Paper Presentations, or How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love the YALSA Symposium

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I was quite the eager little first-year grad student last year when I submitted my paper proposal for the 2012 YALSA YA Literature Symposium. My subject–biracial identity in YA–was something I had been interested in for awhile, so I was happy to have an outside force encouraging me to turn my informal research into something real and accountable. But that was in February, and lots of school happened in between that acceptance and presentation, including a lot of procrastinating.

But I still made it, and on the Saturday of the symposium, I presented my paper and did not melt, have a heart attack, or run out of the room screaming.

I thought I would end up titling this post either “How NOT to Present a Paper at a Conference” or “How to Be the Best Paper Presenter EVER,” but I’m not sure I have the authority to write either. If there are rules other than “don’t rush and talk too quickly” (oops–failed that one), please let me know. Read More →

Yes, and Hit Me with the Next Big Thing

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This November, YA librarians and authors will descend upon St. Louis for the 2012 Young Adult Literature Symposium. If you haven’t been to this before, I highly recommend it. I went in 2010 and met a lot of fabulous people and rubbed elbows with a few authors (perpetuating my girl-crush on Lauren Myracle) and came away with a lot of great information. This year the theme is Hit Me with the Next Big Thing.

I started thinking about what exactly that means. How can we predict the future of what’s going to be hot and what’s going to flop? It’s not always easy to find what will be successful for your library, even when you’ve seen it be successful everywhere around you. Read More →

Bigger than the Arch!? Young Adult Literature Symposium Hits St. Louis!

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Mark your calendars!’  St. Louis will be hosting the YALSA 2012 Symposium November 2-4.’  The theme is “The Future of Young Adult Literature:’  Hit Me with the Next Big Thing.”

There is still plenty of time to send in your proposals for programs or paper presentations.’  We want to know what you believe will be the developing and evolving trends in young adult literature.’  Let your voice be heard about why and how the youth of today will interact with new materials and formats.

Enhance your experience by visiting http://yalitsymposium12.ning.com/ Updates about the symposium will be posted as they become available.’ ‘  Continue to look for information posted on the YALSA Blog and The Hub.

While in St. Louis, find time to see some of the Downtown attractions, including the Gateway Arch, City Museum’ and St. Louis Union Station.’  If you have extra time to explore, take in the grandeur of Forest Park and its many free museums, Missouri Botanical Garden or The Delmar Loop.