Dismantling Foundational Fairytales One Children's Book at a Time

DEFCon presents a two-part event featuring children’s book author and educator, Dr. Oriel Maria Siu

Join us for an engaging reading and book signing with Dr. Siu, the author of the award-winning book, Christopher the Ogre Cologre, It’s Over!

Afterwards, stay for a Digital Pedagogy Masterclass with Dr. Madeleine Mejia that combines digital tools with Siu’s books to challenge colonial frameworks.

All Events Held in The

CSUF Data Visualization Center

(PLN-216)

Books available for purchase from Santa Ana-based bookstore and DEFCon community partner,
Libro Mobile.

Thursday May 2nd 2024 Schedule:

10:00am-11:15am 
Dynamic Book Reading by Dr. Oriel Siu

11:15am-12:00pm 
Book Signing 

12:00pm-1:30pm 
Digital Pedagogy Masterclass
(details below!)

TruthStoryteller and Author

Dr. Oriel Maria Siu

When Dr. Siu became a mother in 2013, she encountered an unexpected problem: the lack of inspiring, empowering, historically on-point, and culturally sensitive books for children of color in the U.S. So, she decided to write her own.Oriel María Siu, Ph.D., is a writer, scholar and educator of Náhuat/Pipil/Chinese descent born and raised in San Pedro Sula, Honduras (1981).  In 1997, at the age of 16, Dr. Siu was forced to leave her homeland for Los Angeles, California, where she became active in the creation of educational spaces for the growing Central American, Indigenous, Black and Brown communities of Los Angeles helping to establish the first Central American Studies Program in the US at California State University Northridge in 1999, and later founding Latinx Studies at the University of Puget Sound in 2012.  Dr. Siu holds a Masters in Cultural Studies from UC Berkeley, a Doctoral Degree from UCLA.In 2020, Dr. Siu was selected “Top Ten New Latino Latina/Latino Authors” by Latino Stories for her contributions to children’s literature in the United States.


The LA Times called the first book of Dr. Siu’s  Rebeldita children’s book series, “pioneering.” Her second book, Christopher the Ogre Cologre, It’s Over! -published in August of 2021- is receiving national praise from social justice educational spaces, independent media outlets, and Ethnic Studies educators and programs throughout.Dr. Siu lives and writes out of Los Angeles, California, and San Pedro Sula, Honduras, with her daughter, Suletu Ixakbal.

Masterclass facilitated by 2023 DEFCon Fellow Dr. Madeleine Mejia

headshot for Madeleine Mejia
Digital pedagogy masterclass

"Unsettling Foundational Fairytales with Digital Tools and Technologies"

About the Masterclass

DEFCon will host a companion Digital Pedagogy Masterclass titled “Unsettling Foundational Fairytales with Digital Tools and Technologies.” This in-person learning experience will be facilitated by 2023 DEFCon Faculty Research Fellow, Dr. Madeleine Mejia. The masterclass is specifically crafted for K-12 educators, faculty teaching in anti-colonial studies, and aspiring educators! Participants will get the exciting opportunity to learn how to create innovative lesson plans and teaching modules. These will integrate Dr. Siu’s engaging children’s books with digital tools and platforms, with the goal of challenging and dismantling colonial frameworks.

The pedagogy masterclass is free and open to the public, but capacity is limited. Participants in the masterclass must commit to attending both events. Lunch will be provided for all masterclass participants. Location CSUF Data Visualization Center 2nd Floor Pollak Library Glass Cube.

Let’s stay in touch:

Keep up with our different projects on Instagram and the web. And reach out to connect about other digital humanities projects!

d.h@fullerton.edu  or  jmoorepewu@fullerton.edu

Content on this site is licensed under Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0