ALA Annual 2012 Recap

Well, hi!

Yes, it's been a while. But that's okay-- I was off having an amazing time at the ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim at the end of June. I'm still sort of buzzing with excitement over the intensity of it all. As the chair of YALSA's Conference Marketing and Local Arrangements Committee, I felt actively involved and engaged in the conference, and came away energized by the fantastic connections I made. I got to meet so many new people, and was especially pleased to meet librarians, authors, and publishers I had only interacted with on Twitter or listservs prior to the conference. It's refreshing to bring the virtual into the real!

I hardly know where to begin, or how to put the vibrancy of this conference into words. Here are just a few highlights of my ALA12 experience:

My committee work
After working with the other members of the Conference Marketing and Local Arrangements Committee all year to promote YALSA's activities at the conference, talk up the local area, and organize on-site assistance at conference sessions, it was so rewarding to finally see our planning come to fruition. I was practically overjoyed to see my committee members had printed out and were using the meticulously color-coded schedule spreadsheet detailing our commitments.

If a future ALA conference comes to your neck of the woods, I highly recommend serving on a Local Arrangements committee. It's a really enjoyable way to get involved.

The Newbery Caldecott Banquet 
I love the energy that fills the room when hundreds of people come together to celebrate children's literature. I was very honored to be a guest of School Library Journal at this year's banquet, and it was a magical evening. I thoroughly enjoyed the chance to meet some of my fellow SLJ reviewers, and put faces to names of the wonderful editors I've been working with via email since I started reviewing for SLJ. It was a truly memorable evening.

Plus, the event program was adorable! You take the band off, unfold it, and out pops a red paper ball (a la the Caldecott winning title, A Ball for Daisy)! My 3 year old would love it. Sadly, he won't see it until he's at least 18 because it's a treasured souvenir from a very lovely evening, and there is no way I'm handing it over to him to be destroyed. Sorry, kiddo! This is mama's toy.

The Little, Brown dance party
Little, Brown is one of my very favorite publishers-- and now I can add "throws a mean party" to the list of reasons I love them. I was thrilled to be there to celebrate Libba Bray's upcoming Fall title, The Diviners.

The music was amazing-- old-school '70s, '80s, and '90s songs that had the crowd cheering for every song and dancing like crazy. If you have the opportunity to be invited to a Little, Brown event... don't miss it!

The Odyssey Award Program and Reception 
The Odyssey Award is given annually to the producer of the best audiobook for youth, available in English in the US. I am a huge fan of audiobooks, but I didn't realize how awesome it would be to actually see the audiobook narrators read aloud at this program. I was blown away, for example, by the physicality Kirby Heyborne put into his characters while reading from Rotters, by Daniel Kraus. As his voice shifted from character to character, so did his posture, his movements-- truly fascinating. And after seeing Wendy Carter read aloud, I'm now enjoying the audiobook of Young Fredle, by Cynthia Voigt, on my daily commute.


YA Authors Coffee Klatch 

Last time I attended this event at ALA 2008, I wasn't involved in any way, but this time I was there to assist as a member of YALSA's Local Arrangements Committee. I helped check in the authors as they arrived and waited in the green room for the event to begin, and the enthusiasm was high. Just as the librarians and other book lovers who attended the event were looking forward to chatting with their favorite authors, the authors were genuinely eager and excited about the chance to connect with readers face-to-face. It was fun seeing the other side of the event!

The Printz Reception
Just as the Newbery Caldecott Banquet is a wonderful celebration of children's literature, the Printz Reception celebrates the best in young adult literature. The speeches were amazing-- especially Daniel Handler's accordion serenade.


John Corey Whaley (who won this year's Printz award for Where Things Come Back) gave the most heartwarming, delightful speech. He seems like a really sweet, genuine person. I was glad to meet him!

Angie, me, John Corey Whaley (holding his Printz award!) and Lalitha
(Photo borrowed from Lalitha's ALA recap)

Best Fiction for Young Adults
In this session, the BFYA committee sits at tables in the front of the room with laptops, taking notes as teen readers step up to a microphone and give quick reviews of books from the BFYA nominations list. The teens are selected months ahead of time, and their preparation really showed. They were articulate, honest, and insightful. One of the teens who spoke was Ishita of The Reading Fish, who I know from Twitter-- she rocked it! I really enjoyed hearing what these young readers did and didn't like about the nominated titles. I use the BFYA list extensively in making purchasing decisions for my library's teen fiction collection, so I found it really interesting and enlightening to witness this portion of the BFYA process. Sitting in on this session definitely made me want to serve on the committee someday. 

The Graphic Novel stage
This stage dedicated to comics and graphic novels was one of the new features of ALA Annual this year-- an awesome addition, if you ask me! I attended Gene Yang's talk on Asian Americans and Air Benders. Since we interviewed Gene via Skype earlier this year for the Authors are ROCKSTARS! podcast, it was great to meet him in person. I really enjoyed hearing him speak about the history of Asians in comics, and his involvement in the Avatar: The Last Airbender graphic novels. He announced that he's signed on to do three more volumes after "The Promise" storyline wraps up! (I may have squealed aloud.)

The Exhibit Hall
Although my schedule was pretty jam-packed, I did have some time to walk around the exhibit hall.

The publishers get creative with ARC displays - this is a tower of The Fire Chronicle ARCs,
the highly-anticipated sequel to The Emerald Atlas, by John Stephens.

My to-read list is definitely full from here till early 2013, thanks to the ARCs I was able to pick up. 

Treasures I can't wait to read and share with my library teens!

Another highlight of the Exhibit Hall was all of the author signings. I met Allen Say! I reviewed his beautifully illustrated memorir, Drawing From Memory, for School Library Journal last year, and it was a pleasure to purchase a signed copy and have the chance to tell him in person how much I enjoyed it.

I'm still reflecting on all the wonderful experiences I had at this year's conference. One side effect is that I want to join and get actively involved with more ALA divisions and organizations than I actually have time for! I'm hoping to continue volunteering for YALSA committees, and possibly attend YALSA's YA Lit Symposium in St. Louis this Fall. We'll see! 

ALA Annual 2012: What I'm Attending (And You Should, Too!)

ALA in Anaheim, 2008. Photo by Timothy Vollmer

With ALA Annual Conference right around the corner, I am SO BUSY right now! As chair of YALSA's Conference Marketing and Local Arrangements Committee, I've been working on conference-related matters all year long, and am so excited that the big event is almost here.

I was interviewed on the latest episode of the YALSA podcast about things to see and do (and eat!) in Orange County, so if you're traveling from out of town to attend, be sure to listen. It's more than just Disneyland! 

Blogging is definitely on the back burner at the moment, but since I posted about conference events I'll (sadly) have to miss, I wanted to pop in to talk about a few of the sessions and events I will be attending at ALA.

If you're looking blankly at all of the amazing events in the ALA Conference Scheduler and wondering where to start, I contributed to this School Library Journal article alongside six other librarians, sharing what we're looking forward to at the conference. But what did I not mention in the article? Here's a selection of what else I'll be attending... 

Friday, June 22, 3 - 4 pm
YALSA 101
If you're a new member of YALSA, or are thinking about joining, this is the session for you! According to the official description, it's a "mixer-style orientation, where you can get an overview of the division, its activities and what YALSA has to offer you."

Saturday, June 23, 12:30 - 1 pm
Asian Americans, Air Benders, and Comics
As a fan of the animated series, Avatar: The Last Airbender, I can't miss this presentation by Gene Luen Yang, who writes the series continuation comics published by Dark Horse. I had the opportunity to speak with Gene via Skype when we interviewed him for the Authors are ROCKSTARS! podcast, and I look forward to saying hi in person. He's awesome, and this topic sounds fascinating.

Saturday June 23, 5 - 7 pm
YALSA Happy Hour
An informal networking opportunity for YALSA members and those interested in joining YALSA. If you're a YA librarian or YA enthusiast, you should be there.

Saturday,  June 23, 8 pm
The Great YA Blogger Meetup
A fabulous way to continue the YA lit networking and festivities into the evening!

Sunday, June 24, 9 - 10 am
YA Author Coffee Klatch
One of the most memorable conference events for YA lit fans-- like speed dating with authors. Plus, breakfast! What a great way to start the day. Attendees get to meet authors up close and personal as they rotate tables and discuss their work. (Ticketed event, $25)
 
Sunday, June 24, 6 - 11 pm
The Newbery Caldecott Banquet
Like the Oscars for youth literature! This celebratory evening is definitely one of the highlights of the conference. I can't wait to hear the speeches by this year's Newbery medalist, Jack Gantos, and Caldecott medalist, Chris Raschka. (Ticketed event, $94)

Monday, June 24, 2:45 - 3:30 pm
Conversation Starters: Style and Stereotypes: Perceptions of Librarians
There's something to be said for the old adage, "It's what's inside that counts," but I believe the outside counts too. That is, it's important to be conscious of how we present ourselves to the world as librarians, as professionals. This panel session on perceptions of librarian style from the folks at librarianwardrobe.com should be a fascinating discussion.

Monday, June 25, 8 - 10 pm
The Michael L. Printz Award Program and Reception
The Printz Award is given to the best book written for teens each year. This year's winner, John Corey Whaley (Where Things Come Back), also won the Morris Award for best debut novel. I'm looking forward to hearing what he has to say! We'll also hear from Printz honor winners Daniel Handler (aka Lemony Snicket!), Maggie Stiefvater, Christine Hinwood, and Craig Silvey. (Ticketed event, $34)

Just under a week until the conference... I hope to see you in Anaheim!

ALA Annual 2012: What I'll Miss (But YOU Shouldn't!)

ALA in Anaheim, 2008. Photo by Timothy Vollmer

I am really excited about the ALA Annual Conference coming up next month in Anaheim, from June 21 - 26. I've only been to ALA Annual once-- last time it was in Anaheim, in 2008. I was pregnant with my first child at the time, so it was a rather cumbersome endeavor! 

Will I be seeing you at this year's conference? If you haven't registered yet, check the Registration Rates page: ALA Division members can register for the full conference for $230 by June 14.

 

Plus, there are some reasonable options for those who aren't necessarily interested in the entire conference, but would like to take part in the excitement. For $75, you can attend the Opening General Session, the Auditorium Speaker Series, and have access to the exhibit floor (yes, that means the publishers' booths!). If you purchase the $35 Exhibits Plus pass, you'll get to visit the exhibits as well as the Opening General Session, and the $25 Exhibits Only pass is exactly what it sounds like: access to the exhibit floor. Any of the pricing options are well worth it, depending on your interests.

There's going to be so much to do at this conference-- attend informative sessions, meet amazing authors, chat with the people behind my favorite publishers, network with fellow librarians, do committee work... I'm going to have a full schedule! As much as I would love to attend everything, there are a few programs and events I just won't be able to catch.

If you're going to ALA in Anaheim this June and can attend these sessions, please tell me about them so I can live vicariously. Here are a few programs I'll miss... but YOU shouldn't!

Friday, June 22, 3 - 4 pm 
Emerging Leaders Poster Sessions and Reception
The ALA Emerging Leaders program is "a leadership development program which enables newer library workers from across the country to participate in problem-solving work groups, network with peers, gain an inside look into ALA structure, and have an opportunity to serve the profession in a leadership capacity." During this event, this motivated and dynamic group of people will share the projects they've been working on for the past six months. I think attendees will come away inspired.

Saturday, June 23, 8 - 9 am
Auditorium Speaker: John Irving
I was lucky enough to see John Irving speak once when I was in college, and he was brilliant and so charismatic. I definitely recommend attending his talk if it fits into your schedule.

Saturday, June 23, 3:30 - 4:30 pm
Auditorium Speaker: Chris Colfer
Take note, Glee fans! The actor who plays Kurt has written a fantasy book for middle grade readers, The Land of Stories, which will be released on July 17 from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. Chris Colfer is my favorite actor on Glee, and I wouldn't miss his talk unless I absolutely had to.

Saturday, June 23, 8 - 10 pm
Proquest Scholarship Bash, featuring the Rock Bottom Remainders
"By day, they’re authors. Really famous authors. But once a year they shed their pen- and-pencil clutching personas and become rock stars, complete with roadies, groupies and a wicked cool tour bus.” A musical performance from Stephen King, Amy Tan, Mitch Albom, Dave Barry, Matt Groening, and Ridley Pearson, among others? Talk about EPIC. (Ticketed event, $25)

Sunday, June 24, 1:30 - 3:30 pm
Balancing Babies and Books
As the mother of a 3.5 and 1.5 year old, this event interests me a great deal. I'd love to chat with other librarians who are currently parenting young children and exchange perspectives on balancing career and family. Parents need to connect with other parents!

Monday, June 25, 5:30 - 7 pm
Battledecks
Ever since the concept of Battledecks was explained to me (thanks, P.C. Sweeney!), I've wanted to see it in action. Librarians competing in improvised Powerpoint presentations based on slides they've never seen before? Awesome.

There you have it-- just a few of the sessions I wish I could attend. Be sure to comb through the ALA Conference Scheduler for the full run-down of events so you can see what else is going on. I'll be back soon with another post about some of the sessions and events I will be attending... hope to see you there!

SoCal Book Events + An Awesome Giveaway

Have you checked out the latest over at Authors are ROCKSTARS!, the podcast I co-host with Michelle of Never Gonna Grow Up Reviews?

2012 is off to an awesome start. We kicked off January by featuring interviews with Shatter Me author Tahereh Mafi, Nightshade series author Andrea Cremer, and Gene Yang, author of the new Avatar: The Last Airbender graphic novel, The Promise.

Next month is going to be amazing, too! Michelle and I are super excited about a couple of upcoming events for Southern California book lovers. We'll be covering the first-ever Passion & Prose conference with a special Road Trip edition of the podcast.

 And you should join us there!

Presented by Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore, together with Adventures by the Book, the conference takes place Saturday, February 25, 2012, from 9:00am to 3:30pm at the Westin Long Beach, 333 East Ocean Blvd, Long Beach, CA  90802. Attendance is limited to the first 450 readers who register.

Passion & Prose is a ticketed event that includes speed dating  (an interactive author activity) and lunch with one author at each table. The day also features a Young Adult author panel, three keynote speakers, multiple book buying and signing opportunities, free goodie bags to all participants, and an opportunity drawing to benefit WriteGirl, a non-profit organization that promotes creativity and self-expression through writing to empower girls.

Does that sound amazing, or what?

Michelle and I are pleased to offer something special for Authors are ROCKSTARS! listeners. We are giving away one FREE PASS to Passion & Prose! That's a $125 value and an awesome experience you'll never forget. So if you're in the Southern California area, make sure you head over to our blog for your chance to win. And even if you don't win the free pass, we still have something for you-- when you register for Passion & Prose, simply enter referral code ROCKSTAR at checkout to receive $25 off the price of admission!


Also, from January 1-February 14, Passion & Prose is offering a special discounted Mother-Daughter registration promotion ($200 per couple). Edit 2/9/12: Due to changes to the Passion & Prose event structure, they are no longer able to offer any discounts on admission.

Princess Diaries author Meg Cabot is one of the keynote speakers, and you definitely don't want to miss her-- I helped host a library visit with her a couple years ago, and she's just as fabulous and funny as you would imagine. Love her!

Me (pregnant with baby #2 at the time) with Meg Cabot (tall and gorgeous!)

The YA panel at Passion & Prose will feature Andrea Cremer, Sarah Wilson Etienne, Marie Lu, Beth Revis, and Jessica Spotswood, and is sponsored by Penguin Young Adult as part of the Breathless Reads tour.

Check the full tour schedule to see if there's a stop in your area:

• February 15^th Anderson’s Bookshop Naperville, IL
• February 16^th Politics and Prose Bethesda, MD
• February 17^th Books of Wonder New York, NY
• February 18^th Towne Center Book and Café Collegeville, PA
• February 19^th The Doylestown Bookshop Doylestown, PA
• February 21^st Little Shop of Stories Decatur, GA
• February 22^nd Blue Willow Bookshop Houston, TX
• February 23^rd Barnes & Noble Frisco Frisco, TX
• February 24^th Once Upon A Time Montrose, CA
• February 25^th Passion and Prose Conference Long Beach, CA

We hope to see you in Montrose or Long Beach next month! As always, if you have questions for any of these fabulous authors, comment here or on the Authors are ROCKSTARS! blog, and we'll be happy to ask on your behalf. 

Conference Recap: KidLitCon 2011

Last weekend, I had the most excellent opportunity to attend and present a panel at KidLitCon 2011 in Seattle, and it was SO. MUCH. FUN. What a great conference. The organizers, Colleen and Jackie, put countless hours into making this a wonderful experience for everyone, and it was such a great success. I loved the sense of community at this event-- authors, publishers, librarians, teachers, and bloggers coming together to exchange ideas about achieving a common goal: getting books into the hands of readers. There was so much packed into a day and a half-- it was everything a conference should be: energizing, affirming, and a terrific opportunity to connect.

I came away with renewed enthusiasm and direction for blogging. Author Stasia Ward Kehoe’s session in particular gave me lots of food for thought. She invited us to consider things like how our blogging identity and our "unblogging" identity mesh, and how the title of our blog reflects our content. When I volunteered that I named my blog "Reading Everywhere" because I'm always reading several books in different locations at any given time, she asked me, "So, do you do anything with that? Post pictures of books in their various locations?" And I was like: "......WHY AM I NOT DOING THAT?!" So, readers, from now on, expect to see more pictures of books on my nightstand and in my car and such. Thank you for the brilliant idea, Stasia!

I came away feeling empowered to write critical reviews. This doesn’t mean I’m going to totally pan a bunch of books! On the contrary, a very thought-provoking session presented by a fabulous group of youth services librarians, Kelly, Julia, Abby, and Janssen, highlighted the idea that reviewers can be critical without being negative. I was especially struck by the idea that there's a difference between writing substantial, thoughtful reviews and being part of the "publicity machine." Zoe, the associate manager for school & library marketing for Little, Brown Book for Young Readers affirmed this line of thinking in another session by pointing out that bloggers don’t owe the publishers positive reviews, and that a critical review won't necessarily ruin a blogger's relationship with a publisher. It’s a business to the publisher, and they’re used to seeing all kinds of reviews. Book reviewers should be professional, and be balanced in our criticisms.

I came away excited for transmedia storytelling. The team from Angelpunk provided a great overview of the evolving movement of using various media platforms to tell a story. I think this dynamic method of showcasing a story will really speak to the generation of kids growing up right now. My two-year-old intuitively knows how to work an iPhone, and as much as he loves books, he’s going to want his stories to come in all formats, using different technologies. I like the idea that transmedia storytelling isn't just bells and whistles or using technology for technology's sake, but rather a way to tell a story using the the media that will best suit the telling.

I came away eager to make stronger connections with authors. Author Suzanne Young and Sara of Novel Novice shared about the benefits of author-blogger connections, and they sounded like they had so much fun collaborating on innovative ways to promote the author's work, which in turn, drives traffic and provides engaging content for the blogger. I was inspired!

I came away feeling more balanced about reviewing older books in addition to ARCs and new releases. Everyone wants to be on the cutting edge, and reviewing ARCS can feel special and shiny, but as expert book bloggers, Maureen, Jen, and Melissa, discussed, there are real benefits to highlighting older titles as well. It can set your blog apart and provide the opportunity to share an undiscovered gem with your readers. Reviewing older titles can absolve a blogger of any sense of obligation to the publisher that they may harbor when reviewing an ARC-- they can post the review at their own pace without being concerned about coinciding with the book's publication date.

As for our own session, Michelle and I had a blast presenting about podcasting in the kidlitosphere, covering the essentials of starting your own podcast, from technical specifics to best practices for creating content. At the end of our session, we invited audience members to step up the mic and put into practice the voiceover techniques Michelle shared by contributing to a special KidLitCon edition of our podcast, Authors are ROCKSTARS! The episode turned out SUPER AWESOME, if I do say so. The contributors shared about what they're reading right now, and they all sounded ready to start their own podcasts! So please give it a listen and be sure to share some love for our contributors in the comments-- they were really brave to get up and record in front of a crowd, and they all did a fabulous job.

Oh, and I haven't even mentioned the fantastic panel on diversity in fiction, presented by Lee Wind, which sparked insightful discussions about topics like authenticity and the idea that there can't be only one correct way to represent any given culture or ethnic group- that there are multiple truths out there. Good stuff!

Also, the keynote speech by Scott Westerfeld was amazing! He spoke about the lost tradition of illustrated novels in Western literature, and discussed how it informed the creative process behind his Leviathan trilogy. Although I've enjoyed many of his other books, I haven't had the chance to read this trilogy yet, and after hearing him speak, I'm determined to fit it into my reading schedule-- it sounds incredible!

Michelle and I meeting Scott Westerfeld.
(He's really nice!)

And speaking of awesome authors, a particularly special part of the weekend was meeting Kirby Larson. Earlier this year, I had the privilege of reviewing her wonderful novel, The Friendship Doll, for School Library Journal, and she had very kindly contacted me to thank me for the review, which completely bowled me over as I never expect to be contacted about my reviews. Since we were both going to be at KidLitCon, I brought my copy of the book and she graciously signed it for my daughter, who shares a name with one of the characters in the book. Such a treasure! The Friendship Doll is a lovely, lovely book, and Kirby is just as lovely in person. What a pleasure to get to know her! Thank you so much, Kirby-- I hope we'll meet again!


To sum up, I'm really glad I had the opportunity to be a part of this fantastic conference, and am so grateful for the wonderful conversations I had with other people who love books just as much as I do. I don't know when I'll be able to attend KidLitCon again-- it rotates between different areas of the country each year, and won't be back on the West Coast for another three years. Next year is set for New York, which is awfully tempting... however, with two little kids at home, I don't know if a cross-country trip is in the cards for me. But if you're reading this and have never been to KidLitCon, I wholeheartedly recommend that you make plans to attend. It's as good as everyone says it is.