One of the most banned writers in America, Judy Blume, describes experiences--from her childhood and her adult life as a writer--with banned books and censorship. Includes an interview on her view of the state of intellectual freedom and an American Library Association brochure (number 2 in a series, 12 pages) on intellectual freedom. (AEF)

Presents four short interviews with some of the most respected names in children's literature: Jane Yolen, Kyoko Mori, Rita Williams-Garcia, and Joseph Bruchac. Discusses particular book subjects, how the writers came to be writers for children, new books, and characters described in the stories. (SC)

Claims the story of the death of the author carries with it an edifying mission: (1) it gets rid of the mystifying figure of the author; and (2) it points the way toward rehabilitating the notion of agency. Supports Walter Benjamin's position that argues a need to socialize the author as producer. (NH)

A former English professor describes his search for the author of a poem he first came across in 1970--a version of which appears in Stephen Chbosky's 1999 novel, "The Perks of Being a Wallflower." He cites numerous dead ends, and various author identities, titles, and versions. His search ended after contacting the author, Dr. Earl…

Presents an interview with award-winning children's author Lois Lowry, who reflects upon her career as a writer and shares insights about some of her favorite characters, including Anastasia. Considers also the many controversies that have surrounded "The Giver." (SR)

Presents an interview with teacher, "theorist of writing, accomplished rhetorician, and prolific author" Gloria Anzaldua. Comments on going beyond dichotomies of all kinds--allowing for nonbinary identity, for new states of "mestiza" consciousness, and for multiple writing strategies. Addresses her prior experiences with and…

Presents an interview with Karen Hesse, author of 12 books of fiction for young, middle, and older readers, and winner of the 1998 Newbery Award. Offers an overview of Hesse's books, organized into picture books, transition chapter books, and novels. Presents a discussion of the themes found in her books, highlighting children's discussion…

Presents an interview with renowned children's author and illustrator Tomie dePaola. Discusses book ideas, the process of writing, the editor's role, dePaola's art, people who have influenced his artistic vision, fellow illustrators he admires, how published books take on a life of their own, how teachers share his books with kids, and children's…

Presents 12 brief answers by editors and authors to the question of what a short story is. Includes a 23-item annotated bibliography of the best new (published between 1997 and 2000) short story collections for young adults. (RS)

Argues that kids do not go wrong or fall into despair for no good reason. Maintains that people are inculturated to certain areas of social blindness and denial, and that the function of all good literature is to break through that to unmask and show inner realities. (SR)

This tribute to Robert Fairthorne, a pioneer of information science, who died May 24, 2000. Honors his achievements, awards, years spent at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, theoretical papers published over twenty years, and his Canfield research in the United States. Highlights his transition from Aeronautical Research to Information Science.…

Argues for the study of popular female authors of the Victorian era on two grounds: (1) issues concerning Victorian female writers are relevant to problems in Victorian literary scholarship and to discussions about the relationship between literary theory and feminism; and (2) their works were printed on acid paper. (TB)

Describes an index of cohesion for the investigation of communication between authors or academic units and compares it with the Brillouin-Shaw index. Communication and cooperation between researchers is discussed and graph theory is explained, especially cooperation graphs. (Author/LRW)

Discusses dilemmas that confront authors who must decide whether to address a relatively restricted audience in their native tongue or compete for a much larger public by either learning more widespread language or relying on translations. Focus is on the issue of free or restricted exchange of texts. What happens when more authors and readers…

Notes that an increasing number of contemporary multicultural children's books aid readers' text comprehension with an author's note, foreword, or afterword. Describes ways teachers can use these author's notes, and ways to make the most of this author information. (RS)