Monday and Tuesday in Chicago

This day started with a cutting edge presentation on Sex in YA Literature: From Blume to Block and Beyond. It was indeed informative and thought provoking. Authors Lynn Biederman and Laura Ruby used statistics and literary examples to answer the question, "How well does today's YA teen literature reflect teen reality?" The third panelist, Dr. Marty Klein, is a published author on sexuality and a licensed marriage counselor. He brought the clinical perspective to bear with pragmatic good humor.

I heard author Lisa Scottoline speak at the convention center and then shuttled to the Fairmont to hear her again at the Gala Author Tea, sponsored by ALTAFF and Reference Group. Four additional authors joined Ms. Scottoline to tell a little about themselves and their books. Yes, we had tea, and yes, we had scones, but the big highlight was receiving copies of each of their books. I received Kathryn Stockett's The Help; Jane Stanton Hitchcock's Mortal Friends; Jill McCorkle's Going Away Shoes: Stories; Gillian Flynn's Dark Places; and Lisa Scottoline's Look Again.

That evening I attended the Michael Printz Awards Program and heard Margo Lanagan accept an award for Tender Morsels, a recasting of an age old fairy tale, Snow White and Rose Red. Other honorees included Terry Pratchett, Nation; Melina Marchetta, Jellicoe Road; and M.T. Anderson, author of Octavian Nothing, Vol. II.

Tuesday was the exciting SuperTuesday, the last day that the Exhibit Hall was open...lots of free food, free books and opportunities to win good stuff...iPods, Kindles, etc. I didn't win but I got a free T shirt for showing up!

My last official event was a lovely dinner at the Hilton Chicago Grand Ballroom where the newly elected ALA officers were installed. Lots of fancy dresses, a properly served multi-course dinner and some inspirational speeches were all highlights. The new president, Camilla Alire, has entitled her Presidential Initiative, "Libraries: The Heart of All Communities." She is emphasizing family literacy, teaching reading skills to adults and training future librarians, including the more mature career- changing candidates.

At every event I attended, my experience was enriched by conversations with librarians, advocates and trustees from all over the nation and occasionally from other nations across the world. What a privilege to represent Farmers Branch Manske Memorial Library!

Sunday In Chicago

Sunday started with the Literary Tastes Breakfast at the Palmer House Hilton. Once again, I got to spend quality time with Wendy Cornelisen, who also had made a reservation for this event. Four very entertaining authors were featured. Mark Harris told how he came to write Pictures at a Revolution: Five Movies and the Birth of the New Hollywood. Peter Manseau, (Songs for the Butcher’s Daughter) and Nick Taylor, (American-Made: The Enduring Legacy of the WPA, When FDR Put the Nation to Work), told how their books came into being. Toby Barlow, a first time novelist, spoke about his book Sharp Teeth, and gave a very humorous version of his inspiration and work. Had an armload again when I left that breakfast!

Next on the agenda, and thankfully in the same hotel, was a program called Revitalizing the Library Experience which was sponsored by ASCLA (Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies). The presenters, Joan Frye Williams and George Needham focused on what library patrons, or would-be patrons, really want.

From there I shuttled to the convention center and spent some quality time in the Exhibits Hall…so many vendors, so many books available for free or cheap…sometimes limited only by one’s willingness to stand in very long lines for very popular authors. But when I did, I met such neat people from all over the country and even beyond.

I then attended a very thought provoking program featuring Tom Blanton, pictured above, who is an expert on government openness and secrecy.

Later that evening I attended an ALTAFF program called The Laugh’s on Us! It featured six female author/humorists including Paula Poundstone (There’s Nothing in This Book That I Meant to Say). She was joined by authors Anita Renfroe (Don’t Say I Didn’t Warn You: Kids, Carbs, and the coming Hormonal Apocalyse); Mishna Wolff (I’m Down); Jen Lancaster (Pretty In Plaid: A Life, A Witch, and a Wardrobe, or the Wonder Years Before the Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smart-Ass Phase); Lisa Grunberger (Yiddish Yoga: Ruthie’s Adventures in Love, Loss, and the Lotus Position); and Elizabeth Beckwith (Raising the Perfect Child Through Guilt and Manipulation).

It was so entertaining that I didn’t mind that the shuttle had stopped running and took the City bus back to the hotel, toting a couple of very heavy tote bags! (Smooth sailing, and actually a more direct route than the shuttles…)

Saturday in Chicago

Attended an orientation for first timers at the Palmer House Hilton first thing in the morning. Several speakers covered varied aspects of how to get the most out of the convention experience. The emphasis was on joining a group, i.e., NMRT (New Member Round Table), and getting busy. The smaller the group, the more likely you are to get involved. I resisted the temptation to join and sign up for a committee.

I hopped the shuttle to the convention center and attended a program called Literacy, Leadership and Librarian Flair. Featured speakers were Laurie Halse Anderson, Alan Sitomer and a young poet named Jacqueline Woodson.

I actually went because one of Ms. Anderson's books was one of my favorites in the Riverchase Library and I read it aloud around Thanksgiving time. It was Thank You, Sarah: The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving. The text was so exuberant, a real page turner and great read aloud book! Little did I know that she has ditched kiddie lit and is writing cutting edge teen stuff. Her website is at http://www.writerlady.com and her blog is http://halseanderson.livejournal.com. I will have to read one of her novels and evaluate the wisdom of her progression. Just like I'll have to read the other two panelists. I did enjoy listening to their presentations. Mr Sitomer has a couple of websites, http://thebookjam.ning.com and http://www.alansitomer.com . He remains a high school teacher and his power point featured some of his students. Pretty powerful stuff. So, these authors are movers and shakers in the YA Lit category, and their presentations were well worth hearing. For example, I learned the new 3 R's that real books provide: Relevance, Relationship and Rigor, from Mr. Sitomer.

From there I shuttled to the Hyatt Regency to enjoy Debbie Macomber relating her journey to becoming a published author in Put A Little Romance In Your Life. She and I are pictured above. My new friend Wendy Cornelisen, a Reference librarian in Brentwood, TN, took the picture. I mistakenly remembered Ms.Macomber as one of the authors we were going to read in our Book Club, and so I thought it would give my peeps a thrill. But, alas, she is not on our This Year's Reading List after all.

I returned to the convention center to hear Love is in the Air – Romance Writers Discuss their Work. Ms. Macomber was joined by Laura Caldwell, Cathie Linz, and Eloisa James. The ladies were most entertaining as they discussed their works and then autographed copies of their books for audience members. At this stop I collected an arm load of books, not to mention a really cool tote bag from Harlequin Publishing. The titles are Sooner or Later by Debbie Macomber, Red Hot Lies by Laura Caldwell, Smart Girls Think Twice by Cathie Linz, and A Duke of Her Own by Eloisa James.

Immediately following this presentation I attended the Opening General Session which featured Christie Hefner, recalling changes and growth she oversaw in the Playboy organization. Sorry, no take aways from here...

The evening was capped off by the ALA/Proquest Scholarship Bash, which was held at the Art Institute of Chicago. I ran into Wendy Cornelisen again, and toured with Wendy and another librarian she introduced me to...what fun ladies! What an impressive collection! My word! Monet, Manet, John Singer Sargent, Seurat, Van Gogh…just incredible, and I didn’t see everything! Oh, and I must mention Grant Wood’s American Gothic. That painting is memorialized with a larger than life statue in one of the parks on Michigan Avenue, and the reason is evidently that it is part of their collection.

Friday in Chicago

Friday July 10, I took a river cruise to see Chicago architecture...very interesting and informative commentary...I took lots of pictures and don't remember now what commentary goes with which building...however, I do remember them saying that at one point they had passed a city ordinance that required riverfront property owners to face the river instead of backing up to it. Brilliant stroke, I think. It is a visually exciting cruise that otherwise would have been like riding down a river alley. The cylinder-shaped buildings are parking garages. There is a high rise where tenants can park their boats under the building!

I left the cruise at the Navy Pier. I checked out the sculptures (did you recognize Bob Newhart and his couch up there?) and sites along the Pier, but then felt the need to take the Riverwalk, more or less, to the Westin, where the library fashion show was held. I thought this might be slightly satirical in nature (forgive me, Librarians!) but turned out these ladies were modeling their own clothes and they looked really good.

It will be a real victory for me, btw, when I figure out how to align the pics with the actual paragraph that references them...but for now....

My Chicago/ALA Adventure

See the rainbow?

My room was on the 35th floor and faced Lake Michigan. It was rainy the day I arrived and this was the view out the window at sunset-ish. That glare spot is from the setting sun shining on the glass building across the way, I think, not my camera flash, but who knows???


Anyway, later that night there were fireworks at the Navy Pier right behind those tacky buildings between me and the lake. So I heard the popping and looked out in time to see the edges of the light show, and that was pretty great. No telling what it would be like if you were actually there!

So that was Day 1. I got there a day before the action started because when I went to the Texas Library Association conference earlier this year, my flight was delayed so long that I didn't make the first event I had planned to attend. On Thursday morning I learned how to take the City bus to the Convention Center, as the Shuttles hadn't started running yet. For the record...no problem at all!

I picked up my credentials and looked around a little. On my bus trip back to the hotel, I met a lady at the bus stop who turned out to be the Executive Director of ALTAFF (Assn. of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations)! Had a really nice visit with her, and then saw her periodically throughout the week. That was neat to have a friend (or near stranger, as she would probably say!) to say hi to and give her quick updates on my adventures. She would smile and feign interest...I don't need much encouragement!

That evening I got to go to the taping of "Wait, Wait..Don't Tell Me!" with 500 of my new ALA friends...no doubt mostly librarians. Everyone associated with the show was so funny...even the House Manager! And the people who called in were funny enough to be panelists! Another highlight was staying seated after the show to watch their "do-overs". For instance, host Peter Sagal had mentioned doing research on Wikipedia, which got a strong and hilarious reaction at the time...but then they cut that reference with a tapeover! After the tape overs were complete, the cast stayed on stage and answered questions. All in all, a delightful experience.