Back from 2 great days at ALA in DC

[Judy Freeman <BKWSSF@AOL.COM>]

Hi All--
Just got back from 2 whirlwind days at ALA in Washington and thought you =
might=0Alike to drool a little.

If you've never been to an ALA, you are missing one fine conference. I ne=
ver=0Aget to go to too many meetings. I head for the exhibits, which are =
a small=0Acity in themselves. Every publisher exhibits there, and you mee=
t authors,=0Apublishers, and make a million contacts. All the upcoming ch=
ildren's books are=0Aon display, and it's a children's writer's paradise.=
 In the space of two days,=0AI met, schmoozed with, and fawned over: Lee =
Bennett Hopkins, Arnold Adoff &=0AVirginia Hamilton, Richard Peck, Sonia =
Levitin, Gail Carson Levine (Ella=0AEnchanted), Virginia Euwer Wolff (sic=
?), and many more.

My publisher, Rock Hill Press sold my book, Hi Ho Librario, at their boot=
h,=0Abut ran out. They also sold the display copy, so by the time I stopp=
ed by the=0Abooth on Sunday, they had no book on display. I just sighed. =
Not everything is=0Asweetness and light at ALA! Then I checked in at Bowk=
er and, not seeing my=0Abook, More Books Kids Will Sit Still For on displ=
ay, asked where it was. "Oh,=0Asorry. Someone stole it from the booth." A=
h well.

The marketing person at Chronicle Books in San Fran. invited me to be one=
 of=0Atheir guests at the Newbery/Caldecott dinner, and I sat with Nina L=
aden=0A(author/ill. of The Night I Followed the Dog) and had a great time=
. The=0Aspeeches were very good, the food was fine, and I was very glad I=
 got to go.=0ANothing like 1,000 book people all hanging out in the same =
room. Karen Hesse=0Awas tearful and grateful and her speech about Out of =
the Dust heartfelt. Paul=0AZelinsky (Rapunzel) and Russell Freedman (Laur=
a Ingalls Wilder Award) also=0Agave thoughtful, absorbing speeches.

As I headed for my table, up came author Marilyn Singer (we've known each=
=0Aother through e-mail for several years, but had never met face-to-face=
) & said=0Ahey. She's funny and warm and it felt like I'd known her forev=
er. After the=0Aspeeches, she hauled me up to Walter Mayes' very nice & s=
pacious suite where=0Ahe was throwing himself a birthday party. What a ki=
ck! Met lots of Writers=0AClub authors (what? You never checked out Write=
rs Club on aol? Go to Keyword:=0AWriters, then messages, then Childrens a=
nd YA. You're in for a treat and=0Athere's a chat every Tues. night from =
9-10 of children's book writers, both=0Apublished & aspiring.) inc. Dian =
Curtis Regan (in from Venezuela!), Jane=0AYolen, Sue Bartoletti, Judy O'M=
alley (editor of Book Links), and Kay Winter.=0AMet Lee Bennett Hopkins, =
a former New Jersey boy. Didn't get back to my room=0Atill almost 2 am. G=
ot up at 6:30 to go to a breakfast. Whew.

Had one great coincidence: I was talking to a marketing person from Pengu=
in,=0Aand she introduced me to a lady standing with her from Texas. The w=
oman had=0Awon the publisher's scholarship enabling her to come to ALA, g=
o to dinners,=0Aetc. I said, "Texas, eh. I'll be in Texas next week to gi=
ve a couple of=0Aworkshops."

She looked at my nametag & exclaimed, "Judy Freeman! I'M going to your=0A=
workshop in Texas next week!"

Well, that was pretty funny, so I laughed and she said, "My friend always=
=0Araves about the stuff you do." So I said, "That's real nice. Hmmm. Tex=
as. You=0Aknow, I only know one person in the whole state of Texas. The w=
oman who took=0Aover for me when I took a sabbatical from my school libra=
ry job about 6 years=0Aago then moved to Texas--Diane Model."

The lady gasped and said, "That's my friend!!!" Cool, eh. They work in th=
e=0Asame school district! Ah well. How many people live in Texas, anyway?=
 We=0Alaughed and laughed. I never have coincidences like that in my real=
 life, just=0Ain my library life. I keep expecting to run into someone I =
know in Paris, and=0AI never have. Texas, however...

On Monday, I went to a lovely lunch at the 4 Seasons for Scholastic & Leo=
 &=0ADiane Dillon's 40th book, To Every Thing There Is a Season. Gorgeous=
 book=0A(Caldecott, I bet), and terrific food. Sat next to Stephanie Zvir=
in, editor=0Afrom Booklist, who was very nice and fun to talk with.

My friend and yours, librarian Alice Yucht, gave a short, very funny spee=
ch at=0Athe LM_NET breakfast Monday morning and was a huge hit. A droll 1=
5 minute=0Astandup routine about librarians & how we have power. Gotta ha=
nd it to=0Aher--she did a great job! The Dept. of Defense Schools people =
asked her if=0Ashe'd do the same speech at their breakfast Tuesday mornin=
g.

So I wined & dined, walked and schmoozed, and had a fabulous time running=
 into=0Apeople I knew and meeting others I didn't. Not bad for a two-day =
tour!=0AWashington, what little I saw of it, looked beautiful. Can't wait=
 to go back &=0Asee the sights.

Next year, with my stint on the Newbery Committee underway, I'll be sitti=
ng in=0Ameetings all day, poor little hyperactive me. I can't wait though=
, as it=0Ashould be a fabulous experience.

Back to the real world...
(By the way, whenever I post to LM_NET, my posts print out with weird sym=
bols=0Aand numbers, making it a nightmare to read. If it happens with thi=
s post as=0Awell, could someone give me some advice on what to do about i=
t? I'm working on=0Aa tiny monitor which may have some bearing on it, but=
 I'm not sure. Thanks.)
Judy Freeman=97Librarian <BKWSSF@aol.com>
Van Holten School
Bridgewater, NJ

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