I spent the last weekend in June at the annual meeting of the American Library Association (ALA). This conference is the kidlit event of the year—a major gathering of librarians as well as authors and publishers.
I kicked off the weekend by meeting my literary agent Adriana Domínguez and author/illustrator John Parra to talk shop over a seafood paella.
Saturday morning I attended the HarperCollins breakfast, where I made fast friends with the librarians seated on either side of me. It was especially delightful to chat with Karina Yan Glaser, meet Megan Whalen Turner, and hang out with the HarperCollins team in person.
At the convention center, I signed piles of Cousins in the Time of Magic in English and Spanish. It was thrilling to see how excited librarians were to receive the book in both languages. Given the anti-immigrant and English-only rhetoric of the current president, I was moved to see how committed librarians remain to service to Latinos and to multilingual literature.
I met a beloved editor for dinner and then attended the Simon & Schuster dessert party, where we honored children’s literature star Laurie Halse Anderson. I have worked on a few books with Simon & Schuster, so it was like a homecoming to be with my insightful editor, my ever-on-the-ball publicist, and the school and library team. Laurie’s brief address was poignant and true-ringing. I stayed up talking to old and new librarian friends until the venue kicked us out not long before midnight. I rarely stay out that late, but who needs sleep when there are good books and great conversation.
It was a day that was all heart, and I was inspired to be a small part of it. Long live American librarianship.
If you would like to schedule a school or library author visit for the upcoming year, please visit my booking page at Lonni Lane Marketing!
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