The 2027 CLA Online Research Conference is a forum for researchers of children’s literature to share their work and exchange ideas. The conference is supported by the Children’s Literature Assembly of NCTE’s Endowment Fund and will be held on Friday, February 19th, 2027.

The CLA Online Research Conference seeks proposals that explore this year's conference theme of Children’s Literature in a Changing World: Research in Theory & Praxis.

A variety of theoretical and methodological approaches, presented by established and emerging scholars, are welcomed and encouraged.

Potential topics could explore:

• changing technology
• changing politics
• censorship and book bans
• evolving representation (e.g., #OwnVoices, gender, etc.)
• storying possibilities; children’s literature for transformative futures
• environmental changes / changing landscapes
• space/place + migration
• disability and neurodiversity
• multimedia
• changes in books and the book industry
• intellectual freedom in a challenging age
• explorations of genre and format
• changing emotions: wonder, joy, contention, fear, etc.

Proposal Types
You will be asked to select a proposal type:

• Individual Paper Proposal: Proposes a 15-minute presentation reporting on a completed study. The organizing committee will combine accepted paper proposals with 2 other papers in a 1-hour session (approx. 45 mins of presentations, 15 mins for Q&A).

• Full Panel Symposium Proposal: Proposes a full session involving 3 individual papers unified by topic or theme. Accepted symposia will be allotted a 1 hour time slot in the program (approx. 45 mins of presentations, 15 mins for Q&A).

• Research-in-Progress Proposal: Proposes a 15-minute presentation involving an on-going study that has made sufficient progress towards results. If accepted, this presentation will be combined with similar presentations and will be a part of a larger session focused on research-in-progress (approx. 45 mins of presentations, 15 mins for Q&A).

Program Highlights
In addition to a full day of research presentations on a rich array of topics presented by established and emerging scholars, this year's program also includes:

• A keynote delivered by Dr. Angie Zapata, leading children's literature researcher in language and literacies education and translingual/transmodal literacies.
• A special authors & publishers session featuring indigenous children’s book authors in conversation with publishing professionals, discussing the realities of writing and publishing for children in a changing world
• A special editors roundtable session featuring editors from top children's literature journals, sharing upcoming calls for papers, and tips for successful submissions
• Networking and opportunities to get involved with CLA

To develop a conference program that is diverse in prospectives and approaches, we welcome students, early career, established, and independent scholars from every country to submit proposals. We will do our best to accommodate presentation times in accordance with your time zone. While we'd love if you joined CLA, membership is not required to submit a proposal or to attend the online conference. All presenters and attendees will need to register (regular rate $30USD, discounted student rate $15USD).

For more info, visit: www.childrensliteratureassembly.org/conference 

If you have any questions, please reach out to conference Co-Chairs, Dr. Jennifer Slagus and Dr. Brandi Estey-Burtt, directly at conference@childrensliteratureassembly.org.

Proposals will be peer reviewed and decisions will be announced in mid-November.