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By: Sherrie Petersen,
on 9/22/2014
I’ve never been a fan of people telling me what to do. I’m open to book suggestions, but when people tell me NOT to read something, I’m probably much more likely to pick that book up. Which is why I love Banned Books Week. I read my son his first banned book when he was […]
By: keilinh,
on 7/15/2014
Another year, another fantastic ALA Annual, this time in Las Vegas! While “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas,” we thought it would be OK to break that code, just this one time, in order to share our experiences with you.
Even though the weather was hot (hello triple digits!), attendance was high and spirits were up! We teamed up with the folks of the #weneeddiversebooks campaign to hand out buttons, which were a huge hit! In fact, School Library Journal reported that, “If you ran into a youth services librarian at the American Library Association (ALA) Conference in Las Vegas, odds were good that they were sporting a colorful ‘We Need Diverse Books’ button.”
#weneeddiversebooks buttons!
We kept a white board in our booth, and got some great answers from librarians on why we need diverse books:
We need diverse books because…
Quite a few of our authors and illustrators made it out to Las Vegas and our schedule was packed with signings! Don Tate, Glenda Armand, Frank Morrison, René Colato Lainez, Karen Sandler, Mira Reisberg, John Parra, Susan L. Roth, Cindy Trumbore, and Emily Jiang all stopped by the booth to sign books. In true Vegas style, we kept the party going at the LEE & LOW table!
Don Tate stopped by to sign copies of It Jes’ Happened
We were also pleased to host our second Book Buzz panel, “Moving the Needle: Diversity in Children’s Books and How to Make a Difference.” It’s been one year since our successful Book Buzz with Cinco Puntos Press last year, so we wanted to check in again with librarians about what has changed, what hasn’t, and how to keep moving forward.
Publisher Jason Low on ALA’s Book Buzz panel on increasing diversity in children’s books
During the panel, publisher Jason Low talked about some highlights from the diversity movement over the past year. He emphasized that Lee & Low has stuck to its original mission by continuing to make an effort to publish debut authors/illustrators as well as authors/illustrators of color. “Of our 2014 titles, three out of seven are by debut authors and five out of seven are by authors or illustrators of color,” Jason said.
He pointed out some some great milestones from the past year, including the success of the #weneeddiversebooks movement, Lee & Low’s infographics on diversity going viral, the First Book Stories for All project, and more diversity in the Marvel Universe.
Jason also announced that Kirkus Reviews will be seeking to diversify their reviewer pool, and said that several other major review publications have expressed an interest in doing the same. Diverse reviewer pools mean that books can be evaluated for cultural accuracy and that reviewers bring a wide range of perspectives to the table.
In the end, Jason said, we need to get from Diversity 101 stories—stories focused simply on the lack of diversity in children’s books, in very basic terms—to Diversity 102 stories, which address both the complexity of the problem and the range of possible solutions. He encouraged librarians to keep moving the conversation forward within their own communities, and to help parents and teachers build inclusive book collections by creating inclusive, diverse summer reading lists and other recommendations.
Two more big highlights this ALA were award ceremonies for a couple of our books! Cindy Trumbore and Susan L. Roth, the dynamic author/illustrator team of Parrots Over Puerto Rico, were honored at the Sibert Award Ceremony and we couldn’t have been prouder!
Cindy Trumbore and Susan L. Roth at the Sibert ceremony! They’re all smiles with LEE & LOW editor Louise May (left), Sibert committee chair, Cecilia P. McGowan (center), and LEE & LOW publisher, Jason Low (right)
Additionally, Killer of Enemies was honored at the American Indian Library Association Youth Literature Awards (AIYLA) ceremony. Tu Books publisher Stacy Whitman attended and shared these photos of children and teens from a local tribe who came to dance at the ceremony:
Native American dancers at the American Indian Library Association Youth Literature Awards ceremony
American Indian Youth Literature Award for Killer of Enemies
While we won’t miss the 110-degree heat, we had a great time meeting so many wonderful people and we can’t wait for next year.
If you were at ALA, what were your highlights?
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 7/1/2014
[Caveat: embarrassing and/or salacious events have been bowdlerized.]
Today marks the end of the annual conference of the American Library Association, held June 26-July 1 near Las Vegas, Nevada. Since it offered a large amount of comics programming as well as a more bibliophiliac experience than BookExpo America, I made my plans to attend months in advance!
I had an afternoon flight from JFK, on Virgin America via LAX. As soon as we were taxiing down the runway, the personal entertainment centers were immediately tuned to the USA-Germany match on ESPN. I felt I was in a bar, listening to the collective groans. Myself, having run the possibilities, knew that the Portugal-Ghana game was more important. I won’t spoil the surprise…
Virgin is a great airline, if you don’t mind paying for food.
The transfer at LAX was fine, but I made the mistake of eating at the Burger King in the terminal. Six hours later, I would awake to an undigested mass in my stomach, and a need to expel it quickly.
I arrived in Vegas on time, and took the shuttle to Circus Circus, where I had booked a cheap one-night room. ($25+$14.50 resort fee) However, upon entering the room, I noticed all of the lights were on, and one bed was unmade. “Is someone still here?” No…the wardrobe was empty, the room merely uncleaned. Since there were fresh towels in the room, a untouched queen bed, I decided to let it go and go to sleep. I was expecting a “Goldilocks” moment, of some drunkard banging on the door at 3 AM. Instead, my stomach decided to play drunk, making me upchuck what was my dinner from six hours before.
I moved to my new motel (Roadway Inn), and was able to check in early. What is “one block” in Vegas is five blocks in Manhattan, with broiling heat and no shade. Check-in at the convention center was easy, and I then exited out the back to trek to the nearest Chase bank branch, to clarify some possibly fraudulent transactions. After that, I cut across the street, where the main branch of the public library just happened to be! Very nice, but a strange floorplan… it’s been added to over the years.
I then walked over to Alternate Realities, one of the best comics shop in the country. (My sketchbook was buried in my storage locker, so I defered to the tried-and-true method: bags-and-boards.) Ralph and company were great, and had many nice things to say about The Beat. What amazed me was the customer traffic while I was in the store. Maybe people were there on their lunch break… Or maybe it was because the store offered great selection, service, and community! If I lived here, this would be my LCS! If you visit Vegas, take the bus to the store.
Still oblivious to the heat, I walked up Flamingo, stopping at a few casinos, playing various geeky slots. (Lord of the Rings, Wizard of Oz (three different games), Superman, Batman ’66, Iron Man 2, Back to the Future, Avatar, Willy Wonka…)
By this time, the exhibits hall was due to open at 5:30, so I rode the monorail back to the convention center. I had forgotten to eat lunch, but ALA always offers a cocktail buffet on “preview night”, so I was quickly sated. I said a few hellos to the awesome Artist Alley artists, then quickly hoofed it to the other side of the room, where Gene Yang was signing his latest book, The Shadow Hero.
7 PM came too quickly, and the floor was closed. I made my way back to my room, where I realized that ALA Play was taking place over at Caesar’s Palace. (I could have taken the shuttle…) So I walked halfway down the strip, and thought, “Hey, cut through the Forum shops… it will be quicker.” No. I missed the turnoff to the casino, and had to backtrack. Then, in the casino, I couldn’t find the hotel. Eventually, a security guard pointed the way, and I completed my quest, feeling like Hannibal. ALA Play is for all those librarians who game and run game nights at their local libraries. The room was packed and lively, and I actually got to witness actual game play of “Redshirts”.
Bedtime: Midnight
ALA opened to a full schedule of exhibits. I had no schedule, and just wandered the floor, discovering books and engaging in the synchronicity that happens at shows like this.
That night, I attended the reception for the Will Eisner Graphic Novel Grants for Libraries program, once again held in Caesar’s Palace. This time, I took the shuttle, but entered differently, so once again I was lost. But I found my way upstairs (I should have followed the service men graduating from the Air Force Weapons College), but had to trek further as the ballroom was much further away from the escalators. Great food and good drink awaited, as did many comics and library people. Afterwards, a group of us trekked over to Carmine’s (in the Forum) where I attended my first publisher’s dinner, hosted by Udon to celebrate their new manga classics. We brainstormed a few new titles (my suggestion: Frankenstein), While otheres continued their night of parties, I accepted a gracious ride from Deb Aoki, cartoonist and comics journalist extraordinaire!
Bedtime: 11 PM
The last full day of the show!
I finished up touring the show floor, and was on my way to the restroom, when I noticed the poster for “Stripped“, the comic strip documentary. Somehow, I had missed an extra aisle of Artists Alley… They were selling the posters, both in a deluxe full sized edition, and a smaller print, as well as the DVD. I bought all three. Ever since they had announced that Bill Watterson had designed the poster, I had wanted to buy one! But…they don’t offer it for sale online. Just at shows.
While chatting with them, I made the acquaintance of an intriguing librarian from New Jersey. She was on her way to listen to Jesse Moynihan, writer for Adventure Time, and creator of “Forming“. The talk was … interesting. Had I read his work before, I probably would have had a better expectation of him.
After the floor closed at 5 PM, I joined John Shableski, and two comics creators I’ve forgotten because I’m tired and a horrible journalist, over at the LVH sports bar for some libation, then we returned to the Stratosphere, where Mr. Shableski used his hotel key to get us to the top of the tower. While not the tallest structure in the United States, it is one of the highest, with a base elevation of approximately 2,000 feet and a height of 1,149 feet. I watched one guy plummet (via cable).
Dinner was had closer to Earth, and I walked home along Las Vegas Boulevard.
Bedtime: Midnight
A half day, with the show floor closing at 2 PM.
I used the day to buy a page of Amelia Rules artwork from Jimmy Gownley, then get some sketches from various artists.
In the last thirty minutes of the show, I met an IT librarian fm the Moscow public library. Not Idaho… RUSSIA. He is trying to create a space for geeks in Moscow, so I gave him a few ideas and encouragement, so maybe one day we’ll see a CCCP-con!
That’s what I love about ALA! The synchronicity of discovery, finding and sharing ideas, and celebrating comics. That seemed to be the theme this year…how librarians have made comics such a strong and integral part of library collections, no matter what type of library it is. Tina Coleman has done an amazing job in just four years, carving out a space at conference for comics and graphic novels.
Mid-Winter is in Chicago, Annual is in San Francisco! (Yes! Comics central!)
Day Five is today, packing, blogging, and catching the redeye back to New York.
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 7/1/2014
Building Creative Bridges has an insightful recap of Stan Lee’s talk at the American Library Association’s annual conference.
The most hyperbolic quote?
He and his colleagues, for example, prepared materials teaching soldiers how to disassemble and reassemble guns: “We were able to increase the speed of the training by about 30%…I never told you, but I practically won the war [single-handedly]… Everybody knew how a gun works because of me!” he said with the obvious sense of hyperbole that made his presentation so engaging.
Yet Lee is a master of talking and engaging:
But what was most striking to me was the example he set for all of us as trainer-teacher-learners. Regardless of how serious he allowed himself to become in responding to questions during the presentation, he routinely and continually peppered his comments with amusing asides and the sort of self-effacing comments that made us feel as if we were insiders—partners rather than observers in the presentation.
Also announced last week…
This September, Stan Lee, co-creator of Spider-Man, the Hulk, X-Men, Iron Man and the Fantastic Four, will encourage children to get the most important school supply of all: a library card.
As the Honorary Chair of Library Card Sign-up Month, Lee has donated his image to a print and digital public service announcement (PSA). ALA will place the PSA in magazines and on websites to remind parents and educators that a library card is a key tool in achieving academic success.
I do hope that Marvel has licensed an image for library card usage.
Many years ago, in conjunction with the 40th anniversary of Sesame Street, the Brooklyn Public Library offered a limited edition Elmo library card which was extremely successful.
Marvel, if you’re reading this… this would be an excellent tie-in with your 75th anniversary celebrations this fall! Print up some comics… maybe a reprint from Spidey Super Stories, a new story about Peter visiting the library… perhaps an exhibition at the New York Public Library…
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 6/28/2014
The annual conference of the American Library Association kicks into high gear today (It’s been running since Thursday!), with the first full day of the exhibition hall being open.
Like BookExpo America, publishers are displaying their new titles, and scheduling authors to sign books! Gene Yang signed his new book from First Second last night, and later this weekend, Judy Blume will be in attendance!
Meanwhile… there is the Artist Alley near the graphic novel/gaming stage, featuring an incredible selection of comics creators, mostly from the graphic novel side of publishing, not the smashbang genres of superhero adventures. (Although, there are many fans of superheroes among them!)
Here’s the list! Everything is from the ALA website, although I’ve added a few URLs to better promote these talents!
Booth No.: 2138
Description:
Frank Cammuso is the author/illustrator of the graphic novel series The Misadventures of Salem Hyde from Amulet Books. He also created the graphic novel series Knights of the Lunch Table from Graphix/Scholastic. Frank drew the comic Otto’s Orange Day and Otto’s Backwards Day for Toon-Books. He also wrote and drew his self-published graphic novel Max Hamm Fairy Tale Detective, for which he received an Eisner nomination.
Booth No.: 2021
Web: http://matt-dembicki.blogspot.com
Description:
Matt Dembicki previously edited and contributed to the Eisner-nominated and Aesop Prize-winning Trickster: Native American Tales: A Graphic Collection. He also served at the helm of District Comics: An Unconventional History of Washington, D.C., a Harvey Award-nominated anthology that was named as one of the best books of 2012 by the Washington Post. His book Xoc: The Journey of a Great White won the 2013 SPACE Prize.
Booth No.: 2131
Booth No.: 2025
Description:
Graphic Novels and comic books from the publisher FIRST COMICS. We have 5 graphic novels out presently: FREAKIN’ BUTT-KICKIN’ ZOMBIE ANTS, TALES OF THE S.S. JUNKY STAR, CADAVER DOGS OF WINTER, LIVES, CAPTAIN FREEBIRD. We will also have samples of the upcoming titles SHOTGUN TO SUGARLAND, DOG SOLDIER and NAKED LEONE.
Booth No.: 2130
Booth No.: 2033
Booth No.: 2133
Booth No.: 2135
Booth No.: 2136
Web: http://www.hazardoustales.com
Description:
Author/illustrator Nathan Hale, creator of the Hazardous Tales series of graphic novels for middle grade readers will be at this table, sketching, answering questions and signing books.
Booth No.: 2124
Booth No.: 2031
Booth No.: 2137
Booth No.: 2139
Description:
Mike Maihack will have his newest Scholastic published Graphic Novel, Cleopatra in Space #1: Target Practice, on hand as well as a collection of art prints from a variety of genres.
Booth No.: 2122
Booth No.: 2027
Booth No.: 2134
Booth No.: 2121
Booth No.: 2023
Web: http://www.mrjakeparker.com
Description:
Jake Parker is an illustrator based in Utah. For the last 15 years he has worked on everything from animated films to graphic novels to picture books. He illustrated the New York Times best-selling book The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man, written by Michael Chabon and writes and draws the Missle Mouse graphic novel series, published by Graphix.
Booth No.: 2029
Booth No.: 2132
Booth No.: 2120
Booth No.: 2128
Booth No.: 2127
Booth No.: 2035
Booth No.: 2125
Booth No.: 2129
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 6/27/2014
Every Winter, the American Library Association holds a conference in an arctic clime (Philadelphia, Boston) where awards are announced and some networking and training is held. In the Summer, it’s usually someplace sweltering (although DC in June is not that bad). Last year, it was held in Chicago. This year, Vegas. [1]
Yes, that is correct. 30,000 librarians and other attendees will be spending June 26 – July 1 in the city that never sleeps alone. Yes, I had the same images floating through my head, but the truth is, librarians are about as normal as any other occupation, albeit better educated, more interesting, and able to discover all sorts of arcane miscellanea unknown to the general populace. What could go wrong?!?
Of course, graphic novels are a big subject to librarians:
So, once again, the American Library Association is offering a wide variety of programming and events at their annual conference. Here’s most of what’s happening in the next few days.
[NOTE: Most of this is happening on the Exhibits Floor, where the vendors sell their wares. If you ask nicely, you can purchase an "exhibits only" pass for $35. Two years ago, teens attending a volleyball tournament in the same convention center in Anaheim wandered the show floor looking young adult titles. This pass will not get you into other events, but reading the list below, you won't need to.
The show floor opens at 5 PM on Friday with snacks and drinks (!) until 7:30, then remains open 9-5 on Saturday and Sunday, and closes at 2PM on Monday.]
[Everything that follows was cut-and-pasted from the ALA website. My comments are in brackets.]
[The "Hall H" of comics programming!]
Here’s your chance to hear from authors, illustrators, and creators of the hottest games and graphic novels. Learn more about the art of graphic novels and illustration, how games and gaming inspire creativity and social engagement, and how comics in the library and in the classroom can help you inspire and reach reluctant readers. Supplement your Graphic Novel/Gaming Stage experiences with visits to the Graphic Novel & Gaming Pavilion, the Zine Pavilion, and Artist Alley, also on the Exhibit Floor.
| Time | Friday | Saturday | Sunday | Monday |
| 9:00-10:00am | Mayfair Games | T-Publications | ||
| 10:00-11:00am | Teachng With Comics | Nathan Hale | Author/Illustrator Panel | |
| 11:00-12:00pm | Zine Presentation | Eric Wight | ||
| 12:00-1:00pm | Will Eisner Awards | Reading With Pictures | Comics Bakery | |
| 1:00-2:00pm | Alf Seegert | Anya Ulinich | ||
| 2:00-3:00pm | Stacey King & Erik Ko- Manga | Jesse Moynihan | ||
| 3:00-4:00pm | Frank Cammuso | Panel: Brian Buccellato, Fancis Manapul, Peter Tomasi, and Patrick Gleason | ||
| 4:00-5:00pm | 5:30-7:00pm Comics Quickfire! | Nick Dragotta | Cosmo Eisele & Pierce Watters |
A fast-paced game show where volunteers are paired off with (or against) professional cartoonists in a series of fun-filled drawing challenges!
Audience members will provide suggestions and add to the creation of totally improvised epic drawings! Featuring Dave Roman (Astronaut Academy), Raina Telgemeier (Smile)
Mayfair Games, award winning publisher of the Settlers of Catan series of games, will speak about the importance of after school programs and game leagues, using board games to promote social gaming among adolescents and teens. We look forward to meeting you at the show and discussing the ways in which games can assist libraries around the nation in their important work developing and molding the minds of America’s youth.
A panel discussion with three graphic illustrators and writers exploring the benefits of teaching with comics. The panelists have published books about history, culture and nature, all of which have been successful teaching and learning tools in the classroom and in libraries.
Lights! Cameras! Zines! Join zinesters from the Zine Pavilion as they read from their amazing and personal works. Hear stories from the heart that entertain, make you laugh or cry, or inspire you to create your own zine! Zinesters will also be available for further discussion at the Zine Pavilion.
Kelsey Smith, librarian and sporadic zine author from Olympia, Washington, will serve as emcee for the following superstars…
Alex Wrekk – has been creating the zine Brainscan since 1997 and is the author of the DIY zine resource book Stolen Sharpie Revolution. Alex lives in Portland, Oregon and is a founder and continued organizer of the Portland Zine Symposium. She hosts Nobody Cares About Your Stupid Zine Podcast, maintains zine resource listings at StolenSharpieRevolution.org, organizes July Is International Zine Month, an runs the online and brick and mortar shop of Portland Button Works and zine distro. Alex also sings for the international zine themed band, the Copy Scams.
Jonas Cannon – is a zinester from Chicago. He made the six-issue zine Cheer the Eff Up, and contributed to several other compilations. He has also written a novel: The Greatest Most Traveling Circus.
Celia C. Pérez – is the author of I Dreamed I was Assertive, Ofrenda and Sherman Sez (a Sherman Alexie fanzine). She’s also a mama, writer, librarian, zine-maker, thing-finder, book-sniffer, coffee-drinker, pie-eater, and kid lit reader.
Join authors Gene Leun Yang and Phil Yeh, and graphic novel librarians who will discuss the history and importance of graphic novels in education and libraries. This will be followed by the presentation of the 2014 Will Eisner Graphic Novel Grants to the two winning libraries. PLUS: Learn how your library can apply for the 2015 Will Eisner Graphic Novel Grants.
Alf is a life-longlover of board games, video games, and role-playinggames. He grew up on gameslike Dark Tower, Dungeons & Dragons, Tunnels & Trolls,Talisman, and the Ultima series. Alf went on to code a version of Dark Tower into the high school mainframe computer and has since designed half a dozen-or-so board games themed on everything from trolls to the Canterbury Tales: Bridge Troll, Trollhalla, and three games so far with Gryphon Games The Road to Canterbury, Fantastiqa, and most recently, a co-design with Steven Poelzing, CUBIST.
What makes a great graphic novel adaptation of a literary classic? In this panel, author Stacy King and editorial producer Erik Ko will discuss the process of adapting classic literature for the manga generation, with a focus on the first two titles in UDON Entertainment’s upcoming “Manga Classics” line. Topics will include working with the artist to develop a period-appropriate art style with contemporary appeal, maintaining faithfulness to the original work, and finding the right adaptation to suit your core curriculum needs.
Someone stole Otto’s birthday! When Otto and his robot sidekick, Toot, follow the crook, they discover a topsy-turvy world where rats chase cats and people wear underpants over their clothes. To get his presents back, Otto needs to solve a slew of backwards puzzles — but his greatest challenge comes at the journey’s very end. On this special day, will Otto discover something even better than cake or gifts?
Frank Cammuso, who wrote and drew Otto’s adventure, is the author of the graphic novel series Knights of the Lunch Table, a middle-school version of King Arthur and his knights. His forthcoming series is The Misadventures of Salem Hyde. His writing has appeared in The New Yorker, the New York Times, The Village Voice and Slate.
What happens when you take a comic book artist, an inventor, and a toy designer? You get Howtoons. A Howtoon is an educational, entertaining, and beautifully illustrated adventure comic strip for kids that integrates instructions seamlessly into the story telling, teaching kids how to make toys and projects with everyday household objects. Introducing the science and engineering behind the projects, Howtoons encourage creative problem-solving skills, pushing kids to think beyond the information that is given and inspiring them to learn through experimentation.
Nick Dragotta is the acclaimed artist of East of West as well as Howtoons and will be presenting the Howtoons comics and one of the projects from its pages.
Over the last ten years, more and more serious works of literature have been released as graphic novels. Come and listen to UK comic book publisher Ryan O’Sullivan (T Pub) talk about how stocking “literary comics” gets more people of all ages reading in your library. He will cover a range of topics, including:
Nathan Hale is the author/illustrator of Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales series, a YALSA Great Graphic Novel pick. He is also the illustrator of the graphic novel Rapunzel’s Revenge, as an Al Roker Book Club for Kids selection, an ALA Notable Book, and a YALSA Great Graphic Novel for Teens, as well as the recipient of three starred reviews. He is also illustrator of the picture book The Dinosaurs’ Night Before Christmas.
For his new book in the series, Treaties, Trenches, Mud, and Blood (A World War 1 Tale), Nathan has gathered some of the most fascinating true-life tales from the war and given them his inimitable Hazardous Tales twist. Easy to understand, funny, informative, and lively, this series is the best way to be introduced to some of the most well-known battles (and little known secrets) of the infamous war.
Award-winning author/illustrator Eric Wight will be debuting his newest creation, Beastie Bash!, a wacky, mix-and-match card game for children. He will also be demonstrating how you can use this game in your classroom or library to inspire creative writing.
With comics becoming more common in classrooms across the nation, how do we make sure those comics are actually good? Reading With Pictures presents an all-star lineup of creators and educators to share their insights in a roundtable moderated by Josh Elder (president, Reading With Pictures).
Lena Finkle’s Magic Barrel evokes Louis C.K.’s sensibilities and Amy Winehouse’s longing and anguish—often in the same frame—as Ulinich turns her sharp eye toward the strange, sometimes unmooring world of “grown-up” dating. After 15 years of marriage, 37-year-old Lena embarks on a string of online dates and receives a brutally eye-opening education in love, sex, and loss while raising her two teenage daughters. With references to Bernard Malamud and Chekhov along the way, this is a smart, funny story told beautifully through Ulinich’s text and drawings.
Jesse Moynihan is an American artist, composer and director best known for being a writer and storyboard artist on the animated television series Adventure Time as well as creator of the graphic novel Forming, serialized online and published by Nobrow. The second collection of Forming will be published in late May, 2014. He is working with his brother Justin on an animated series, Manly, that will be available exclusively through Cartoon Hangover.
What does it take to create a new comic book? Find out at this amazing panel, where DC has assembled the entire creative team of a comic book, including the writer, penciller, and colorist! Learn how a new project is developed before the script is even written, and the many steps that happen after the artwork is complete, with the creative team behind Flash, Batman and Robin and Detective Comics – Brian Buccellato, Francis Manapul, Patrick Gleason, and Peter Tomasi.
Brian Buccellato has worked on several high-profile books, including Uncanny X-Men, Generation X, and Astro City, before striking out on his own as a freelance colorist. His most recent work includes writing and coloring The Flash as a part of DC Comics–The New 52. Brian has worked as a freelance colorist since 1996, working for Marvel, DC, Vertigo, Top Cow, Image and Dynamite Entertainment. His recent coloring credits include Adventure Comics, Hellblazer, Superman, and The Flash.
Francis Manapul is the artist and co-writer of The Flash, which is part of DC Comics-The New 52. His previous work for DC Comics includes books such as Adventure Comics, Superman/Batman, and The Legion of Super Heroes. His work has been published in various publications including Aspen Comics, Editions Delcourt, Top Cow Productions, and Devils Due.
Formerly an editor at DC Comics, Peter Tomasi proudly helped usher in new eras for Green Lantern, Batman, and JSA along with special projects like Kingdom Come and JSA All-Stars, Peter J. Tomasi now devotes his time to writing comics and screenplays. Having worked on many DC titles, along with critically acclaimed creator-owned projects Light Brigade and The Mighty, Peter’s current projects include Batman and Robin and Green Lantern Corps.
Patrick Gleason loves to create fantastic characters and worlds. His focus on character development and powerful storytelling can be seen in DC’s Batman and Robin, Green Lantern Corps, Aquaman, JLA, Hawkman and JSA. His ground-laying work alongside Geoff Johns and Dave Gibbons on the miniseries Green Lantern Corps: Recharge made way for the acclaimed ongoing series. The Sinestro Corps War followed, and then the explosive Blackest Night with Peter J Tomasi. And now, as part of DC Comics New 52, Patrick continues to lend his artistic vision to the dynamic duo of Batman and Robin.
The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game is the number one fantasy roleplaying game in the world, and this presentation focuses on how to run the game in your library, concentrating on the Pathfinder Beginner Box. It is a tabletop fantasy game which teaches cooperative play, where players must work together to solve problems and achieve goals.
– Presents Get Ready for Banned Books Week!
Tom Angleberger is a master chronicler and doodler of middle school antics. His New York Times bestselling series Origami Yoda has over five million copies in print and will be coming to an end in the fall of 2014 with the sixth and final book. He is launching a new series in May titled The Qwikpick Papers.
Cece Bell has written and illustrated several books for children, including the Geisel Honor book Rabbit & Robot: The Sleepover. Her new book out in the fall, El Deafo, is a funny, deeply honest graphic novel memoir for middle graders about growing up deaf.
Raina Telgemeier is the creator of the graphic memoir Smile, a #1 New York Times bestseller, winner of the Will Eisner Award for Best Publication for Teens, and a Boston Globe-Hornbook Honor Book. She also created Drama, a #1 New York Times bestseller that received a Stonewall Book Award Honor and adapted and illustrated The Baby-Sitters Club graphic novels. Raina will be talking about the companion volume to Smile.
A live performance graphic novel theater involving lots of audience participation and silliness. Raina Telgemeier (Drama), Dave Roman (Astronaut Academy), and Jerzy Drozd (Cap’n Cat) will perform chapters from some of their latest comics.
— — — — — — —
[What follows is a concise (?) choronological list of most of the comics programming I could find on the ALA website. Aside from the events listed above, most are restricted to librarians. Everything is located in the convention center, unless noted otherwise.]
When: Friday, June 27, 2014 – 5:30pm to 7:00pm
Location:Exhibit Hall – Graphic Novel / Gaming Stage
When: Friday, June 27, 2014 – 6:30pm to 7:00pm
Location: Exhibit Hall – Booth 523
Description:
The Shadow Hero
In the comics boom of the 1940s, a legend was born: the Green Turtle. He solved crimes and fought injustice just like the other comics characters. But this mysterious masked crusader was hiding something more than your run-of-the-mill secret identity… The Green Turtle was the first Asian American super hero.
When: Saturday, June 28, 2014 – 9:30am to 10:00am
Location: Exhibit Hall – Book Buzz Theater
Description:
Come hear about all the best children’s titles from the publishing partners of Random House, Inc. (i.e. Quirk Books, Nat Geo Kids, Archie Comics, Charlesbridge, NYRB, and MORE!)
When: Saturday, June 28, 2014 – 10:00am to 11:00am
Location: Exhibit Hall – Graphic Novel / Gaming Stage
When: Saturday, June 28, 2014 – 10:30am to 11:30am
Location: S224
Presenters:
Speaker: Brian Buccellato
Speaker: Francis Manapul
Speaker: Patrick Gleason
Speaker: Peter Tomasi
Description:
Throughout his 75 year history, the Dark Knight has become one of the most popular and widely recognized super heroes in the world. From comics to TV to movies to video games, the World’s Greatest Detective has permeated all entertainment mediums and beyond. Come by for a look at Batman’s rich history and what the future holds this pop culture icon!
Panelist(s): Pete Thomasi, Pat Gleason from Batman & Robin, Brian Buccellato and Francis Manapul from The Flash and Detective Comic, Batman Group Editor – Mark Doyle; Moderator: Mike Pawuk
Presented by the Graphic Novels & Comics in Libraries MIG with thanks to DC Comics
When: Saturday, June 28, 2014 – 10:30am to 11:30am
Location: N238
Description:
Business meeting of ALA’s Graphic Novels & Comics in Libraries MIG. The group will report on recent projects and discuss plans for future programming and projects
Auditorium Speaker Series featuring Stan LeeWhen: Saturday, June 28, 2014 – 12:00pm to 1:00pm
Location: N249
Description:
Treat yourself to magical superpowers, a sinister conspiracy, and an
unlikely hero with Stan Lee, known to millions as the man whose Super Heroes propelled Marvel to its preeminent position in the comic book industry and whose co-creations include Spider-Man™, The Avengers ™, X-Men™, Iron Man™, The Incredible Hulk™, The Fantastic Four™, and hundreds of others.
Lee will talk among other things about his forthcoming action-packed illustrated novel Zodiac, based on the Chinese Zodiac. Co-written with Stuart Moore and illustrated by Andie Tong, it follows Steven Lee, a young Chinese-American teen who is drawn into a mysterious conspiracy surrounding twelve mystical pools of energy and a power-hungry secret organization. (January 2015, Disney Publishing Worldwide.)
Lee remains Chairman Emeritus of Marvel, serves on the Editorial Board of Marvel Comics, and is currently Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of POW! Entertainment, a multimedia entertainment company he co-founded. POW! has debuted several titles including Solider Zero, Traveler, and Starborn with Boom Comics, Stan Lee and the Mighty 7 with Archie and A Squared Entertainment, and Romeo and Juliet: The War with 1821 Comics. Lee has been involved in creating feature film scripts, a live action musical, and is working on Indian and South American superhero franchises.
Sponsored By: Disney Publishing Worldwide
When: Saturday, June 28, 2014 – 1:00pm to 2:30pm
Location: N240
Presenters:
Speaker: Charles Brownstein
Description:
The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is a non-profit organization that protects the freedom to read comics. At this presentation, learn how they have been a leader in opposing censorship for nearly 30 years by performing legal aid, education, and advocacy activities in the service of the community that reads, creates, and circulates comics. CBLDF’s Executive Director Charles Brownstein tells the organization’s story, introducing you to the readers, retailers and artists that the organization has stood up for in court. He’ll also profile their extensive education activities that range from sharing the history of comics censorship to providing letters and resources that help keep books on shelves.
In the past year, CBLDF has helped protect dozens of books, from Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis to Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl. CBLDF’s publications Raising A Reader and Using Graphic Novels in Education are vital tools in helping the next generation of teachers, librarians, and parents use comics to promote literacy. CBLDF Presents Manga and CBLDF’s daily news blog are just two of the numerous resources the CBLDF offers in the spirit of preventing censorship by expanding education and understanding about comics. The Fund’s efforts to fight censorship in courtrooms and classrooms are essential to protecting the future of comics. Learn what this small, but vital organization does, and how you can be a part of their ongoing mission!
When: Saturday, June 28, 2014 – 2:00pm to 3:00pm
Location: Exhibit Hall – Booth 309
Description:
Reading With Pictures: Comics That Make Kids Smarter
Comics have gone from “scourge of the classroom” to legitimate teaching tools, and the Common Core State Standards for scholastic achievement now explicitly recommend their use in the classroom.
Reading With Pictures: Comics That Make Kids Smarter unites the finest creative talents in the comics industry with the nation’s leading experts in visual literacy to create a game-changing tool for the classroom and beyond. This full-color volume features more than a dozen short stories (fiction and nonfiction) that address topics in Social Studies, Math, Language Arts, and Science, while offering an immersive textual and visual experience kids will enjoy.
When: Saturday, June 28, 2014 – 3:00pm to 5:30pm
Location: N263
Description:
A unique blend of comics, artists, writers, fans, teachers, and librarians, the Toronto Comics Arts Festival has become one of the premier comics events in North America. In the first hour, learn how a public library and a comic book store work together to create a successful community-wide program that attracts guests and attendees from around the world. Then, in the second hour, walk through a series of plans for building comics events in YOUR library, in an interactive session! Featured speakers include Christopher Butcher (The Beguiling); Andrew Woodrow Butcher (Little Island Comics); Gina Gagliano (First Second); Phyllis Jacklin (Toronto Public Library). Moderated by Eva Volin.
Presented by the ALA Graphic Novels & Comics in Libraries MIG
When: Saturday, June 28, 2014 – 4:00pm to 5:00pm
Location: Exhibit Hall – Graphic Novel / Gaming Stage
When: Sunday, June 29, 2014 – 10:30am to 11:30am
Location: N252
Presenters:
Speaker: Kristin Fontichiaro
Description:
There are many pathways to learning and learning is happening everywhere: schools, libraries, clubs, community centers, homes, and religious organizations. A makerspace culture, one that emphasizes creation over memorization, open-source sharing over siloed knowledge, and process over product, gives new ways for students to explore concepts and show what they know. Coupled with makerspace culture is a movement to flexibly acknowledge growth: digital or open badges. In this session, we’ll talk about budget-friendly school library makerspaces, strategies for promoting healthy makerspace culture, and validating growth via digital badges that go far beyond the sticker charts of the past.
Sponsors: AASL (The American Association of School Librarians)
When: Saturday, June 28, 2014 – 5:30pm to 7:30pm
Location: Caesars Palace Milano II
Description:
This reception is a celebration of Will Eisner’s contribution to the creation of the graphic novel format and recognition of the librarians who have and continue to foster a love of the comics medium. The winners of the 2014 Will Eisner Graphic Novel Grants for Libraries will be introduced.
When: Sunday, June 29, 2014 – 9:00am to 10:00am
Location: Exhibit Hall – Graphic Novel / Gaming Stage
When: Sunday, June 29, 2014 – 10:30am to 11:30am
Location: N116
Description:
Join us as an opinionated group of manga and comics bloggers, retailers, and librarians rant and rave about the best new manga that debuted in the past year, the continuing manga series most worth reading, the most anticipated upcoming releases, and of course, the worst manga that you’d best avoid. Panelists include Christopher Butcher (The Beguiling, Comics212.net), Eva Volin (Alameda Free Library, Good Comics for Kids), Jack Baur (Berkeley Public Library, In the Library With a Comic Book), Deb Aoki (MangaComicsManga)
Presented by the ALA Graphic Novels & Comics in Libraries MIG
When: Sunday, June 29, 2014 – 11:00am to 11:30am
Location: Exhibit Hall – Booth 343
Description:
Colonial Comics
Colonial Comics is a graphic novel collection of twenty stories focusing on the colonial period from 1620 through 1750 in New England. Created in partnership with the Massachusetts Historical Society and the Concord Museum, these illustrated stories focus on tales you cannot find in history books. Includes stories about free thinkers, Pequots, Jewish settlers, female business owners and dedicated school teachers, whales and livestock, slavery and frontiers, and many other aspects of colonial life.
When: Sunday, June 29, 2014 – 11:30am to 12:00pm
Location: Exhibit Hall – Booth 343
Description:
Wild Ocean
The world’s oceans represent the last wild frontier on Earth. While our understanding of life in the ocean is relatively basic, our actions are putting hundreds of species in danger. In this graphic anthology, Matt Dembicki, editor and artist of the award-winning Trickster and District Comics, explores the adventures of twelve iconic endangered sea animals: hawksbill turtle, bluefin tuna, hammerhead shark, giant clam, manatee, blue whale, coral, albatross, whale shark, monk seal, manta ray, and seahorse. Produced in cooperation with the non-profit PangeaSeed, these gripping stories instill a passion to conserve our magnificent sea creatures.
When: Sunday, June 29, 2014 – 12:00pm to 1:00pm
Location: Exhibit Hall – Graphic Novel / Gaming Stage
Description:
With comics becoming more common in classrooms across the nation, how do we make sure those comics are actually good? Reading With Pictures presents an all-star lineup of creators and educators to share their insights in a roundtable moderated by Josh Elder (president, Reading With Pictures).
When: Sunday, June 29, 2014 – 1:00pm to 2:00pm
Location: Exhibit Hall – PopTop Stage
Description:
Congressman John Lewis’ graphic novel memoir March: Book One, co-written by Andrew Aydin and drawn by Nate Powell, is a #1 New York Times bestseller, a Coretta Scott King Honor Book, one of YALSA’s Outstanding Books for the College Bound, and the first graphic novel winner of a Robert F. Kennedy Book Award.
Together, co-authors Lewis and Aydin will discuss the phenomenal success of March: Book One, show how it fits into the long history of comics in the civil rights movement, and preview the much-anticipated Book Two.
Sponsored by Top Shelf Productions
When: Sunday, June 29, 2014 – 2:30pm to 3:00pm
Location: Exhibit Hall – Book Buzz Theater
Description:
David Eicke from VIZ Media (Naruto, Ouran High School) and David “Wonderful” Yoo from Kodansha (Sailor Moon, Attack of Titan) will discuss the year’s most exciting upcoming manga titles.
When: Sunday, June 29, 2014 – 3:00pm to 4:00pm
Location: Exhibit Hall – Graphic Novel / Gaming Stage
When: Sunday, June 29, 2014 – 4:30pm to 5:30pm
Location: N116
Presenters:
Speaker: Amanda Jacobs Foust
Speaker: Jack Baur
Description:
Do you have a graphic novel collection and need ideas for how to bump up the selection? Are you worried that your limited budget is preventing you from purchasing the best of the best? Do you have no idea what the best books are? Graphic Novel enthusiasts and longtime collection developers Jack Baur (Berkeley Public Library) and Amanda Jacobs Foust (Marin County Free Library) will introduce you to many of the best comics released this year and allow you to flip through the books and judge for yourself.
Presented by the ALA Graphic Novels & Comics MIG
When: Monday, June 30, 2014 – 10:30am to 11:30am
Location: N263
Description:
It’s a wild free for all with comics creators, librarians, and everyone keen to understand how to create engaging graphic novels and comics in today’s diverse industry. Join comics professionals and your fellow librarians for a roundtable discussion on everything from growing up with comics, writing for different age audiences, everyone’s toughest jobs, ideal workspaces, most tempting work distractions, valued critics, and favorite go-to sources ofinspiration. Creators will quiz each other, and with the guidance of moderator librarian Mike Pawuk members of the audience will get their chance to talk comics with this stellar line up.
Presented by the ALA Graphic Novels & Comics in Libraries MIG
When: Monday, June 30, 2014 – 12:00pm to 1:00pm
Location: Exhibit Hall – Graphic Novel / Gaming Stage
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[1] “Las Vegas” refers to the actual city. “Vegas” is what I use to refer to the tourist area, officially known as “Paradise, NV”. The convention center, the Strip, the airport, even the University of Nevada-Las Vegas are all located outside the city limits.
By: Carmela Martino and 5 other authors,
on 10/18/2013
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Howdy Campers and happy Poetry Friday!
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By: Hannah,
on 2/25/2013
In this guest post, Dr. Henrietta M. Smith, Professor Emerita and the first African-American professor at the University of South Florida, School of Information shares her memories of how the Coretta Scott King Award began:
The news of the damage sustained by the boardwalk in Atlantic City during Hurricane Sandy brought back memories of where the Coretta Scott King Award started. This writer’s mind went back to an earlier time, to an American Library Association annual meeting in Atlantic City. 
The year was 1969. Two librarians walking through the exhibit hall stopped by a booth where a poster of the late Martin Luther King Jr. was on display. This was the start of a genial conversation that evolved into the observation that never since the inception of the Newbery Medal in 1922 and the Caldecott Medal in 1938 had any award committee recognized the work of a person of color.
John Carroll, a publisher from a small company in New York, overheard the conversation. It was reported that he said, rather matter of factly, “Then why don’t you ladies establish your own award?” The seed was planted. Before the conference ended, in an informal meeting on the boardwalk in Atlantic City under the leadership of Glyndon Greer and Mabel McKissick, the idea of a award for African American authors was shared with a group of African American librarians, including Augusta Baker, Charlemae Rollins, Ella Mae Yates, and Virginia Lacy Jones, to name a few. At this seaside gathering, the struggle for recognition began.
The ALA questioned the need for another award. A majority of publishers informed the committee that they did not have enough children’s books by African Americans to provide for evaluation. And many librarians were skeptical of anything becoming of this fragile brainchild. Undaunted and unconvinced that this venture was fruitless, the committee moved on. In 1970, the first Coretta Scott King Awards breakfast was scheduled in a hotel that just “happened” not to be on the ALA list of official hotels. After a meager meal and short program, the first recipient of the Coretta Scott King Award was announced. A school librarian from New Jersey, Lillie Patterson, went down in history as the first winner of the award for her elementary level biography, Martin Luther King, Jr.: Man of Peace.
from Ray Charles
It was not until 1974 that the award breakfast was held in an ALA conference site, but even then, the CSK Award was not recognized as an official ALA award, nor was the award committee recognized as an official ALA body. But to the joy of all, publishers were now sending more quality books, and attendance at the 7:30 a.m. breakfast was steadily growing! Another change came in 1974 when the committee presented its first illustrator award. George Ford, who is still painting today, won for the illustrations he created for Sharon Bell Mathis’ biography Ray Charles.
In the years that followed, a major breakthrough came when E. J. Josey was elected president of the ALA. One of his first concerns was to bring the Coretta Scott King Committee into the official folds of the American Library Association. In 1980, the Coretta Scott King Committee became the Coretta Scott King Task Force, a viable part of Social Responsibilities Task Force (since 1993 a part of EMIERT), with founder Glyndon Greer as its first chair.
Growth and changes can be seen as the benchmark of this dynamic group of librarians. Artist Lev Mills designed the medal that is placed on each award-winning book. The symbols in the medal’s design each carry a special message; even the colors of the winner and honor book medals, and the more recent new talent award medal, have significance. The monetary prize for the winners was first given through the efforts of the late Basil O. Phillips of the Johnson Publishing Company, and today the encyclopedias from Britannica and World Book have moved from print into the digital age.
Following negotiations with the ALA parent body on Awards and Recognitions, and the late John Steptoe’s son, illustrator Javaka Steptoe, in 1995, the New Talent Award was established. It was named in honor of John Steptoe, whose first book, Stevie (1969), won national acclaim when the author/illustrator was only nineteen years of age.
With each meeting of the Coretta Scott King Task Force, new ideas for growth are on the docket. Among the newest is the Coretta Scott King/Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement, which goes to an African American author, illustrator, author/illustrator, or practitioner (such as a librarian) for his or her body of work or contributions to reading programs involving African American literature. Changes are constantly in the works too. New ideas for creating greater visibility and wider use of Coretta Scott King Award books and materials are a part of every Task Force meeting.
To think that all this started with a meeting on the boardwalk in Atlantic City! The very spot may not be there now, but surely the news reports about Hurricane Sandy conjured up many of these same memories for those who met on the boardwalk way back in 1969.
Dr. Henrietta M. Smith, native New Yorker, received her MLS degree from Columbia University and EdD from University of Miami, Florida. She teaches in the Materials for Youth in the School of Information (University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida). Longtime member of the ALA, Smith has served on Newbery Caldecott, Wilder (Chair), and Pura Belpré Award committees for ALSC and has chaired the Coretta Scott King Task Force and the CSK Award Committee. Smith received the ALSC Distinguished Service Award in 2008 and in 2011 was the first practitioner recipient of the Coretta Scott King/Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement in Librarianship.
By: John Mark Boling,
on 2/4/2013
Pike Place welcomes the librarians The last weekend in January offered a few cold and rainy days in Seattle—doesn’t it always?—but we Overlookers didn’t mind as we fled New York City’s plummeting temps and sidewalk snow for balmier weather in order to attend the American Library Association’s annual midwinter conference. We were thrilled to represent our hottest titles of the season and
By: Molly,
on 7/17/2012
Back in January, the lovely and talented Lili Wilkinson won a Stonewall Book Award Honor in the Children’s and Young Adult division for her young adult book (and U.S. debut) PINK, a lively and resonant look at a teen’s attempts to don a new personality and figure out who she really wants to be. What a treat to be able to share her remarks here, read at the Stonewall’s ALA Annual celebration by Lili’s wonderful editor, Anne Hoppe.
Now, on to it!
“Good evening. My apologies for not being here – Australia is a very long way away.
I’d like to start by thanking the Australian publisher of Pink – Allen & Unwin, in particular my editors Jodie Webster and Hilary Reynolds.
And if it’s not too awkward for her to read this out loud, I must also thank the wonderful Anne Hoppe and everyone else at HarperCollins. Pink is the first of my books to reach American shores, and you have given it such a warm welcome and loving home. Thank you for the gorgeous cover. Thank you for putting it into the hands of teenage readers. Thanks especially for your help in translating the book into American while keeping its Australian setting and flavour.
And of course thanks to my fabulous agent Kate Schafer Testerman, for working so tirelessly to find my books homes in the US.
The book is dedicated to publisher and writer extraordinaire David Levithan, and I wanted to take a moment to explain why.
Many years ago David came to the Reading Matters conference in Melbourne, which I used to help organise. David made an impassioned speech about how teachers, publishers, parents, librarians and other “gatekeepers” have a responsibility to help young people kill the vampires.
… This was pre-Twilight, I should add.
David was referring to a song called Die Vampires Die from an off-Broadway musical called Title of Show. A vampire, in this case, is “any person, thought or feeling that stands between you and your creative self expression.” They creep around and whisper in your ears, saying things like “Your teeth need whitening. You went to state school? You sound weird. Shakespeare, Sondheim and Sedaris did it before you, and better than you.” They tell you you’re not good enough, and you can’t help believing them.
One of the ways we could help young people kill these vampires, suggested David, was by making sure that every teenager could see themselves reflected on the shelves of their libraries and bookshops. And, in his opinion, when it came to books about gay teenagers, we were failing to do that.
The speech received a standing ovation, and I’m proud to say that the Australian publishers, teachers and librarians in the room listened, and since then things have started to change.
But I got to thinking. I’d read books about gay teenagers. Not many, certainly. But I had read a few – David’s not least among them. But I couldn’t think of any books I’d read about the teenagers who aren’t sure. And really, who’s sure about anything when they’re sixteen? I wanted to write a book for those teenagers. I wanted to write a book that said – there are some things you never have to definitively decide on. You don’t ever have to put yourself in a closed-off, pas
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By: alethea aka frootjoos,
on 6/26/2012
US/Can attendees of #ala12, tweet your favorite photo from the conference that has something to do with YA/YoungAdult and you could win a Live to Read Poster. There will be 3 winners. You must @frootjoos and include #iloveYA12 -- I'll pick 3 random winners on July 1, 2012! Good luck!
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| Jackson Pearce signing Purity & Fathomless |
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| My favorite find: Lish McBride's Necromancing the Stone |
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| Ally Condie signing Marked and Crossed |
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| Marisa Calin's Between You & Me |
By: alethea aka frootjoos,
on 6/22/2012
By: alethea aka frootjoos,
on 6/17/2012
By: Molly,
on 5/18/2012
This Wednesday, we plied our local librarian friends with coffee and treats to meet us very very very early in the morning to hear about our Fall 2012 titles, straight from the mouths of our truly masterful editors. Our attendees live-tweeted under the hashtag #harperfallpreview and it was really exciting for us to see those enthusiastic tweets roll in. Thanks, guys!
Everyone with their listening caps on.
Now, for some great This Meets That’s:
Can you believe that in a little more than a month, we’ll be at the ALA Annual meeting in Anaheim, California? Because we sure can’t (cue folders flying, frantic packing). But if you’ll be there too, please make sure to stop by, say hello, and grab galleys of the titles above. Booth #2558– see you there!
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By: alethea aka frootjoos,
on 2/13/2012
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By: Susan Kusel,
on 1/22/2012
Blog: Wizards Wireless (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Newbery, Caldecott, American Library Association, Add a tag
It's about eight hours until the announcement of the American Library Association's youth media awards. Excitement is in the air here at ALA's Midwinter Meeting in Dallas, Texas.
3 Comments on Last minute predictions, last added: 1/23/2012
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By: SSPP Reads,
on 12/7/2011
Blog: SSPP Reads (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: American Library Association, Find a Book, Comfort and Joy, San Francisco Public Library, Add a tag
Here are a few links and books that might sooth the soul and bring comfort and calmness to the hectic buildup to Christmas.
Graphic from Flickr Creative Commons License by Silver Tusk    
0 Comments on O tidings of comfort and joy as of 1/1/1900
By: Nadine Cheung,
on 12/5/2011
Blog: Galley Cat (Mediabistro) (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Jobs, American Library Association, Penguin Group, Hachette Book Group, Rodale, Add a tag
This week, we have an amazing batch of openings for you. Penguin Group is looking for a new director of digital publishing, and Hachette Book Group needs a mobile analyst. The American Library Association is hiring a senior production editor, while Rodale Books is seeking an editorial director. Get the details on these jobs and more below, and find additional just-posted publishing gigs on mediabistro.com.
For more job listings, go to the Mediabistro job board, and to post a job, visit our employer page. For real-time openings and employment news, follow @MBJobPost. New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media. Add a Comment
By: Laura,
on 9/29/2011
Blog: the pageturn (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: LGBTQ, Booktalks, Banned Books Week, gay teens, Geography Club, Gay-Straight Alliance, Blogs and bloggers, Jonathan Hunt, HarperCollins, ALA, Libraries, Brent Hartinger, Books, bullying, School Library Journal, Authors, American Library Association, author interviews, homosexuality, YA Books, Add a tag
Generously contributing a booktalk today is the eloquent, often provocative, teacher, librarian, and blogger Jonathan Hunt (you can also visit him over at School Library Journal‘s blog Heavy Medal): When is a Geography Club not a Geography Club? When it’s the front for a Gay-Straight Alliance, of course! Russel Middlebrook believes himself to be the only gay student at his high school, but when he makes an online connection with a job from his school, he begins to realize there may be others, too. Ultimately, seven students will come together to form the Geography Club, offering support to each other through thick and thin. Readers will fall in love with Russell – regardless of sexual orientation – because his voice just rings so true: funny, angsty, yet wise. There’s been an explosion of gay and lesbian young adult fiction in recent years, but this gem remains one of the very best. Thanks so much, Jonathan! For more information, you can see this interview with Brent, check out Brent’s website (in particular, his information for LGBTQ kids is a wonderful resource), and follow Brent on Twitter.
By: Laura,
on 9/28/2011
Blog: the pageturn (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Awards, ALA, Libraries, Books, Authors, Videos, American Library Association, book discussion, YA Books, Booktalks, Banned Books Week, Teaching Guides, Blogs and bloggers, HarperCollins, Printz, discussion guide, Louise Rennison, programming, Georgia Nicolson, GreenBeanTeenQueen, movie trailers, Add a tag
Today’s booktalk is by the uber-fabbity-fab Sarah Bean Thompson, librarian and blogger (GreenBeanTeenQueen). She’s also on the 2013 Printz committee! She’s a fan of Louise Rennison’s Georgia Nicolson stories and contributed a booktalk that you can use all year long in your programming: Join Georgia Nicolson and The Ace Gang for a fabbity fab adventure through the craziness of high school. Georgia is madly in love with the sex god, Robbie. Too bad Robbie has a girlfriend who happens to be the annoying wet Lindsey. Georgia knows that she could get Robbie to fall in love with her if only she had the chance. And if high school and love triangles weren’t bad enough, Georgia has to deal with her fat cat Angus who is always causing problems and her embarrassing three-year-old sister who is not as cute as everyone thinks. Georgia’s adventures are always full of laughs as her entries into her diary recount her attempts to survive school, boys, and big noses. Growing up is never easy, but at least Georgia Nicolson manages to make it fun. Thanks, Sarah, for joining us! For additional info to support your programming and curriculum, check out the Georgia Nicolson reading guide. I’m also a bit of an evangelist for the Georgia Nicolson website so check that out for a glossary, the complete snogging scale, and quizzes. Last but not least, I’ll leave you with the trailer for the the ANGUS, THONGS, AND FULL-FRONTAL SNOGGING trailer:
By: Laura,
on 9/26/2011
Blog: the pageturn (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Awards, HarperCollins, ALA, Libraries, Books, Katherine Paterson, imagination, Authors, American Library Association, book discussion, books for boys, Booktalks, Banned Books Week, Teaching Guides, Tween books, discussion guides, Office for Intellectual Freedom, Blogs and bloggers, I Read Banned Books, Literary Lonestars, Add a tag
In addition to appearing on the list regularly, Katherine Paterson’s BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA was a Top 10 Banned Book in 2003. It is also ranked in the Top 10 Banned Books of the decade, 1990-2010. It has been challenged and banned for using the lord’s name in vain, secular humanism, occultism, offensive language, and death as a major theme. So let’s booktalk it! We asked Jen Bigheart – blogger at I Read Banned Books, librarian, and founding member of Literary Lonestars – to contribute a booktalk for BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA; feel free to use it in your own classrooms and libraries to support the Freedom to Read year-round: Living in a small, rural town in the late 1970s with his parents and four sisters is far from exciting for fifth-grader Jess Aarons. When tomboy Leslie Burke moves into the house down the hill, the two strike up an unlikely friendship that doesn’t go unnoticed by Jess’ family and classmates. The two sneak deep into the woods as King and Queen of Terabithia, conquering hostile savages and getting lost in their imaginative play. When an unexpected tragedy strikes, Jess realizes that Leslie was more than just a friend and play partner. She was his ticket to freedom from his mundane home life and gave him a gift beyond measure: courage. Thanks so much, Jen! For further assistance in teaching BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA, download the discussion guide. Scholastic also has put together Literature Circle questions.
By: Brian Minter,
on 9/26/2011
Blog: First Book (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, Fighting Ground, The Diary of a Young Girl, ALA, Twilight, Books & Reading, Authors & Illustrators, American Library Association, First Book, The Golden Compass, Anne Frank, To Kill A Mockingbird, Banned Books Week, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, First Book Marketplace, Scarlet Letter, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Madame Bovary, The Chocolate War, Add a tag
Sponsored by the American Library Association and many others, Banned Books Week is an important way to shine a light on these books. Many of the books highlighted during Banned Books Week were only the target of attempted bans; a powerful reminder of the importance of staying vigilant about protecting our First Amendment right to read any books we like. At First Book, we like to walk the walk, so we make a special effort to ensure that the schools and programs in our network have access to high-quality books – including many that have been banned, or the target of attempted bannings.
Check out these books (and more) on the First Book Marketplace, and make sure the kids you serve have the chance to read them all, and make up their own minds.
By: Laura,
on 9/26/2011
Blog: the pageturn (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Harry Potter, HarperCollins, ALA, banned books, Libraries, censorship, Books, Authors, American Library Association, Facebook, Bookshelves of Doom, Chris Crutcher, Twitter, Booktalks, Greenwillow, Hunger Games, Banned Books Week, challenged books, Blogs and bloggers, I Read Banned Books, Jen Bigheart, Office of Intellectual Freedom, YA Bibliophile, Add a tag
It’s well-known in book-ish circles that it’s Banned Books Week. This week is a wonderful celebration of the freedom to read and to raise awareness against censorship. But one thing that comes up each year – by myself, included – is that Banned Books Week needs to happen every day of the year. As book people who are passionate about the right to read whatever one chooses, we must remain vigilant in supporting that right. With that in mind, this week we’ll be featuring booktalks of banned books by well-known librarians, school media specialists, and bloggers. That way, you can support the freedom to read year-round. (Not to mention that, should you be working on your programs, these booktalks can set you on your way!) So stay tuned and visit here all week for the booktalks. Before I post the first one, I thought I’d share what others are doing around the interwebs to celebrate this week:
By: Laura,
on 7/26/2011
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It’s Vacation Time around the office lately, especially now that ALA is over. But one of the delights of being offline is getting to catch up once you’re back online: it’s always fun to see that the electronic world has continued to spin even in your absence. Here are some of the posts I’ve read and loved since being back in the office:
By: Darcy Pattison,
on 6/27/2011
Blog: Darcy Pattison's Revision Notes (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: ALA, American Library Association, New Orleans, publishers, exhibits, book marketing, 2011, Add a tag
 Just back from ALA, that great gathering of 25,000 people devoted to archiving and disseminating the best of the best of our culture. Walking around the massive exhibit hall, it is a bewildering and humbling mixture of businessmen hawking library furniture or the latest software, the old-timers and the newcomers signing books with the hope of generating interest in their project amidst the thousands of new books, the authors meeting–pressing the flesh–of the gatekeepers to vast audiences out there somewhere in the US, the editors and marketers and salespeople hoping that decisions made months earlier were the right ones which will give their publisher–not to mention their individual careers–a boost.  Rainbow over the Mississippi River You get a sense of the vast reach of publishing industry, of how the latest new piece of technology can excite–and yet how Greek mythology can be made new for a new generation. It’s both about innovation and about rebirth of old stories, about the newest author and about the venerated pro. Observations During ALA 2011There are still some family owned publishing companies. Yes, in today’s economy and world, some families still carry on the family business: for example, Lerners, Erdmans, John Briggs of Holiday House. I walked through the aisle of small and independent publishers and wondered if any would rise to this type level? It has happened, it can happen again. On the other end, the big publishers are big. And diverse. And in that sprawl, they almost lose any type identity. Individual imprints actually have a personal stamp of an Editor in Chief; but most publishers have one marketing department, so that individuality is blurred at a large convention like this, where Macmillan displayed together the books from Feiwel & Friends, Henry Holt, Macmillan Children’s Books, FSG and Square Fish. You can never be sure what you’ll get with a Macmillan book, because there’s so much variety.  How to Get Noticed in New Orleans: Join the Santa Parade It’s hard to get noticed. 25,000 people attending. Probably 3000+ new books for children and who knows how many for adults. Thousands. And you want to catch the attention of , well, thousands. Impossible. I spoke as part of a 10-person panel, Nonfiction Book Blast, of nonfiction authors. We were given the unfortunate time slot of 8 am on Sunday morning. Still–we drew about 80-90 people. For two hours, those librarians listened to presentations on non-fiction from these authors: April Pulley Sayre (Rah, Rah, Radishes), Kelly Milner Halls (In Search of Sasquatch), Deborah Heiligman (Charles and Emma), Loree Griffin Burns (The Hive Detectives), Carla Killough McClafferty (The Many Faces of George Washington), Christine Taylor-Butler (Magnets), Shirley Duke (You Can’t Wear These Genes), Darcy Pattison (Prai Add a Comment View Next 25 Posts |
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
Great diary, Heidi! I’ve always avoided librarian conventions since I had to attend a few Minnesota librarian conferences back in the day when I worked for a feminist press. I love librarians, I do, but I just didn’t enjoy the MLA. But now I am inspired to attend the Mid-Winter in Chi-Town, just to see what it is like!
Thanks for the kind words about my store, Torsten (and Claire, Torsten and Heidi are not the same person, I’ve now met them both and can testify to this – grin!) and it was good visiting with you! I was at ALA the entire day on Sunday, surprised I didn’t see you – I also had a grand time, as did Sequential Tart Kate (my wife of course, who also works at the UNLV library)!
Wow great report, Torsten, even the part where you barfed. Seriously, NEXT YEAR I AM GOING TO ALA. It must happen. This sounds like such an amazing meeting with great people and ideas.
Yeah… I wasn’t too thrilled with the barfing either, but I guess that was my “con crud” moment.
San Francisco. Late June. A nice way to gear up for San Diego without too much pressure.
Hey Torsten,
It was great to hang with you and I’m glad you made it to the Eisner Celebration. For those who missed the Eisner reception-think of it as a Comics/Librarian/Publisher-style TED Talks gig with food and beverages. As Torsten mentioned, the summer convention heads to San Francisco next summer and it’s something worth booking the tickets for!
I saw John Shableski leave the LVCC with the Fillbach Brothers on Sunday, so I wonder if they were the comics creators you had drinks with that afternoon. I kept encountering you in Exhibits – it was a good show. But yeah, I kept getting lost in Caesar’s Palace …