraged by adults and involves vulnerability....
American Library Association announces 2012 Youth... →
From the article:
“John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children’s literature:
“Dead End in Norvelt,” written by Jack Gantos, is the 2012 Newbery Medal winner. The book is published by Farrar Straus Giroux.
Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children:
“A Ball for Daisy,” illustrated and written by Chris...
Call For Papers: The Child in Neo-Victorian Arts... →
From the call, deadline 01.31.12 for 200 word proposal and draft bibliography:
“This special issue of Neo-Victorian Studies will explore how Victorian constructions of childhood are re-mediated and renegotiated in contemporary arts and discourse, from neo-Victorian children’s literature and/or fiction featuring children, heritage film and television, the media, social policy making and...
Hilda by Luke Pearson →
From the site:
“Hildafolk is my debut comic book from Nobrow Press. It’s 24 pages long and follows Hilda through an eventful day in which she wanders the Scandinavian wilderness she calls her home, draws some rocks, hangs out with The Wood Man and has a chance encounter with a troll. It’s essentially a brief introduction to a character and world I’m intending to expand on and explore in the...
Rookie Mag →
From the site:
“Rookie is a website for teenage girls. With monthly-themed content, we update three times a day, five days a week, and are happy to offer you millions of bad puns. Click here to find out where to send stuff you’d like us to see. Learn about the people who write this thing here.”
Founded by Style Rookie.
Coming July 2012: Team Human by Justine... →
From the site:
“When a vampire shows up at Mel’s high school, it’s up to Mel to keep her best friend from falling in love with him. Add a mysterious disappearance, a cranky vampire cop, a number of unlikely romantic entanglements, and the occasional zombie and soon Mel is hip-deep in an adventure that is equal parts hilarious and poignant.”
Visit Justine Larbalestier and Sarah Rees...
Can a playground be too safe? →
From thearticle:
“…today it’s shared by some researchers who question the value of safety-first playgrounds. Even if children do suffer fewer physical injuries — and the evidence for that is debatable — the critics say that these playgrounds may stunt emotional development, leaving children with anxieties and fears that are ultimately worse than a broken bone…
“Children need...
The Merchants of Cool, FRONTLINE Report →
From thesite:
“Teenagers are the hottest consumer demographic in America. At 33 million strong, they comprise the largest generation of teens America has ever seen—larger, even, than the much-ballyhooed Baby Boom generation. Last year, America’s teens spent $100 billion, while influencing their parents’ spending to the tune of another $50 billion.
But marketing to teens...
