ALA - Day One

The doors opened to the Exhibit Hall yesterday and librarians (all sporting lovely orange ALA tote bags) flew down the aisles to get the morning schwag at the back of the room.

I spent the day greeting people who I only get to see once a year - several of whom I had the pleasure of finally meeting for the first time and several others who I introduced Kane/Miller books to.

Here are the names of the people who I spoke with (off the top of my head):

Sylvia Vardell (the first person to comment on our booth expansion and who was kind enough to offer me a great critique of the K/M newsletter and why she looks forward to reading it each week)

Laura Lutz (who is so adorable and had the cutest handbag that I forgot to ask her about)

Lisa von Drasek (who I saw in Los Angeles during BEA and who will be in San Diego in just a few weeks)

Ken & Sylvia Marantz (who have been fans of Kane/Miller since day one)

Cindy Mitchell (who adored Singing to the Sun)

Cyndi Giorgis (the lovely author of a fabulous new book which will feature art from Guji Guji)
Susanna Reich (author of a beautiful book on Native American artist George Catlin)

Eve Bunting (yes, the Eve Bunting - who signed a copy of Baby Shower for my sister who is in week 40 of her second pregnancy)

Pam Muñoz Ryan (who my son and I met - along with Brian Selznick - at the San Diego airport back in March when our plane to Minneapolis was delayed)

Judy Freeman (putting together a blog especially for parents to help them navigate children's books)

I did meet and chat with dozens more who I apologize for not naming here (it's early, the caffeine hasn't kicked in yet).

Stay tuned for more highlights from the Exhibit Hall floor.

Live from Los Angeles

Today marked the second day of this year's BEA annual event, held in Los Angeles. I met several new contacts during the past two days and have been introduced to great websites, bookstores and librarians who are just as eager to get quality books into the hands of readers as we are.

Every year, I come back from BEA feeling refreshed and excited about the future of international children's books and our role in bringing the children of the world closer together and it wouldn't be possible without the others in this growing industry:

Las Comadres is a nationally known Latina organization empowering women to be actively engaged in the growing Latino/Hispanic communities through on line and face to face networks. Their mission is to help connect and empower Latinas everywhere through community building/networking, culture, learning and technology.

See you in L.A., Baby!

We leave for Los Angeles on Thursday morning and will be in Booth 5129 over the weekend. Please stop by and say hello if you're one of the thousands walking the aisles. Oh, and in case you didn't already know, we'll be in the Children's Section.

Kane/Miller Kidlit Drink Nite

Join us Thursday, May 29th at 7pm for the 2008 BEA Kane/Miller Kidlit Drink Nite.

Firefly

11720 Ventura Blvd
Studio City, CA 91604

Phone: 818 762 1833

On line review:

Buildings in Los Angeles tend to be faceless blocks from the outside, so don’t be disappointed to find that Firefly has no sign outside indicating where it is. It hasn’t stopped those in-the-know driving over the hills to Ventura for nights of fine dining and classy drinks. The bar is done up like a millionaire’s drawing room with antiques, oil paintings, leather couches, plush sofas and shelves of books - very Getty. The dining room is beyond this, an open-air patio serving Mediterranean type dishes to suit the al fresco setting, among them gorgeous grilled pancetta-wrapped shrimp, filet mignon and various cheeses. The wine and drinks served by stylish staff are just as tasty. Start off with an apple-tini, go on to California wine and by the time you’re on the brandy you’ll be gazing at the stars above you - or at the tables next to you. A classy tucked away gem.

K/M Kidlit Drink Nites

Now that our conference schedule is posted online for the first half of 2008, I'd like to request that those of you attending the following events Save the Date for an official Kane/Miller Kidlit Drink Nite.

Illustration from Jukebox PLA - Minneapolis, MN Wednesday, March 26th IRA - Atlanta, GA Wednesday, May 7th BEA - Los Angeles, CA Thursday, May 29th ALA - Anaheim, CA Friday, June 27th Details and venues will be announced on the official invites which will be posted to the K/M Kidlit blog.

Where in the World?

Kane/Miller was not present at the recent Mid-Winter Conference held by ALA in Philadelphia, but we do plan on attending even more publishing events this year including, PLA, CABE, TLA, IRA as well as making our usual appearance at BEA and ALA. And, since the dates and locations have already been set, you can guarantee that we will be in Denver next January.

We'll see you soon!

Literacy Festivals Around the World

In preparation for Kane/Miller's upcoming participation in publishing events such as IRA, BEA, and ALA (among many others) it occurred to me that I'm not aware of all of the international literary events that take place.

After some quick research (What would we do without Google?), I found a link and listing of Six of the Best Literary Festivals (according to Harper's Bazaar). I won't be attending any of them - at least not this year - but it's good to know what's happening in the literary world, nonetheless.

1. Galle Literary Festival, Sri Lanka
2. Hay Festival Cartagena de Indias, Columbia
   
3. Wexford Book Festival, Ireland
4. Festa Literaria Internacional de Parati, Brazil
5. Ubud Writers & Readers Festival, Bali
6. Hay Festival Segovia, Spain
   

Don't miss FLIGHT 001 - for all your travel needs.

Bon Voyage!