The English Department’s Centre of Children’s Literature and Culture at St Patrick's College continued its tradition of welcoming significant figures in the field of children’s literature to St Patrick’s College on Wednesday, October 19, 2011.  International and award-winning critic of children’s literature, Jerry Griswold, emeritus professor of San Diego State University and former director of its National Center for the Study of Children’s Literature, spoke on the future of children’s literary criticism. His lecture was responded to by writer, publisher and Ireland’s first children’s laureate, Siobhan Parkinson.  After these talks, the Centre celebrated the launch of a new book of Irish literary criticism on children’s literature called Young Irelands, edited by the past Dean of Research in St Patrick’s College, Mary Shine Thompson and published by Four Courts Press.

Both Professor Griswold and Dr Parkinson are contributors to the Masters in Children’s Literature in St Patrick’s College.