A great deal of thanks and praise needs to go to YALSA and to the folks who ran the YA Lit Symposium. I have never seen so much food in my life. There was always something to munch on as we went from session to session. There were tons of free materials including books. And then there were the sessions.

My colleague and friend Rosemary Chance and I presented a session on censorship this morning that was packed to the rafters. Julie Anne Peters, Barry Lyga, and Coe Booth wowed those assembled with funny, touching, and sometimes frightening stories about books not being made available to those who need them the most.

The end of the symposium was a tribute to Bill Morris, a friend to teachers and librarians and YALSA. It was his generous contribution that helped fund this first Institute. Though the crowd was small, they were all there to share stories about Bill Morris. We laughed and we cried. We said godbye to a man who shared the same passion we all do for books and reading and teens.

I would mention all the people behind the scenes, but I fear I might omit someone. Seriously, the YALSA staff and those assisting them worked tirelessly to make sure everyone had a grand time. I, for one, surely did.

I hope to post some podcasts from the session on censorship later. For now, it is a flight home and a night in my own bed.