"Give me liberty, or give me death!":
The High Stakes and Dark Sides of Children's Literature

Hosted by Longwood University
June 18-20, 2015
Richmond, Virginia
Omni Richmond Hotel

In 1775, Patrick Henry's famous speech at St. John's Church in Richmond, VA, worked to unite the colonies. His call to arms against British oppression was about dignity and how living without it was as bad as dying. Struggles against repression and gaining access to power and independence are familiar aspects of children's literature, too, though death is rarely the true wager. Still, death is quite present in children's literature, with the loss of a pet; in an orphan's memory of her parents; as a result of war; in the awareness of one's own mortality; in ghost form. At ChLA 2015 we invite the exploration of both sides of Patrick Henry's famous ultimatum, liberty and death, in a city of similar extremes. Contemporary, urban, stylish Richmond rebuilt amid the ghosts of the Revolutionary and Civil Wars is the perfect location to explore the high stakes and dark sides of children's literature.

The Francelia Butler Lecture will be given by Adrienne Kertzer.

HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS: 

Please Note: All room blocks closed on May 27, 2015.  There are a limited number of rooms still available at the Berkeley Hotel and the Commonwealth Park Suites.  Please contact the ChLA office directly at 630-571-4520 to make a reservation at either hotel.

Conference Program

Conference Program - as sent to press on 5.11.15

Conference Program Addendum - changes after 5.11.15 printing

Area Dining

 Restaurants Near the Omni Richmond Hotel - list - map

Conference Schedule