#alaac18 – Day 4 in New Orleans

I fairly flew to the Convention Center Monday morning. Apparently my happiness was evident because, After replying “Good morning” to the same greeting from I woman I passed on the street, she added, You are awfully jolly this morning.”

Of course I was: this was the day we handed out our awards, them met the honorees for lunch! This was the final event in a process that began over a year ago.

 

 

Sorry about that last photo – maybe I was a little excited and I couldn’t keep my hands from shaking!

It was amazing to get to finally meet everyone and we got to have some deeper conversations over lunch.

And then the good byes started. Most people left that afternoon, but a friend and I were not among them so we spent the rest of the afternoon and evening together.

Our first stop was the Odyssey Awards presentation for the best audio recordings. The most emotional moment of the event happened before the ceremony started.  A buzz spread in the room as Angie Thomas, author of The Hate You Give, arrived. As she walked up to Bahni Turpin, the narrator of the audiobook, she burst into tears and hugged her. This was the first time they’d ever met!

From there we visited the Hotel Monteleone which featured a revolving, carousel  bar, at which writers such as Ernest Hemingway, Truman Capote and William Faulkner passed some time. We walked on for a seafood dinner at Trenasse, where I had a delicious Crawfish pie.

While in New Orleans, I managed to eat jambalaya, crawfish pie and gumbo. As you read this, I will probably be flying home. These two thoughts bring to mind that great Hank Williams song:

 

 

#alaac18 – Day 2 in New Orleans

After a great night’s sleep. I started my day by listening to Doris Kearns Goodwin talk about her newest book and the leadership qualities of 4 presidents: Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, FDR and LBJ.

Next up: the first of two stints volunteering at the “Stand for the Banned” booth where conference attendees are invited read aloud from a banned book and talk about how that banned book impacted their lives. It was fun watching people find their book, then get filmed talking and reading.

I took a little tour around the exhibit hall before sitting in on an author panel, then watching Man One, the illustrator of the 2018 Sibert Honor  Chef Roy Choi and the Street Food Remix , demonstrate his talents. This was followed by another stint at the “Stand for the Banned” booth.

 

A tea with Boyd’s Mill in the late afternoon gave me the opportunity to talk with our Sibert winner, Larry Dane Brimmer (who recognized me from the video of our phone call to him in February. I also got to meet Gail Jarrow the author of a number of excellent nonfiction books, and tell her how I use Bubonic Panic  as a mentor text when teaching intros and conclusions for nonfiction writing.

I had a long break before my next event, so a friend and I decided to walk around the French Quarter for a few hours. This was my first real chance to experience the city.

My last event of the day was another dessert party, this one sponsored by Simon & Schuster. The highlight of this event was walking up to Andrew Smith and introducing myself as a teacher from Beaverton, Oregon. we had a great chat about the banning of Stick  by our erstwhile Assistant Superintendent.

Tomorrow is a less schedule day, but it will end with the Caldecott-Newbery Banquet. Stay tuned.

 

#alaac18 – Day 1 in New Orleans

What a day!

I left Portland at 5:30 a.m. (PT) and landed in New Orleans at 3:15 (ET). OMG is it ever hot and humid here!!!!

i got settled in my hotel, where I dropped the temperature on the room air conditioner and checked messages while I cooled down. Debra, a Sibert colleague texted early in the day inviting me to a dinner with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, celebrating Mary Downing Hahn, author of countless spooky ghost books. I texted back that, it was late, but if there was still room, I was in.

While waiting to hear the verdict, I walked over to the convention center to register and ran into a colleague from Portland. While registering, I got a reply saying there was still room. So, my dinner plans were made. It turns out my friend was in listening to Michelle Obama speak. I got to hear the last 5 minutes while I waited fo her.

It was a wonderful reunion and after I changed out of my sweaty clothes, we took a taxi over to Muriel’s, the restaurant where our event was to be held.

Our meal was upstairs in private rooms. Because Mary Downing Hahn writes ghost stories, this was the perfect restaurant as it is said to have at least one resident ghost. We started with pre-dinner drinks in the seance room, which really is this red.

Already dehydrated, I stuck with water, downing three glasses before we were called in to dinner. And what a dinner! I opted for the blackened redfish and it was delicious!

 The group was small, five tables of 7 people. With each course, Mary Downing Hahn changed tables, so we all had an opportunity to talk with her. I didn’t have a chance to talk with my mother’s ghost.

At the end of the meal, the night was not yet over. Debra and I had two more events to attend, both dessert parties at the Sheraton. We decided to walk and as we meandered through the narrow streets, we encountered a man singing Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline”. My mother was a huge Neil Diamond fan (and had the concert t-shirt to prove it) so I saw this as a sign that she was with me on this trip she was so excited to hear about.

I was exhausted, but relieved that MacMillan and Chronicle each had their dessert parties on the same floor. Both events were excellent, but I was happy to get back to my hotel room, which was perfectly chilled.

 

 

On my way to #alaac18

Today is a travel day. I am scheduled to land at 3:15 pm which means I will probably not get to attend Michelle Obama’s opening session at 4 pm. I am a bit disappointed, but I know the few days I spend here will be filled with all sorts of other celebrity moments, the highlight of which will be the Sibert Awards ceremony on Monday morning.

For the last month, every time I spoke with my mom she’d ask “Have you been to New Orleans yet?” And then she’d add, “It’s on my bucket list.”

Well, she didn’t get there, so it is my intention to go and take her spirit with me. She was a lot less inhibited than I  – have I got a Cartagena story to tell – but I will do my best celebrate in a way she would enjoy.