I have been sitting on a ton of really exciting news. At least, it’s news that’s exciting for me. I can’t say it’s exciting for anyone else. But now I feel like I can share them.

First, I’m beyond thrilled to share I’ll be speaking at the Wisconsin Association of Public Libraries conference (WAPL) in May down here in my own back yard at the Grand Geneva! I don’t know how many Wisconsin folks read this blog or will be attending, but I’m beyond excited. The Youth Services Section board actually reached out to me to talk about blogs and using them in library services. The presentation time isn’t quite set yet, but it has a title — The Buzz on Blogs: Finding, Evaluating, and Using Youth Services Blogs. If you’re going to WAPL, let me know.

I am probably way too excited about the fact I get to go to this conference and speak and then still sleep in my own bed at night.

Second is this…

I had no plans to go to BEA this year. None. I hadn’t even given it a passing glance. But, I was extended an amazing invitation to speak at the Book Blogger Con at BEA this year on a topic that I’m pretty excited about.

So I took it.

I’ll be attending BEA, and I’ll be speaking on Wednesday at the Blogger Con at the panel entitled Book Blogging and the ‘Big’ Niches. More specifically, I was asked if I’d speak to how to blogging niche has changed and where I think blogging will be heading in the future. Can you hear my laughter from there? I’m really excited and honored about this. If you’re going, the panel is on Wednesday, May 29th at 3:30 Eastern Time.

Of course, I’ll be around BEA, as well.

Finally — I said this was really exciting for me — I have a follow up to something I alluded to last summer, regarding a proposal for a panel discussion at ALA in Chicago. I will be on a panel with Liz Burns and Kristi Chadwick talking about my favorite topic: Advanced Reader Copies (ARCs) of books. I don’t have a time or a date yet, though I know it’ll take place in the convention center. The title of our program is All About ARCs: The Ins and Outs of Requesting, Using, and Abusing Advanced Reading Copies.

And this is separate from the “new adult” conversation starter that I would so love your vote for, too.

I’m beyond excited and completely humbled by all of these incredible opportunities right now, I can’t even express it. It feels weird to share it all at once and weird to share it at all, but I do hope to see familiar faces and I hope I get to meet new-to-me faces at any of these things, too. I may be an introvert, but I’m not shy about saying hello and hearing from people and talking with them!

If you’re going to any or all of these, I’d love to know! And if you have any thoughts on any of these topics, I’d love to hear them, too.