My Trip to ALA Midwinter 2017

Thanks to the Humanities Tennessee Award, I was able to travel to Atlanta and attend ALA Midwinter 2017. Although I have attended an International Reading Association conference before, this was my first time to attend an ALA conference and I was very excited about the opportunity. I arrived at my hotel and was pleased to find that it was within walking distance of the convention center and would make a great base of operations for my stay.

My friends, Rob and Pam Taylor, picked me and took me to dinner at a wonderful place, Bocado. Between the great food and the even better company, it was the perfect start to my visit.

My new pal, Oscar

On Friday, January 20, I checked in with the registration desk and explored the convention center. I wanted to make sure that I knew where all the sessions were being held so that I wouldn't miss anything. That afternoon I attended "OITP - Libraries Ready to Code: Google's CS First program & other free resources." There is great interest among my students in starting a Computer Club, so I have been researching the different programs available to use in elementary schools and a chance to meet with experts on CS First was very useful. I made a new friend named Oscar, who was also attending the conference. Unfortunately, he was too large to bring back in my carry-on bag.

The Opening Session featured W. Kamau Bell, political comedian and podcast host. The conference program described him as, "Bell is the ACLU’s Ambassador of Racial Justice and serves on the advisory boards of Race Forward, a racial justice think tank, and Hollaback, a non-profit movement to end street harassment. "

Exhibit Hall Grand Opening

Then it was time for the grand opening of the exhibit hall, and I was swept up in the crowd rushing to see what review copies and refreshments were on offer. I had emailed all the friends from various publishing offices that I knew were coming to the conference, so I pulled out the map from my program and began putting faces with all those e-pal names. I also managed to fill several promotional tote bags with ARCs (advance reader copies) and other giveaway items. When I returned to my hotel room, stuffed with snacks and feeling like a Sherpa hauling enough supplies for a party of 10, I spread out all my loot and admired it.

January 21 began with a panel discussion featuring Susan Tan, LeUyen Pham, and Scott Westerfield. They talked about many topics, including their work in the medium of graphic novels and also the issue of diversity in publishing for children and young adults. I had the chance to speak with each of them afterward while they autographed books for me.

Kwame Alexander

A session that afternoon featured my friend, and Nashville native, Jessica Young along with Linda Ragsdale and Susan Eaddy. They discussed "how books can be seeds for growing a more compassionate world." I met several other authors, including poor Kwame Alexander, whom I stalked and then went fan-girl on. He was very kind as I gushed praise at him and then begged him to take a selfie with me. (Mr. Alexander, if your're reading this, I really do appreciate your patience.) He was there promoting several of his books, including Solo and Animal Ark. The poems he has created to accompany the beautiful photographs of animals around the world are incredible and the Animal Ark collection is as much a coffee table book as it is a children's title.

At the August House booth I met Rob Cleveland and then won a door prize drawing for one of his books, which I had him autograph. Rob is a storyteller and has written many of the books in the Story Cove series, which collects folk tales from around the world. I chose The Bear, the Bat, and the Dove: Three Stories from Aesop. I visited with Charles Ghigna, the author of Strange, Unusual, Gross, & Cool Animals a book of fascinating facts from Animal Planet. Anything gross or unusual is a big draw for elementary school boys, so I knew they would love the book. And I had the pleasure of meeting Reem Faruqi and hearing about the inspiration for her book, Lailah's Lunchbox: A Ramadan Story. With the need for diverse books, it is fortunate to find a picture book about something like a lunchbox that younger children can relate to.

Planting Seeds of Peace Panel

Rob Cleveland

Charles Ghigna

Reem Faruqi

Kit Seaton & Leila del Duca

All the excitement in the exhibit hall was followed by a panel with Kit Seaton and Leila del Duca. They discussed  "how the YA Fantasy and Science Fiction genres are opening up to diversity and increased representation, broadening horizons not only for characters but for authors and audiences as well." Kit and Leila are the creators of Afar, a graphic novel with a young woman of color as the protagonist who is able to travel to other worlds and visit their cultures in her dreams.

Becky Coyle

Dr. Duchess Harris

January 22nd began with a presentation by Deputy Sheriff Becky Coyle on how she came to write picture books about "the role of school resource officers, lockdown drills, and school security in her new series, Police in Our Schools." Next, I heard Duchess Harris talk about her work on Hidden Human Computers: The Black Women of NASA. Dr. Harris is "the granddaughter of Miriam Daniel Mann, who was a Hidden Human Computer at NASA from 1943-1966." Her presentation included some of the family photos and other archival images of Mrs.Mann and her coworkers.

In the middle of the day, I attended the Boyds Mill Press ALA Midwinter Spring 2017 Preview Luncheon. Along with a tasty meal, those in attendance also saw all the upcoming titles from the publisher and heard book talks on each one. Among those present were John Schu (author of the blog - "Mr. Schu Reads"), and Della Farrell, an editor for School Library Journal. After a brief visit to the exhibit hall, it was time for the ALA President's Program, featuring Kwame Alexander. Mr. Alexander discussed how his "work is inspired by his belief that poetry can change the world, and how he uses poetry to inspire and empower young people all over the world."

Congressman John Lewis

The end of the day had two very exciting events. First, I waited in line with many others to meet Congressman John Lewis and have him sign a collection of his graphic novel series, March, about the Civil Rights Movement and the 1963 March on Washington. And then I was a guest at an author dinner sponsored by Sourcebooks, where I was able to chat with Jen Calonita (author of the Fairy Tale Reform School series), and Carol Weston (author of The Speed of Life). Several of the folks from the Sourcebooks offices were there along with other librarians and Deborah Ford, the Director of Outreach for the Junior Library Guild. We talked for hours about all sorts of literacy topics, Jen and Carol autographed books for us, and we finally traveled back to our hotel rooms full of delicious Italian food from Pasta da Pulcinella and clutching our goodie bags. (It was also my first Uber ride, which made me feel very cosmopolitan.)

Sourcebooks Author Dinner

The last day of the conference began with the event I had been waiting for - the announcement of the ALA Youth Media Awards! I was fortunate enough to bump into Deborah Ford while waiting to enter the auditorium, so I sat with her and Susan Marston during the ceremony. It was fun to watch the two of them do mini celebrations every time a JLG title won an award, but we cheered for all of them. I was especially pleased at the number of awards March garnered; as a graphic novel about a tumultuous time in American History, it was very gratifying to see it receive so much recognition. And I had just shaken the hand of the author the day before.

 A few more sessions with publishers such as Animal Planet, Time for Kids, Sports Illustrated for Kids, and HarperCollins filled the rest of the morning, along with one last trip through the exhibit hall looking for any other titles that I just had to take home with me. Then we all gathered in the auditorium for the Closing Session with Neil Patrick Harris. As a parent and a debut middle grade author, Mr. Harris shared his feelings about books. “Books are awesome. Reading and books have become a mainstay in my family, and they have gotten me thinking in a new way about the power of storytelling,” he commented. “Playing with elements of magic, adventure, and friendship, The Magic Misfits is the kind of series that would have thrilled me as a kid, and I hope it does just that for today’s young readers.” He also talked about his work  playing Count Olaf on the Netflix "A Series of Unfortunate Events" which is based on the bestselling series of books.

I came home with over 100 new books - review copies, published copies, autographed copies - and business cards from all the new friends I had made, as well as memories of all the events and speakers. Thanks to the generous invitation to the Boyds Mill luncheon from Kerry McManus, I met Della Farrell and she invited me to apply as a reviewer for School Library Journal. I have been submitting reviews since March and it is still an amazing thrill every time I see my name next to one of the reviews in the magazine.

Jen Calonita

I've also been able to share stories with my students about the authors I met and how they were inspired to write their books. Seeing an author's autograph in a book and learning that I actually sat down and ate dinner with that author makes them realize that writers are real people, and that perhaps one day they may become writers, too. I've book-talked  many of the titles to the other teachers in my school as well as the other librarians in my district, suggesting lessons or units they might complement. Hidden Human Computers is perfect for a unit on Civil Rights or the Space Race. Becky Coyle's The Lockdown Drill can help young students understand why we have such practice sessions, reduce their anxiety, and introduce the concept of community helpers such as police and EMTs. When I do my yearly unit on holidays, Lailah's Lunchbox will be included to show children how the holiday of Ramadan might be observed by someone their age. It's impossible to list all the titles and ideas without filling pages of text, but I know the results of this conference will be felt for a long time to come.

If you have never heard of the Humanities Tennessee Outstanding Educator Awards and you (or someone you know), are a teacher for 3rd - 12th graders in the Volunteer State, please look into it. If you are chosen, the award benefits your school and your own professional development. I had the chance to learn about award-winning books, meet authors and even an historical icon such as Congressman Lewis, and expand on what I have to offer the staff and students at my school - all due to the award funding my trip to the conference. It is the best professional development experience that I have ever had.

Footnote: Quoted materials about the sessions and speakers was taken from the conference schedule provided by the American Library Association.