Farewell #alaac16

My bags are packed. They are lined up by the door while I wait for a taxi. Leaving this conference is always bittersweet. I am tired and ready to be home, back to the old routine, yet, there is so much that I gain from attending that it feels a bit sad that the conference is already over. I love catching up with colleagues I only see at the conference, and having an opportunity to spend time with some of my favorite authors.

In a nutshell, I take away from #alaac16 the following:
On Friday, attended the opening session at the exhibit hall. Later, at Chronicle Books dessert party I got to speak briefly with Sophie Blackall, and listen as Brendan Wenzel talked about his first picture book, the scrumptious, They All Saw The Cat.

On Saturday, spent some more time in the exhibit hall. I was pleasantly overloaded with great ARC’s and other swag (I love pens) and then spent time with others learning how to evaluate books as if you were on a book award committee. Very enlightening.

Sunday, I attended two fantastic workshops (see previous posts) before getting all dressed up with someplace special to go. The Newbery-Caldecott Banquet. What an emotional event. This year the speeches – Sophie Blackall (Caldecott), Jerry Pinkney (Wilder), and Matt de la Pena (Newbery) were all met with standing ovations and wiping of eyes. Congratulations to all the book award committees for their thoughtful deliberations on their selections.

So, my taxi has pulled up and it’s time for me to go. Thank you ALA for making every conference special. What I bring back to my co-workers and my own personal growth is immeasurable.

Thank you, Mary Voors, for the opportunity to be a Live Blogger.

Until June 2017!