One of the unique experiences in our region’s kidlit community is the Western Washington Children’s Literature Conference. This conference is held in Bellingham every year in late February or early March. The date for 2020 is February 29.
The single-day format invites four authors and/or illustrators to give individual presentations, take questions on a panel, and meet attendees individually as they sign books. This year’s guests include graphic novelist LeUyen Pham, YA author Ruta Sepetys, and writer/illustrators Jason Chin and Mac Barnett.
2020 marks the 17th annual conference. This year’s main event is sold out, but if you’re a writer or educator, and want to catch a similar vibe (and maybe connect with the guests and other kidlit colleagues) you can attend nErD Camp on Sunday, March 1, 2020. This free event extends the conversation and fosters community and connections among teachers, children’s librarians, and local author/illustrators. There is no fee for nErD Camp.
To learn more about the magic behind this amazing conference, Beth Bacon spoke with two conference organizers, Nancy Johnson and Sylvia Tag. Nancy Johnson originally conceived the conference as a way to bring outstanding authors and illustrations to Bellingham. She is an English Faculty Emeritus at WWU (retired spring of 2019). Sylvia Tag is the current conference lead. She is a Librarian/Associate Professor and Curator of the Children’s Literature Interdisciplinary Collection at WWU.
Beth Bacon: In your perspective, what are the benefits of the Western Washington Children’s Literature Conference for aspiring writers and illustrators?
Nancy Johnson: We all need to know where we belong, who our people are. If you’re a children’s literature community, this is a place to find your people and get inspired. This conference gives writers someone to look up to. We all need mentors. Often, the writers make presentations about their craft and their process.
We invite four different authors or illustrators, with four different approaches to their craft. They almost always show places where they are vulnerable. They too wrestle with doubt. But they’ve made it happen! It can be a lesson in work ethic. An aspiring writer can say, “Oh yeah, I can do this.”
Beth Bacon: What makes this conference special?
Sylvia Tag: We aim to make the conference a day of inspiration. We know that our attendees are busy people who continually give to others and have numerous demands vying for their time. These incredible educators, students, librarians and local artists give up a Saturday and that means the world to us.
Nancy Johnson: I’m heartened when I see attendees who come to see one particular writer, and discover a new author. It’s great to see “wow” moments when attendees are surprised and walk away with far more than what they expected.
Sylvia Tag: From the moment an attendee walks in the door we hope they feel that the day is for them. Checking in, finding a seat, soaking in the presentations, meeting award-winning authors and illustrators, and ending the day with a cookie!
Beth Bacon: The vibe at this conference is really positive. How do you think that happens?
Nancy Johnson: Our goal is to treat everyone the way they deserve, to be celebrated and respected.
Sylvia Tag: The conference is an invitation to be childlike ourselves. It’s refreshing. People come ready to receive. The educators, students, and writers that come to the conference work hard. They’re taking a day out of their busy schedules. We want them to leave energized and refreshed.
Beth Bacon: The attendees include teachers, librarians, students and writers. Talk about that unique mix.
Sylvia Tag: We see wonderful intersections of people in Bellingham, but also from all around the region, Oregon to British Columbia. We see groups of colleagues come together. One group of teachers and para educators from the same school attend yearly and the conversations they are able to have are transformative.
Nancy Johnson: David Wisener said that picture books are everybody’s books. We like to think of this conference as “everybody’s conference.”
Beth Bacon: One group in the kidlit world that I don’t see at the conference is the business side: publishers, editors and agents.
Slyvia Tag: It wasn’t the vision to have agents and editors at this conference. The vision was to have students and educators come here to hear authors and illustrators talk about their creative process.
Beth Bacon: This conference is a 1-day event in which 2 authors, and 2 illustrators give presentations. How did you come up with this format? Why does it work for you?
Nancy Johnson: We wanted people to meet and get inspired by authors and maybe even have conversations with them. So the one-day format is for people who couldn’t afford the time or money to spend the night.
Sylvia Tag: Our presenters do more than simple “book talks.” They share their creative process and journeys.
Nancy Johnson: There’s no keynote in our conference. No one author is more important than the other. No one is the superstar: everyone is treated as a superstar.
Sylvia Tag: There is nothing like seeing a person live, talking about their influences and inspirations. This is true for all the arts, including the craft of writing and illustrating children and young adult literature.
Nancy Johnson: At a lot of conferences you have to choose which sessions to year [because the talks overlap]. The attendees have to choose, but also what happens is the authors themselves don’t get to be in conversation with each other. With our format, the authors get to listen and appreciate each other. Over the course of the conference, they establish a camaraderie with each other. This gives them the chance to see the conference as fulfilling for them, too.
Sylvia Tag: When our presenters see one another at the podium there is a kind of energy between them. It starts when they come into town and is a delight to behold.
Beth Bacon: Tell us about some extraordinary memories from the conference over the last 17 years.
Nancy Johnson: Several years ago Brian Selznick was a guest around the launch of the Hugo Cabret. We had a special screening of films by Georges Méliès. [Hugo Cabret is a mystery with a plot that revolves around the pioneering filmmaker Georges Méliès]. Another time, Matt Phelan spoke about his biography of Buster Keaton. We showed a film and had a Q and A. It was a fun extra event, also free and open to the public.
Sylvia Tag: One of my favorite memories is when Chris Raschka visited Skyline Elementary. He met with kindergarteners and first graders. Librarian Julie Hunter had prepared the kids, but they really had no idea they were in the presence of greatness. He spoke with the kids and made drawings by hand. He tore the pictures off the easel and gave them to the kids. It was a wonderful moment. Some kids may have kept the drawings, but some will not. Chris Raschka connected to them on a human level and it was marvelous.
Beth Bacon: So it sounds like the conference sometimes includes events outside of the Saturday itinerary. How does that work?
Nancy Johnson: If the authors and illustrators’ schedules permit, we coordinate with schools, libraries and bookstores in the area. Some guests do one-on-one workshops and assemblies in Bellingham and Burlington. Another year, we did a bookmaking project on campus [the campus of Western Washington University].
Sylvia Tag: One year, we did an assembly with every sixth grade class in Bellingham. No matter which of the four middle schools they attended, every sixth grader in Bellingham could all look back on a shared memory. It’s a single event that they all experienced together. That was powerful.
Nancy Johnson: In the last few years, we’ve had the YA authors come to the Young Adult Literature Class at Western Washington University. A few years ago, we were discussing a book by Laurie Halse Anderson. Then the door opened and Laurie Halse Anderson walked in. One student screamed. Then she started to cry. It was such a treat to have the author visit our class.
Beth Bacon: The authors and illustrators you invite have an uncanny tendency to go on to win amazing awards after attending this conference. How do you choose your lineup of speakers?
Nancy Johnson: Success breeds success. The people on our board do a lot of book reviews and read a lot about forthcoming books. I am lucky enough to have been involved in ALA conferences and award committees so I see a lot of outstanding work and build relationships with people. Many of our guests are award winners but some are early in their careers. We invited John Rocco right after his first book came out. He has gone on to be very successful.
Sylvia Tag: Everyone we invite to present has made an impression on a member of the Conference Board at some point, at a conference or book festival. We are always on the lookout for authors and illustrators of books for young readers who are inspiring communicators and eager to share their process.
Our Board members are active in the field of children’s and young adult literature. We pay attention to forthcoming titles, we network with publishers, and we are just big book nerds!
Nancy Johnson: Right now we’re looking at guests for 2021.
Sylvia Tag: At the end of each year’s conference we all look at one another and say “That was the best, we’ll never top it!” and next year rolls around and it’s even better.
Beth Bacon: The WWU Children’s Literature Conference is coming up on February 29, 2020. The conference is a magnet for a range of specialists: teachers, librarians, college students, as well as local author/illustrators. Hope to see you there!