Ashley Bryan Donates Art

     Artist/author Ashley Bryan has donated twelve pieces of original art from his famous picture books to the Arne Nixon Center for the Study of Children’s Literature, a department of the Henry Madden Library. The gift includes bright tempera paintings from The House with No Doors and The Story of the Three Kingdoms and watercolors from The Story of Lightning and Thunder and All Night, All Day. Pen and ink studies and paintings for The Dancing Granny show dancers in motion—their depiction so dynamic that they seem likely to shimmy right off the paper. The gift also includes a crayon pencil sketch from The Cat’s Purr, selected by the artist in honor of the Center’s Helen Monnette Amestoy Collection of Books on Cats.

    Ashley Bryan, who writes most of the books he illustrates, is the winner of three Coretta Scott King awards for illustration. In 2009 he won the American Library Association’s Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, a lifetime achievement award for substantial and lasting donations to children’s literature. In 2010 he won a Golden Kite Award from the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators for the best non-fiction book of the year, for his amazing and unusual picture book autobiography Ashley Bryan: Words to My Life’s Song.

ARE YOU SCARED YET?

Robert San Souci speaks for the Big Read Program

Everyone is invited to a talk by author Robert D. San Souci at 2 p.m. on Sunday, October 17, at the Woodward Park Library, 944 East Perrin Avenue in northeast Fresno. The program, which is co-sponsored by the Arne Nixon Center, is part of the Fresno County Public Library’s Big Read program. This event is FREE and open to the public.

The Big Read theme this year is the works of Edgar Allan Poe and other scary stories, like Haunted Houses (Are You Scared Yet?) by Robert San Souci. The Big Read will offer more than 100 programs in October and November, including this one, which is suitable for readers of all ages. Refreshments will be served. The author’s books will be available for sale and autographing from Petunia’s Place bookstore.

Click here for more info.

ANCA 2010 Annual Meeting with Virginia Pilegard

Children's book author, Virginia Pilegard

The Arne Nixon Center Advocates invite everyone to their annual meeting, featuring picture book author Virginia Walton Pilegard. The program will be held on Friday, September 17, at the Henry Madden Library, 5200 N. Barton Avenue, Fresno. The evening will begin with a reception, featuring Chinese hors d'oeuvres, wine, and soft drinks at 6 p.m. The meeting will begin at 6:45 p.m.

Virginia Pilegard began writing for children while teaching math to third and fourth graders. Her Warlord series of seven picture books features well researched adventure stories set in ancient China, each demostrating a math concept.

Friends of Freddy to flock to Fresno (EVENT UPDATE)

The Friends of Freddy will gather at the Arne Nixon Center from March 26-27, 2011 (date changed from March 19-20), to celebrate that pig o'their hearts, Freddy, the talking animal hero of 25 children's books written by the late Walter R. Brooks and published by Alfred A. Knopf from 1927 to 1958, the year of the author's death.
This gathering is free for members and $25 for non-members (Friends of Freddy membership info: http://www.freddythepig.org/MemOrder.html). RSVP are required by calling 559-278-8116 or email to mrianto@csufresno.edu.

In addition to the Freddy books, Brooks was the author of more than 200 short stories for adults, 20 of them featuring Ed the Talking Horse, whose adventures fromed the basis of the kitsch classic TV show of the 60s, "Mr. Ed."

Leo Politi Garden Dedication

The dedication ceremony for Leo Politi Garden were held on June 2. It was a very nice event attended by the Center's community supporters and fans of Leo Politi.

The garden honors the friendship between children's illustrator and author, Leo Politi, and his friend, the late Professor Arne Nixon. Politi, who was born in Fresno, lived most of his adult life in Los Angeles, but returned many times to speak at, and draw and paint at, workshops put on by Nixon.

The garden is funded by ANCA, the Arne Nixon Center Advocates. ANCA is the support group for the Arne Nixon Center for the Study of Children’s Literature.

Oz: The Books Conference Round Up

Oz: The Books Conference was held on May 14-16, 2010 at Fresno State Campus, and so-sponsored by the Arne Nixon Center and the International Wizard of Oz Club.
Renowned Oz experts and speakers such as Gregory Maguire, John Fricke, Eric Shanower, and many more, shared their Ozzy experiences.
See some of the photos from the conference at Arne Nixon Center's album.
Thank you to all the speakers, performers, and everyone that helps to make the Conference a success!

Here are some of the press coverage links for the Oz Conference:

A Wicked Secret Garden Party

Update 04/14/04: It was a rather rainy party but wonderful nevertheless, with great food, entertainments, awesome decorations, and pretty umbrellas. Thanks to all that came out to support the Center! Some pics from the party can be viewed right now at our Facebook page, the rest of the pics will be up through a link from our website soon... 

ANCA, the Arne Nixon Center Advocates, invites everyone to its eighth annual Secret Garden Party, on Sunday, April 11th, from 3 to 5 p.m. There will be no cyclones, flying monkeys, or apple-throwing trees, but you might see a Wicked Witch in this spacious north Fresno garden. The party will feature songs from “Wicked,” the hit Broadway musical, and other Ozzy surprises. The exact location of the garden party will be revealed to underwriters and ticket holders upon registration.

Underwriters are needed; they will receive tickets to the party and acknowledgements in promotional materials. The $1,000 Sponsor fee includes up to eight tickets; Patrons, for a $500 fee, get up to six tickets; Contributors, for $250, receive up to four tickets. Individual tickets are also available for $50. The garden party is ANCA's major annual fundraising event; all profits benefit the Arne Nixon Center, this year helping to support the Center’s programs and collections, including the national Oz conference planned for May 14-16, 2010.

For more information about the secret Garden Party and its underwriting opportunities, or to purchase individual tickets, please call 559.278.5790 or e-mail kwillis@csufresno.edu.

Leo Politi Garden Groundbreaking & Construction

The groundbreaking for the Leo Politi Garden is being planned for Monday morning, March 8, at 10 a.m. 

Construction begins Monday, March 8, on the Leo Politi Garden, on the east side of the new Henry Madden Library. The garden honors the friendship between Fresno's most famous children's illustrator and author, Leo Politi, and his dear friend, the late Professor Arne Nixon. Politi, who was born in Fresno, lived most of his adult life in Los Angeles, but returned many times to speak at, and draw and paint at, workshops put on by Nixon.

We have winners...(and new display)

WE HAVE WINNERS!
The judges have conferred and made their decisions on the winning entries for the Oz: Writing Contest. We can't really announce who the winners are out here yet, because we want to let thems know first.
We do want to to thank everyone that sent in their entries, or encourage their children/students to participate in this contest. It was very encouraging to see that interest in children's literature are still well and alive in the Central Valley. We received over 100 entries (definitely beyond our expectations...) from cities on the Central Valley, and also a lone entry from the Bay Area.

2010 at the Center

We're busy, busy... here at the Center preparing for our main event of 2010, the "Oz: The Books" conference and our annual 'Secret Garden Party', this year, with a Wicked theme. If you're interested in attending the conference, send in your registration early for discounted price.

We are also encouraging students on 4th -12th grade to submit their writing for the 'Oz Writing Contest' which will have $600 total cash prize and other prizes as well.