Author and activist Ellen Oh will give a public talk in Lawrence this week as part of LitFest, an event hosted by KU’s Center for East Asian Studies.
Oh’s book, “Finding Junie Kim,” is the featured book for LitFest.
Oh is a former college instructor and lawyer with an interest in ancient Asian history. She has won awards for several of her novels and she’s a founding member of We Need Diverse Books, a nonprofit dedicated to increasing diversity in children’s literature, according to a news release from KU.
“Multicultural children’s literature can provide a meaningful venue for educators to explore perspectives from linguistically and culturally diverse students and their families,” Kwangok Song, KU associate professor of curriculum and teaching, said in the release. “Additionally, teachers can reflectively consider ways to incorporate multicultural literature representing their students’ diverse experiences. CEAS’ Literature Festival, centering on the theme of migration, is intended to reconfirm and strengthen preservice and in-service teachers’ understanding of the criticality of diversity, inclusion and equity in educational settings.”
Specifically, “Finding Junie Kim” and Oh’s activism to support diverse books in classrooms and libraries “can inspire teacher candidates, practicing teachers and administrators to continue their endeavor to create an inclusive environment for culturally and linguistically diverse students,” Song said in the release.
Oh’s public talk is set for 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 8 at the Carnegie Building, 200 W. Ninth St. She will speak “on the cultural and linguistic impacts of diverse representation and the importance of these topics in children’s literature,” according to event organizers.
“Learn how she made the change from lawyer to activist and author to increase representation and shine light on the difficulties of incorporating diverse literature in the U.S.,” organizers wrote on the event page.
The event is free to attend and open to the public, but organizers ask people to register to attend by filling out a form at this link.
Oh will also give an in-service workshop for area K-12 educators at 3 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 7 at Cordley Elementary School, 1837 Vermont St. Registration for that event is also available via this link.
Learn more about Oh and her work on her website, ellenoh.com.
CEAS will also host a free, public Lunar New Year Festival from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 7 at the Burge Union, celebrating the Year of the Dragon. Read more about that at this link.
“The Lunar New Year is the most important holiday in China and is widely celebrated in other East Asian countries. The Year of the Dragon is known for welcoming changes, creativity and a vision for prosperity,” according to a KU news release.
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