Mostly pictures from yesterday in this entry – busy, busy morning!!!!
Brian Selznik & Jackie Woodson
and Peter Sis & Christopher Myers talk.
Saw Sara Ryan and Cecil Castellucci hanging out in the hall.
Then it was to a break out session where Bonnie Kunzel, Mary Arnold (thank you for the pin!), and Daria Plumb (thank you for giving Mary the pin!) and
Teri Lesesne talked about books for kids who don’t yet love reading. Here Teri is talking about Jim Blasingame’s Books That Don’t Bore ‘Em
A quick lunch was followed by more speakers:
Ben Mikaelsen, who told incredible, haunting stories of his childhood and of listening to the stories of survivors of government violence in Central America,
Gloria Whelan, whom I could listen to for days,
Patty McCormick, author of Sold, which we all need to read.
David Gill and Teri Lesesne paid careful attention.
Then the gigunda panel of YA divas:
Sara, Cecil, Holly Black, and I think that is Garret Freymann-Weyr
Ummm… I think that might be Jo Knowles, Sara, and Ann Angel. (Someone will correct me if I am wrong, I hope).
After everyone spoke, the line for book signings was miles long.
I dashed to Simon & Schuster for a meeting with my editor Kevin Lewis. I got to see the cover sketches for CHAINS!!!!!!!!! ::dances around hotel room, stubs toe on heavy suitcase:: I will show you as soon as I am allowed – I am VERY excited.
After our meeting we headed up to the posh boardroom for a receptions with some lovely teachers (waving at the good people from Ohio, Virginia, Arizona, Louisiana, Maryland and Tennessee!). Holly was there, too – both of us are lucky enough to have Kevin as our editor.
We met Pete Hautman!
It’s time to dash back to the conference, give my presentation, then race to Penn Station in the hopes of catching my train for the journey home. Keep your fingers crossed for me!
YES! Thank you so much for sharing those! 🙂
~Julie
that’s sara, cecil, jo knowles and holly. no garret.
i just read Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen for one of my education courses at school. if you haven`t read it, i really suggest reading that book.
looks like you met alot of other great authors and that you had fun.
i love when you show us pictures of events like this 🙂
Looks like you had a great time.
p.s. I couldn’t find the stalker anywhere.
I loved Sold and Cut. 😀
It’s been fun partaking in “Laurie goes to the Big Apple”. My fingers are crossed for your safe and uneventful journey home. I hope you and your family have a blessed Thanksgiving.
Actually, there is a photo of me, but Laurie has me as Ann Angel. I’ve only met Laurie twice and always in jammed conferences. It’s kind of fun not to have made an impression. Happens rarely to six feet tall red heads.
Hi Laurie!
You have me right. I really wanted to jump up and introduce myself to you and tell you how much I love your books and how SPEAK helped me be brave whenever I got too scared about sending my book out in the world, but I was afraid that I would a.) start crying or b.) forget the English language or c.) faint.
Sorry!
And THANK YOU for being you.
Jo
Looks like you had a great time! Stalking is fun =D I went to ALAN once a few years ago – in Baltimore I think. It was a lot of fun. Thanks for sharing the squee!
=D Shannan
Pix
In the pix, blonde ponytail/brown shirt is Jo Knowles; plaid shawl is Garret Freymann-Weyr.
Hey!
I found your LJ on the White List and went ahead and added you as a friend…I hope that’s okay! I’m a fairly serious writer and thought I might benefit from the Wisdom of Those Who Have Gone Before.
And…I just wanted to say that SPEAK really did change my life. And no, I’m not just saying that. It didn’t change it immediately, not after the first time I read it. But as I reread it, and reread it again…slowly, I got the courage to report my abuser/rapist of four years to the police. After he was arrested, it turned out that it had happened to four other girls as well. He’s in jail right now, and not hurting anyone else. A lot of that courage I got from Melinda. My middle and high school years were a lot like hers…though my bullying more stemmed from my own personal withdrawal than from anything particularly dramatic. It was really touching for me…it was like reading my own life written on a page.
I’m sorry. I’ve turned this into a sappy essay. I’ll stop. 🙂
Anyway. I promise not to flutter all over you helplessly in fangirl admiration. I will just read and learn from a distance, unless you don’t mind human contact/whatever.
ALAN
I really enjoyed your presentation at ALAN. It’s fun to check in here and see what you thought of the conference. It’s such a terrific thing to be able to go to a conference and hear so many authors who inspire me and get me excited about sharing books with teens, knowing full well how much you also inspire and excite them. (Very much a side note: I got a kick out of you taking pictures of us. Were you trying to take a picture of the audience with its eyes closed? I can’t remember whether it was Laura Elliot or your presenter who asked us to do that.) Anyhow, I’ll repeat what I said to you on Sunday night, though you have no reason to remember, since I’m sure you’ve heard it a thousand times in hundreds of places: thank you for being a writer.
Sara Ryan?! Aw, I love her. And she lives near me! 🙂
Also, Garret Freymann-Weyr?! I loooved My Heartbeat 🙂 I made my girlfriend read it as well and she also loved it.
Where are you?
Also, you may not have read the later comments; there’s a nice compliment for one of your books.
Hi. I am the red head sitting at the table wearing a green, purple, black shawl. It is in a picture with the subtitle Jo Knowles, Sara Ryan and Ann Angel. I’m me, not Ann Angel. Thanks for the heads up about the nice comment. I will go look for it. I hope you and Maggie and children have a peaceful holiday. With nothing tiresome. Do post about it!
I was at the S&S party! But when I thought of introducing myself my palms got all sweaty and my throat got all tight and I think I may have had an itsy bitsy heart attack. So instead my friends and I stared at you from across the room, giggled nervously and gushed about your books.
I thought that might be you, but between the lighting and the smallness of the picture your hair doesn’t look very red in that shot. And I’ve never seen any of the others, so, no process of elimination.
Thanks for the holiday well-wishing; I hope you & your husband have a fun holiday, too.
Next time, please, please introduce yourself!
Re: ALAN
Yes, I was trying to get the audience visualizing. Or maybe taking a brief nap – it was a very tiring conference, wasn’t it? Laura asked you guys to do it, BTW.
Thank you very much for taking the time to say hello.
Re: Pix
Thank you. I am an idiot. When the intros were made on the panel, I couldn’t see them.
Duh.
So…. next time, you MUST talk to me or I will feel like a total outcast and I hate that.
Deal.
Thank you!!!
🙂
Re: Pix/Place and Genre Panel
Laurie,
I also thought the six writers were amazing, and in a 40 minute time slot! And far from being your fault it might not have been clear which author was which, I should have asked to have the podium moved to the side, rather than in the middle, so I could have introduced everyone by name and book title left to right–my bad entirely! I was just so worried about taking even a few seconds of their time!
It’s always such a pleasure to spend any time at all with you. Mary A.