Post-Conference Wrap-up #1

A few thoughts while the conference is still fresh in my mind. I didn't have a chance to see all the authors and illustrators present but heard many good comments about their sessions. Thank you to all who attended and shared their thoughts and stories with us. I know I always enjoy telling my students about the authors I have heard and it really makes a connection for them. They look for autographs in the front of the book and ask questions when I read those stories.

I had the pleasure of hearing Luis Rodriguez Friday night, sharing his amazing story with all the librarians in the audience. What an inspiration to hear him talk about the path he has taken through life to become a writer and poet. If you have a chance to hear him, please take the opportunity, and if you are in the San Fernando Valley, visit his bookstore and cultural center, Tia Chucha's Cafe Cultural.

I also had the pleasure of hearing Judy Schachner speak at Saturday's lunch. What a bundle of energy! It was fabulous to see pictures of her cats, including Skippyjon Jones, who sadly passed away a few weeks ago. I also enjoyed seeing where she works and some photos of her life and background. I felt much as I did when I heard David Wiesner speak and show and images of his process of creating "Flotsam" at the Bond Children's Literature Conference at Western Washington University (http://www.wwuclc.com). I enjoy knowing how a book is created and how the author/illustrator came up with their ideas.

If you attended an author/illustrator presentation, please feel free to leave a comment below sharing your thoughts.

Handouts posted

As handouts and links are being sent in, they are being posted on the Sessions page of the WLMA Conference website.

Print out the ones you would like and bring them to your sessions to be guaranteed a handout. Presenters bring 50-75 copies for their session but often run out.

Conference Program posted

The conference program has been posted at the WLMA Conference website:

http://www.wlma.org/storage/conference2007/sessions.php

Check it out to see what sessions you might be attending, and then if you want to be guaranteed a seat, volunteer to host the session! Contact Jeanne Staley at staleyj@nwinfo.net if you want to volunteer, or come to Registration at the conference.

Conference approaching faster than a speeding bullet

The WLMA Conference registration just broke 500 registrations on the last day of early registration. Congratulations WLMA attendees, you are guaranteed to see at least 500 other teacher-librarians or those who are connected to teacher-librarians in Yakima in less than 10 days!

If you are interested in posting blog entries during the conference please contact Joanna Freeman at wlma2007@gmail.com. They can be short and simple or as long as you like.

• Give a short summary of a session you just heard, including links to related documents or websites
• Summarize an author presentation and link to their author website
• Upload photos from the conference
• Give us a rundown of your favorite presenters and why you liked them
  
• Introduce us to a teacher-librarian we all should know
• Introduce us to a new idea and how you will use it in your library when you get home

These are just a few ideas of how you could contribute to this account of what happens in Yakima. What happens in Yakima shouldn't stay in Yakima. Join the WLMA Blogging team!