ALA Photos, Round Two & Historical Trivia

Before I start with the photos, I want to make sure that you know that on today, JULY 2ND!, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was actually signed.

John Adams wrote to his wife, Abigail, the next day, saying “The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.”

So why do we wait until the 4th to celebrate? There was a little editing done, and the final, final version was completed on the 4th. Writers everywhere will understand.

Onto the second round of photos from ALA. We’ll start with this glam shot:

Image and video hosting by TinyPic Me and my Simon & Schuster editor, Kevin Lewis. I do all my historical books with him.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic Teri Lesesne professornana taking a picture of me taking a picture of her, while Ruth Cox Clark has a good laugh about it. Teri posted her version of the shot.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic I ran into Sandra Payne, YA Librarian Goddess of New York City, outside the convention center.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic Came across Jay Asher, who did not write the book he’s holding. He wrote 13 Reason Why… but!

Image and video hosting by TinyPic He is actually IN the mermaid book, making a rather fetching mermaid. This explains why Jay’s blog is called Disco Mermaids.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic Tanya Lee Stone and I got VERY LOST trying to find the blogger party.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic While we were lost (for what seemed like hours) we came across this sign by the elevator. Our favorite line: “Fire alarm sounds like: Whoop Whoop.”

We eventually made it to the party which was loads of fun. My pictures didn’t turn out so good, but Betsy Bird has a lot of it on her YouTube video. If you look carefully, you’ll see my new favorite shoes, too.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic I was honored to meet Nikki Grimes at the S&S booth. Be sure to look for her new book, Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope when it comes out next month.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic I attended an illustrator’s luncheon and listened to incredible artists discuss their work. Along with this fellow, my illustrator, Matt Faulkner, I heard Kadir Nelson, David Small, Robin Preiss Glasser, Stephen T. Johnson, G. Brian Karas, and Brian Floca. Amazing.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic At the Simon & Schuster party, I had a great time scheming with M.T. Anderson as we planned an expose that will detail the warped details of our childhoods that led us to write books about epidemics and Colonial-era slavery. Half of the world thinks that were siblings. We might as well be. Here is M.T. talking to Holly Black, with Mr. YALSA, Ed Spicer, in the background.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic We all sang “Happy Birthday” to Walter the Giant Storyteller.

The Newbery/Caldecott speeches were unbelievably good. Astoundingly good. So good, the two winners should get another medal.

Image and video hosting by TinyPicAt the banquet, I sat at the table with Neal Shusterman (you want to read Unwind) and his two sons.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic Before all the speech-excellence, I met Cynthia Kadohata.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic And Ashley Bryan, who made me gush and say silly things because I admire him so much.

On that fangirly note, I’ll wrap it up. I’ll post a few more photos tomorrow, including the author-highlight of the conference for me. I hope to make a short video over the weekend.

I’ve done my 15 minutes (well, two hours) of writing. Have you?

12 Replies to “ALA Photos, Round Two & Historical Trivia”

  1. I had the PERFECT topic for today’s writing at 5:00 this morning, but . . . I didn’t write it down. I’ve been trying to remember it all day. Gave up a little while ago and used your idea instead. Tonight I will put note paper and a pen next to the bed. Two for two. Yay.
    P.S. I loved the whoop whoop.

  2. Neal Shusterman gave me, and signed, an extra copy of Dark Side of Nowhere because I fangirled all over him at NCTE four years ago. He’s amazing.

    You and M.T. Anderson should just adopt each other. Then you could right amazing tales of teenagers coming of age with intriguing family dynamics in towns assaulted by armies of marmosets, or something. (My students are greatly amused by my Whales on Stilts poster.)

    I am about to embark on 30 minutes of writing for today. I meant to write after badminton last night, but we ended up getting home after Tuesday-proper had passed.

  3. Very interesting, that history tidbit! That quote’s kind of funny. 🙂

  4. Great photos.

    And despite worrying that I’d be in a post-completion slump, I managed a draft of a poem in my 24 minute session, using an exercise I scored at a recent writer’s conference from the very talented Bonnie Neubauer.

  5. I do that all the time!

    I’ve occasionally resorted to sticking post-it notes to my forehead or even writing it on my arm (which can be faulty if you toss and turn a lot and smear it because then you spend the rest of the day staring at your arm and growling because you can’t read it).

  6. If I spent my 15 minutes of writing time composing an email to my friends about one of my downtown library regulars and the BIZARRE and inappropriate question he posed to me today, does that count?

    Awesome pics! You are lovely as always, and ALA looks like a blast! I’ll have to put my membership to use some year soon and attend.

    And on a semi-related note, I finally got around to reading Prom, and really liked it a lot! The tone and dialogue rang true, the characters were wonderful, and I loved the big event. I think Nat’s grandmother was my favorite character. I also grabbed Twisted from the library. They really shouldn’t let me staff a service point right next to the YA section 🙂

  7. I’m quite disappointed to learn that you were at the Simon & Schuster party while I was sitting outside enjoying the beautiful evening…

  8. TadMack says: 🙂

    I’m so fangirly about Ashley Bryan that I haven’t even been able yet to speak to him. And Holly Black! So many people, so much awesome…! Glad you had fun. Buckling down for those fifteen minutes — hoping they turn into MUCH LONGER…

  9. Aw Laurie you are so beautiful in the evening pics. That blue just really brings out your skin tone… or eyes… or hair… or something. I don’t know what I’m talking about but I do know that you look amazing in those pics

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