ALA 2012

Last month I was able to attend the American Library Association Annual Conference in sunny Anaheim, California.  These conferences are always so much fun: time to connect with librarian and publisher friends, to meet (and stalk!) authors, and to hear about all the new books about to hit the shelves.  Here are a few highlights from this year's conference:   

Little, Brown Dance Party at the House of Blues celebrating Libba Bray's new novel, THE DIVINERS

Who's that dancing blur, you ask?  None other than Lemony Snicket himself (AKA the dancing machine Daniel Handler)! And who is the nut laughing like a hyena?  Hmmm...

The one and only Jon Scieszka at the HarperCollins Breakfast.

I won!  At the Penguin Original Art Cocktail Party, I won a piece by one of my favorites, Maira Kalman!!  I'm over the moon.  

Lovely dinner with Boyds Mills Press complete with poetry readings from Children's Poet Laureate, J.Patric Lewis. 

Newbery Caldecott Banquet with this year's Newbery winner and my favorite, the incredible Jack Gantos

The incomparable author and editor David Levithan at the Scholastic Cocktail Party.

Author James Dashner and beautiful friends Rose and Jane.  Do I look like the ugly stepsister, or what??! 

Thank you to all the publishers for hosting me at the amazing events.  I can't wait for ALA 2013 in Chicago!