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Kid Lit Con 2011

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This is the second year in a row I’ve been fortunate enough to attend the Kid Lit Con, and I have to say, I’m impressed with how much I walk away with after this particular conference. There’s a renewal in passion for blogging, but more importantly, I find it’s a drive to make myself a better member of the community in that I want to continue to meet and develop relationships with new people.

Rather than give a blow-by-blow of the two-day conference, I did a lot of thinking about the sorts of conversations that happened at the event. It was interesting to sit in a session and see the same topics creep up again and again, simply because there was so much interest in them. Here is what I walked away with as the big ideas pervading the kid lit world, along with a dose of the moments that were enjoyable for me.

Big Ideas

I think on the whole, four things stuck out to me as big takeaways from KidLitCon, and they aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive: partnerships, presence, dialog, and the idea of critical reviews.

I think anyone who has been to a conference sort of knows that the big thing about them is less the sessions and more the connections you make with other attendees. That’s where the idea of partnerships sort of emerges as one of the big things I took away. When people are working toward a common goal — like spreading the word about kid lit, be it through blogging or publishing — building strength upon strength is essential. I had the opportunity to meet people at KidLitCon that I would never have otherwise met, but beyond that, I had the opportunity to discover people who had been thinking a lot of the things I’d been thinking about. When you make those sorts of connections, you find that there are cool opportunities that can emerge, too.

One of the sessions I went to was all about partnerships, and rather than follow what she had planned, the presenter (Stasia Ward Kehoe) talked about what she had overheard and been thinking about at the conference. What I think I found most enjoyable about the session was that a lot of her observations were strikingly similar to mine. The community only gets stronger when we look to one another to build each other up. One of the exercises she made us do (and trust me when I say that nothing strikes fear into me more than the moment a presenter is making us do something interactive) was to pair up with the person beside us, introduce ourselves and what we do, then talk about ideas for strengthening or adding fresh content to our blogs. As silly as my partner and I had been throughout that session — which I’ll talk about in the next section — Suzanne actually gave me some thoughtful and creative ideas for blog features. Had we not talked shop, I’d never think about some of the ideas she dropped.

Speaking of Suzanne, her panel with Sara of Novel Novice, really got me thinking about ways I can work with authors to help promotion books. And not only did it get me thinking about it from the blogger perspective, but also through my channels as a librarian. Living in a small town in Wisconsin does make it challenging to reach out to local authors, since there are few, but it’s also an opportunity to seek out those who are around. Of course, I don’t have to stick to my local literary world, either. This goes back to some of the things I was thinking about at BEA, and as I embark on a new chapter in my career, this feels like an opportunity now I need to capitalize on.

Presence was the second big takeaway from KidLitCon. It sounds like a big word, but really it’s simple: how you present yourself and where you have a presence matters. I went to a panel that included a number of authors who talked about their online presence and how they keep up their writing while balancing the need to be on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and so forth. Likewise, I went to a panel about marketing and how using social networks really made an impact on the launch of a debut author’s presence online. It comes down to the simple idea that where you are and how you present yourself matters.

I did a lot of thinking about this topic during a session on podcasting and vlogging, which is something that you’ll likely never see here. I speak on behalf of myself, not Kim or Jen, when I say that for me, these sorts of technologies feel too personal for me. I don’t listen to or watch them, as I feel like it’s somewhat an invasive means of communication and presence. That’s not to say it’s wrong; it just doesn’t work for me. I don’t like that sort of exposure, as I feel that writing and blogging itself is such an intensely personal activity, especially when it comes down to writing about books and why something did or didn’t work. Here’s the thing: it’s all okay. Everyone chooses how they want to make their presence, and for some, it’s via these technologies, and for others, it’s maintaining a Twitter account, a Facebook page, and a blog.

Moreover, another key component for me in the idea of presence was that it’s important to get yourself out there. Whereas I say that vlogging/podcasting feels too invasive, I’m not the sort of person who is afraid to get out and meet people. This sort of presence is as valid as the online one. You make connections that become important and invaluable and — wait for it — you develop the sorts of partnerships that make you a stronger community member. Over the course of this weekend, I did a lot of thinking about where I can strengthen my presence online and off, and the ability to always reevaluate and renegotiate these parts of my life is always invigorating.

The third big takeaway was dialog. This is, I think, the key to what makes us all better as members of the kidlit world, be it a role as a blogger, as a reader, or as an author. It’s important to be having the tricky conversations, and it’s important to tread tricky territory (which I’ll hit on next). Here’s the thing though: dialog isn’t necessarily always clean. It gets messy, and it gets confusing, and the fact of the matter is, sometimes it does little more than muddy ideas. But that is what the point is. Nothing is ever cut and dry, nor should it be.

Playing off that idea was something I really thrived on during this conference, perhaps for the first time at any conference, and that was the back channel. Given that KidLitCon is a much smaller conference, reading through the hash tags and the digital conversations that happened was manageable and very helpful. There were many simultaneous conversations, and it was fascinating to see what was happening in a session I wasn’t in. More than that, though, this back channel helped me tremendously in thinking about my own presentation. I wanted to address the issues others were talking about among themselves, and this was invaluable. Post-presentation, reading what people had to say about what we said was just . . . affirming. And nice. There’s really no other way to say it. I can only have so many conversations in person, but I can go back to this hash tag and see what other conversations happened. I walk away with more than I could do on my own (do you see how I tied partnerships and presence into this one?).

The final big take away I have is that of critical reviews. This was a topic that kept being brought up again and again, and frankly, it scared me to see it so openly discussed the day before our presentation on this exact topic. People are opinionated about the topic, though it is obvious they’re not always the most informed about what it truly means. Listening to people talk about how they never do “negative” reviews was fascinating because I don’t either. I don’t know anyone who does negative reviews. Critical reviews look at the host of elements within a story and discuss where the strengths and weaknesses are. They aren’t there to pan a book, but rather to be a way to objectively evaluate a book on its own merit.

I’m never going to change how I write my reviews. I don’t go into them thinking about what impact they could have on, say, the author or the publisher who may read it. The fact of the matter is, the way I think about a book is the way I think about a book and nothing more. Every book, even those that rank as my absolute favorite books, have flaws. Nothing is ever perfect, and it’s not my goal in blogging to tout everything as perfect. It’s like we’ve talked about before in our post here: even we know that our reviews aren’t perfect.

Bringing this all back to the idea of the take aways from this conference — nothing in the blogging world is a pillar. The discussion of critical reviews that pervaded the conference ties in directly to the idea of partnerships, in whether there is a perception that being critical can have a lasting impact on the sorts of partnerships one can form with others; it also connects directly to the idea of presence, as critical reviews set you apart in the blogging world and offer something that gives you a unique presence in the discussion; and finally, critical reviews tie directly into dialog. The fact of the matter is that everything is a conversation, and what you bring to it depends upon your ability to be present, to develop partnerships, to be critical and thoughtful and constructive, and to be willing to engage in dialog.

Fun Moments

Obviously, the conference wasn’t serious the entire time. I had the opportunity to meet people I’ve only ever talked to via blogs or Twitter, and I got to listen to a fantastic keynote by Scott Westerfeld. Here’s a tiny peek into the fun that happened.


Fantastic lunch and dinner conversations with fellow bloggers. I can’t express how fun it was to meet some of the intelligent women who are the brains behind so much of the kidlit community.


I had the chance to meet Scott Westerfeld, who delivered what was one of the most engaging keynotes I’ve ever heard. His talk focused on the intersection of art and text, and it really raised the question as to why we don’t give kids (and ourselves, frankly) permission to enjoy pictures with our stories when we outgrow the picture book age.


I got to hang out with Suzanne Young and cause quite a bit of trouble for a few of the sessions because of it. Suze and I have been talking since I started blogging, as she was just getting ready for the publication of The Naughty List at the same time. She also introduced me to Sara of Novel Novice, and the three of us had a good time enjoying a few adult beverages, drawing fan art, and I was lucky enough to have Suzanne write a story about us. It’s an original I will obviously cherish forever.

I don’t have photos, but another thing that I found so valuable and enjoyable was the final session of the con, which was the diversity panel. I usually find these sorts of discussions so uncomfortable, but in this instance, I didn’t. It really shed light into an important topic of where bloggers fit into the discussions of diversity, as well as where authors fit in. The big boil of it all? There are stories to be told, and they need to be told.

Other little fun moments included having a lovely conversation with Mindi Scott about books and writing (including talking about the very things the diversity panel brought up); meeting folks like Ann Levy of Cybils fame (and discussing a potential panel topic we can do at the next KidLitCon); and seeing all of the incredible work that Jackie and Colleen put into the conference come together and enjoying the amazing food that was in abundance.

Kid Lit Con and Book Blogger Con

What really works for me about KidLitCon (KLC) and what separates it from other similar conventions like Book Blogger Con (BBC) is that the community is much smaller and much more varied. The goals are also different, in that it’s much more dialog driven. BBC is much more about learning, in my mind, with panels aimed to teach people; KLC is much more about opening up a dialog about what we’re doing and how we can strengthen it.

I won’t come out and say one is better than the other, as they aim to reach different audiences. For me personally, KLC hits on the things that help me grow and find passion in what I’m doing. I think a lot of it has to do with being around not only fellow bloggers, but also authors and aspiring authors, and those interactions do give rise to thinking about the whys and hows of blogging. I also feel like KLC is an easier place to mingle and it feels like a place of equal footing. The conversations follow throughout the convention, whereas I felt sometimes BBC’s conversations never got started, simply because of the size of the event and the diverse experiences in the room.

Lastly

I cannot express my gratitude to Julia, Abby, and Janssen for taking the time and energy to put together a session with me on a topic about which I am utterly passionate. When my nerves came to a huge crest on Friday night, it was nice to be talked down from the ledge over and over and assured everything would go fine.

Since people have been asking, yes, the information from our panel will be available, but it won’t be immediately. We went into the presentation without a formal plan, and thus, what we’ll share is what we’ve come to find as the key points.

I also have to give both Colleen and Jackie a huge thanks again for such a fantastic event and for being such great hosts. The amount of work that went into such a staggeringly huge and successful conference is mind blowing, and these two handled it like pros.

Kid Lit Con 2011

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If you’ll remember with me, I talked about attending last year’s KidLitCon in Minneapolis, and I talked about how this conference, unlike any ALA or BEA event, is much more about interacting with and getting to know other names in the kidlit world than it is about the books. It was at KidLitCon where I got to meet and hang out with Alea, where I had the chance to hear Maggie Stiefvater talk about why blogging rocks, where I got to meet and hang out with authors whose books I’d read and adored, and where I finally was able to put a face to the names of the blogs I’d read and found as invaluable resources to me, both as a reader and as a librarian. It was also here I learned about the vast amount of resources available for kidlit bloggers that I may not have otherwise discovered.

Well, KidLitCon 2011 planning is well underway. It’s being held September 16 and 17 in Seattle and co-organized by Colleen of Chasing Ray and Jackie of Interactive Reader.

This year’s keynote speaker is none other than Scott Westerfeld, and the event’s being held in the Hotel Monaco, which boasts fish (yes fish!) you can have in your room during the course of your stay. Not to mention how beautiful it looks, nor that it’s right in the heart of downtown Seattle.

Registration and a call for proposals for the event are open now, and there is a discount for registering before August 1. Anyone in the kidlit world can attend the event, as well as propose a panel topic that will interest bloggers.

Even though it’s a bit of a costly event, this is one conference worth attending. It’s conveniently held on a Friday night and all day on Saturday, so it’s one that requires little or no time off work. I think of all the conferences and events I’ve gone to, KidLitCon has been one of the most memorable, if for no other reason than the intimacy that the event allows and the inspiration it breeds. It’s easy to connect with people who are passionate about the same things you are. For me, the cost is entirely worthwhile, as I think it’s one of the events that can’t be replicated elsewhere. This conference isn’t about the free books. It’s about the community. And that’s the kind of thing that could never be replicated at an event like BEA or ALA.

For more information about the conference, check out this link and make sure you follow the updates about the conference via KidLitCon’s Twitter and Facebook accounts. Man, I love that image of the Space Needle, don’t you?

If you’re teetering on whether or not to go, I strongly suggest doing it. It should be an exciting, fun, and engaging weekend and one that will leave you walking away with a lot to think about.

ALA 2011: This, Too, Is More Than Just Books

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Like thousands of other librarians, I made my way down to New Orleans last weekend for the annual American Libraries Association conference. It was a tiring, exhausting, and completely fun and exhilarating trip. But here’s my recap and some of the take aways worth noting!

Friday, June 24

It wasn’t a good travel day at all for me, between a horrendous security experience and then having my phone shut off for an unpaid bill (which wasn’t, in fact, unpaid nor overdue). But after shuffling through the drama between Milwaukee, Baltimore, and New Orleans, I made it to my beautiful hotel room, where I would spend a few lovely nights with Abby and fellow UT Alumni Lea. Since all of the dealing with real life stuff took a while, my day really began when I had the chance to meet up with fellow librarians Drea, Katie, Sarah, and Angie just before 5 pm, when the exhibit hall opened for opening night. I got to meet two other lovely librarians that evening, Whitney, who Angie brought and who is a library school student getting her networking on at the convention, and Jess, one of Drea’s friends and coworkers. Drea, prior to ALA, made us all pins that would become really important over the course of ALA.

Can you read what it says in Latin? If not, I’ll say this much: Blythe Woolston’s Morris statement.

When the exhibit hall opened, we did some booking. While sitting outside the expo hall, I was listening to the bloggers near me compare their wish lists for books at the convention, and I lamented to the group that my wish list contained all of two books. For me, going through the halls is less about getting a bunch of titles on a list but instead, it’s about finding out about new titles that I don’t already know about.

Although the exhibit hall always is an exciting, energy-filled place, I felt a little zapped. Call it burn out after BEA or what have you, but I was pretty much done wandering after about 30 minutes. I’d gotten both books on my wish list and acquired a small handful of additional books that interested me and would interest the book club kids at work. So, Abby and I left early in order to prepare for the big event we’d be attending later that evening. Here’s the first night’s collection:

My two wish list titles, Tempest and Lie were both there, and I was really excited to be given a few publicists’ favorites, as well. For me, the floor at ALA is much less about picking up every galley laid out and much more about talking to the publicists I know via email and finding out their favorites. At BEA, the focus is much heavier on buzz titles; at ALA — at least this time — it felt like there were more mid-list titles represented.

After the floor time, we hit up our first event of ALA: the Little, Brown Laini Taylor party for her forthcoming book The Daughter of Smoke and Bone (a book you’ll be hearing Kim and/or I gushing about when publication date draws closer). The event was at a local bar, and the room glowed this incredible blue color, really setting the mood for her book. I was lucky enough to have read the book beforehand, so seeing all of the little things at the event that coincided with the event was fun. I also had my first ever tarot card reading, enjoyed the variety of feathered masks, and got to give away an ILOA pin to Laini herself. She loved it so much that she blogged about our group of librarians, including a picture, and her pin!

Since none of us had eaten prior to the event, we skipped out a bit early to hit up the pizza shop next door. Insert some details here that I don’t want to rehash, and then we made our way BACK to the original party venue because we had been told earlier that it turned into an 80s dance bar after the Laini event. So, along with tons of other librarians, Laini, the publicists at Little, Brown, and Carrie Ryan, we rocked out to non-stop 80s dance music. How many other people can say they’ve conga lined with a National Book Award finalist? Not many. It was an incredibly fun and memorable party for a book that deserved such a fun reception.

Saturday, June 25

Even though I got a little burned out on the expo floor Friday, I spent a large portion of Saturday wandering again, picking up a handful of additional titles and talking with the publicists that I didn’t get a chance to speak with the night before. When Abby and I got back to Little, Brown, we were told we needed to get another copy of Smoke and Bone, and because we were told we had to, we did. And honestly, I’m glad I did, because the copy I had will be donated to my teens while the copy I picked up at ALA, well, it’s for me:

How cool is that?

Saturday was really a laid back kind of day, but it was also a little stressful because I wasn’t finding sessions that really interested me. I spent more time in the expo hall than listening to presentations, but I did have the opportunity to reunite with a number of people I went to graduate school with who I haven’t seen since moving from Texas — catching up with where they are and what they’re doing, I think, was just as valuable as sitting in on a session.

About four or so, Abby and I dropped off our book piles for the day and made our way over to a cocktail reception we’d been invited to by Candlewick. They had a lovely spread of appetizers, and along with the other ILOAs, we talked books, libraries, and story time. A librarian we didn’t know happened to sit with us at the event, and when we started talking about Katie’s storytime blog, she knew exactly what blog we were talking about, and then we all gushed over it and over Sarah’s Awesome Storytime blog, too. We didn’t stick around at the reception too long because Saturday night was the YA Blogger Meetup that, along with YA Highway, I was helping host.

But before then, I snagged a photo of the books I’d picked up so far — it’s a smaller pile that BEA and even Midwinter, as I have finally figured out how to be selective. I also used this small window of time to put some finishing touches onto the presentation that Sarah and I would be giving the next day and to take a small, but much-needed, nap.

The YA Blogger Meetup started out with a slight panic moment from yours truly, but because no one was there to witness it except for Abby, no one was any wiser to it. We met up at Tommy’s Wine Bar a little before 8 pm, and Kirsten Hubbard and Kate Hart (two of the brains behind YA Highway) helped coordinate a smart set up for the meet up. There’d been a party prior to our arrival, and the tables/chairs weren’t set up ideally. But between those ladies and the incredibly helpful and friendly staff at Tommy’s, we managed to snag nearly the entire one side of the lounge for our event. And, as you can see in the photo, Kirsten earned the second ILOA pin I had received for all of her hard work in making this event happen.

At Midwinter, I was so pleased with the turnout for our event, but I think the turn out this year may have surpassed it. Check out these group shots, courtesy of YA Highway:


It was so nice meeting people who I know only via blog names, and it was nice putting faces to the names of books I knew. Among the attendees were Elana Johnson, Medeia Sharif, and, of course, Kirsten Hubbard. The ladies who helped organize this fun event and I managed to snag a photo together, too, and you can read their recap of the event (and their ALA experience) here. No, I’m really not sure what’s going on with my hair in this picture, either.


Sunday, June 26

I’ll admit it was hard to get going today! I skipped out on both a breakfast and a brunch I was invited to, and instead, I chose to walk the expo floor for a few minutes, hit up a publisher’s preview session at the convention center, then attempt to press my clothes for my presentation. The last part is key, since it turned out I’m about as good at ironing as I am at speaking Russian. Which is to say, I had to bring in an expert (Lea) to do it for me.

Between pressing attempts, I attended what was probably the best session at ALA: the Best Fiction for Young Adults (BFYA) teen feedback session. If you’ve never been, this is the session where actual teens get the chance to tell the BFYA committee which books they read and why they did or did not like it. Listening to these smart and well spoken teens is interesting, and anyone interested can read the live tweeting of this session here. One of the teens who shared her views was so, so good that we wanted to track her down after and tell her she should get reviewing via a blog or Goodreads. Lucky for us and for everyone else, she already does, right here. If you are going to take away one thing from my recap, take away that blog! Real teens reading books meant for them.

So then, it was show time! Prior to the presentation, I’d talked with Kirsten Hubbard about coming to it to talk a little bit about what it means to be a contemporary writer and why contemporary lit is important. But, as it turns out, our time for talking was much tighter than I could have imagined, and Kirsten didn’t get a chance to pitch the genre as much as I’d hoped she could (or that she probably prepared for, either). She and Kate Hart met me at the hotel where our presentation was, and Sarah met up shortly after. We got into the room, which was smaller and more confined than I anticipated, and which also seemed to lack a space to project our presentation. We ditched the idea, and we stuck to using just my computer and a very enlarged version of my Prezi, since the attendees would be sitting in chairs around our table for a smaller, more intimate discussion.

The presentation was part of YALSA’s new Mash Up concept, which put 16 different presentations in the same room and let attendees choose a new session every 20 minutes to listen to. The idea was really smart, but there were a number of issues, including that time was far too short (we only got to talk about maybe 1/10 of what we wanted to talk about!) and that there was only time for 4 sessions.

That said, I could not be happier with how our presentation turned out. Sarah and I had some amazing support via The Contemps, who helped contribute videos to the presentation and who cheered us on along the way more than once. Basically, Sarah and I book talked to the table. We made no real preparations in terms of what we’d say, but instead, we talked about what we wanted to talk about. Each session we talked up different books, gave tips for how to incorporate these books into reader’s advisory for really popular and well known authors, and how to be advocates for contemporary lit. We received fantastic feedback from attendees, and our handouts went like hotcakes. We were asked some great questions, and it was such a shame that we couldn’t answer them the way we wanted to because of the time constraints. Without doubt, I think this is a topic I’d like to explore further and perhaps present on again because it was obvious there was an interest. Our table was full every session, and people were taking notes furiously. I think what was most rewarding was knowing that we were talking books that attendees weren’t familiar with and so everyone walked away with new knowledge. And it didn’t hurt that people told us how well prepared we were and how strong our book talks were — which both of us winged right there.

Of course, a huge thank you also goes out to Kirsten and Katie, who stuck around and supported us throughout the presentation. It was nice to have familiar faces and people who were as passionate about our topic as we were around — and it was nice to let Kirsten do the pitching for her book right to librarians.

After the presentation, I was completely exhausted and headed back to my hotel room, where I treated myself to something I haven’t had in months:

And it was pretty much the most amazing thing I could have. Upon finishing that bad boy, my roommates came back and we had a girls night in, enjoying a childhood classic on DVD, Now and Then.

Monday, June 27
On my last day of ALA, I took it easy again. I hit the floor one last time, picked up a small handful of galleys, and had the opportunity to meet Michelle Hodkin, author of the forthcoming The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer. I had talked with her about meeting up before, but it wasn’t until she approached me on the show floor that we got to connect. It was nice to put a face to a name, and it was nice to chat in such a fun, lively environment about the books we mutually adore (like Imaginary Girls).

The other big Monday event, which I failed to note earlier, was that Abby and I had the chance to reconnect with our friend Antony John, who has a new book coming out next April. You may remember our encounter with him at Anderson’s, where we spent an entire day learning about his then-forthcoming The Five Flavors of Dumb. It was really exciting when we got to see him Monday that he also remembered who we were and asked if we’d planned on going to Anderson’s again this year. What fun! And his new book, Thou Shall Not Road Trip looks like a wonderful exploration of spirituality and the meaning of faith — via road trip!

I had an invite to a lovely lunch on Monday, but my exhaustion, coupled with travel-related phobia, led me to skipping out and instead, reflecting upon the entire experience.

Biggest Take Aways

As always, I took away a lot of books that I’ll get the chance to read and promote with my kids at work, but the conference is about so much more than that alone. I think what I took away this time was really quite selfish — I’ve never once felt like I’m an expert at anything or that I have a real passion for a topic. But after presenting on contemporary lit and being able to answer the questions that came up during the presentation, I feel like it’s an area I really do know well. It’s a topic about which I’m passionate and about which I want to continue working into my professional life however I can.

Moreover, I reconnected with the importance of advocating for teens and their interests. This is less about what was picked up in sessions and much more about what was picked up in networking and talking with fellow youth advocates. It’s essential to be a listener and be a team player, but it’s also key to be an adult and take the steps necessary to make things happen rather than let them happen.

On another selfish note, I got a lot of enjoyment from connecting with writers at ALA, both from the librarian perspective and from the writing perspective. As someone who has been a life long writer and someone who has been struggling to make it a part of my daily life again, it’s valuable to hear from those who are making it happen. It’s a big support group, and the routes to making things happen are so different. But this is, of course, key.

Hi to everyone I had a chance to meet with at ALA this year, and I look forward to talking further!

YA Contemporary Lit: The Presentation

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Unable to make it to Sarah and my’s presentation about contemporary ya lit on Sunday at the American Library Association’s Annual Conference? Did you attend and want a copy of our presentation?

Look no further!

You can make this full screen, as well as zoom in and out however you want to. And if you have questions or want more information about contemporary ya lit, drop a line. As always, steal our lists as much as you’d like. Just get the word out there about this amazing body of work your teens want to be reading.

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Contemporary YA fiction and how to use it on Prezi

* With huge thanks to the wonderful Contemps authors for helping out with making these videos!
** Some of the videos aren’t loading how I want them to on the Prezi, but I’ll come back and post a link to the videos on YouTube this week. They’re worth your time.