Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Conference Specificity (or I'm Gonna Stay at the Y-AL-S-A*)

*with apologies to The Village People

Tip of the Day: It's SUMMER READING time at your local library! See what great games and events they have planned!

I love SCBWI conferences, but my favorite ones have been those with a focus on writing YA, my personal first love, where I get the most bang for my buck.

And I love Book Festivals, but again my favorites are those that focus on teen books -- like the Rochester Teen Book Fest.

Likewise, for my allotment of library related professional development conferences I can attend, there are many choices, but to get the most out of it, I prefer ones that focus on YA lit.

So how lucky was I that the same year I started my job as a YA Librarian (2008), the first YALSA Symposium on Young Adult Literature was held in Nashville, TN.


This symposium is held every two years, and this year's is in St. Louis, MO on Nov. 2-4. The time to apply to hold a session has passed, but it's a great place for YA authors to schmooze with librarians who are obsessed with their works. :)

So if you're a YA author, librarian, teacher, or other fan of the lit, I highly recommend attending this event. You'll often leave with free books, and always leave with energy and inspiration from being around people who love the same literature you do.

Who will I see in St. Louis this November?

Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing

4 comments:

Daisy Carter said...

I am DYING to go to YALSA this year! I hope I see you there *fingers crossed I get there!*

DeenaML said...

Daisy, if you do let me know and I'll try to connect! :)

Kristina Springer said...

What all goes on there? No one is sending me for author stuff but would I have fun? It's pretty close for me.

DeenaML said...

Tina, the cool thing is the big author signing. The librarians each get to pick 5 books and chat with all the authors who are there -- even ones who are not doing presentations but wanted face time with librarians. There is also an author-librarian-attendee cocktail hour with lots of schmoozing! Plus there are regular conference presentations relevant to YA librarians and teachers and anyone who is interested in what's going on in the YA lit field today. The schedule is up on the YALSA page!