Now that my post-ALA buzz is beginning to wear off and I’ve reread my pre-ALA blog post, I think it’s time to share the joy that was the 2010 ALA Annual Conference in Washington D.C.
With my inner fangirl bouncing off the walls of my brain, I created a list of the top ten things I hoped to tell you about doing in this post. So, without further ado, here is my list of the ten things that I DID do while at ALA 2010.
- I met Lauren Oliver (!!!) and, predictably, my mother did most of the talking. I think I managed to let her know how awesome she is, but more than likely I just stared at her with a dazed expression. But! My mum did get a picture of us- Lauren Oliver even asked for a picture on her camera too.
- So, I met Libba Bray too. I mean, I’m shaking just thinking about it. I met LIBBA BRAY. I MET HER. She is insane and awesome and hilarious and awesome and so nice and AWESOME. Also, her Printz acceptance speech was beautiful and it made me cry. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one. And while I’m talking about Libba Bray and using caps lock far more than is ever appropriate, I really need to mention her husband Barry Goldblatt who I met after my first BFYA (BBYA?) panel at Midwinter in Boston. He is literally the only reason I actually spoke to Libba Bray and he even introduced me to John Green and David Levithan (more on this later). So, thank you very much Barry, for being so awesome and so nice to me. I’m not surprised, considering Libba Bray married you.
- Libraries Build Communities was just as fun as ever. My mum, me, and a bunch of other wonderful librarians spent our day at the Martin Luther King Library where we cleaned books from their massive (between 50,000-75,000 books) children’s book collection. We actually held original Caldicott’s in our hands. So cool.
- Okay, so the YA Coffee Klatch went extraordinarily well, considering how many authors are there and how little time we are given with them. But lucky table number 25 was graced with the presence of Libba Bray, John Green and David Levithan (they were pretty much a package deal throughout the entire conference), Nancy Werlin, and Rick Yancey, among others.
- The opening of the Exhibits was as exciting as ever. Highlights: the new Zombies vs. Unicorns Anthology, the final Ruby Oliver novel, and the sequel to Scott Westerfeld’s Leviathan, Behemoth.
- According to my mother and awesome YA librarian Alissa Lauzon, I did well during the BFYA panel but in all honesty I was far too terrified to remember much. I met some fellow book nerds and defended Very LeFreak (Rachel Cohn) against the apparent disapproval of the committee.’ And, because I can’t help myself, I did a fair amount of gushing over Before I Fall. With everything said and done, I think it was a success.
- I met Holly Black, Libba Bray, Lauren Oliver, Laurie Halse Anderson, ‘ Julie Anne Peters, John Green, David Levithan, Francisco X. Stork, and Natalie Standiford. Just like I predicted, there was more shaking and giggling than there were actual words but I’m sure my mother managed to tell them all what a big fan I am while I was distracted by their presence.
- Serendipitous moment: So I’m waiting in line with Alissa Lauzon for an author signing and who is standing near the booth but John Green and David Levithan. Now, ordinarily this is where the story would end except for the magical Barry Goldblatt calling me over. And oh my goodness I actually spoke to John Green and David Levithan. I’m still in shock.
- Somehow, I managed to obtain a badge that read “future librarian†which I think may have helped just as much as my “I am a teenager, please give me books†strategy. I’m certainly pleased with my loot.
- There is really nothing better than a bunch of librarians getting together to talk about how awesome books are. I feel so lucky every time I have the opportunity to attend a conference. I don’t think there is any other profession that attracts more awesome people.
