ALA 2011 or how I ran out of marbles: Part 3

And finally, on my last day in New Orleans, was the event I was especially there for. The Geisel Award ceremony!

If you remember during my search for my Geisel dress, the Geisel Award ceremony is not a banquet or a breakfast. It was in the middle of the day (before lunch) and in a room in the convention center. Room 268, if I remember correctly. This was a bit problematic for me as the signs read as follows:

I wasn't really sure which way I should go.

But, eventually, with the help of Rebecca (agent) and Alvina (editor), the room was found.

I feel like we look so colorful together!

After receiving my program I found my seat--it was reserved just for me!

As well as the Geisel, the award ceremony was also for the Seibert (best non-fiction book), the Batchelder (best translation) and the Carnegie (best movie/video adaptation). The winners all gave lovely speeches. I was particularly moved by Sy Montgomery's impassioned speech about the Kakapo parrot (an animal I never heard of before). One line she said, which I'll paraphrase, went something like, "These birds should be treasured more than diamonds because they are real living creatures and even more rare."

But all deep thoughts and musings quickly disappeared when they got to the Geisel portion of the ceremony...

There is Kate DiCamillo in front of me and Mo Willems next to me!

And it was time to receive my award!

YAY!!! YAY!! (twin cheers for Ling & Ting!)

As I mentioned in my other posts, I'd been slowly running out of marbles. I think this is where I lost them all.

I was, of course, thrilled and my lucky jade bracelet got me through the rest of the day, to the airport andthe plane ride home...

where I completely collapsed and now look like this:

This is a voodoo doll a got for the Sasquatch. He asked me to get one that looked like him, but by the end of the conference I felt like it was more of a self-portrait!

Looking forward to a quiet summer of reading and writing and putting marbles back into the jar!

ALA 2011 or how I ran out of marbles: Part 2

While other authors such as James Kennedy and Dan Santat partied the night away in New Orleans (Dan stood us up for breakfast, while the story of James' escapades floated over coffee), I returned to my hotel room to try to get a good night's sleep. So really, there was no excuse for me to be tired the next morning.

But I was and to remedy that I had a healthy, sugar filled breakfast of beignets:
They were quite helpful because after eating them I was able to chat quite cheerfully to authors such as Ryan Sias:

my new friend from the SCBWI NJ conference!

and Raina Telgemeier

The sugar gave me so much energy that I was still full pep when it was time to go to Antoine's Restaurant for my luncheon with the Geisel Committee. In fact, when I arrived, I squealed because I recognized the restaurant from Anthony Bourdain's show on New Orleans. I'm not sure why that got me so excited, but it did. I guess it's kind of like seeing a celebrity, except the celebrity was a restaurant. Okay, maybe I had too much sugar.

But it was a really neat restaurant. We had lunch in the "Rex Room:"

Which had lots of glitzy paraphernalia incased on the the walls:

I particularly liked this dress. It is the just like the sparkly dress I imagined I would wear if I was an award winning movie star.

However, even without the sparkly dress, I am quite satisfied being an award winning author especially after meeting the fun committee that gave Ling and Ting the Geisel Honor!

The lovely Geisel Committee!

I said a little thank you to them (which was very short as I felt it would be odd to say a speech that would be longer than my book):

When I received the call last year I was a bit tongue-tied so I am very glad to have this opportunity to show you my gratitude now.

First I want to thank all the great people at Little, Brown--Alvina, Victoria, Andrew, Megan and all the others who are not here. I know Ling and Ting was an unusual book for you to publish. It was the first trade early reader book at Little, Brown and if it wasn't for all your support and efforts Ling and Ting may have never been introduced to the world.

People often ask me, "What is harder to write, the picturebook or the novel?" And I always answer, "The hardest thing to write is the early reader."

The questioner is usually surprised and it takes many words to explain how writing an interesting story with a limited vocabulary for an easily discouraged audience is quite a challenge.

"But it looks so easy!" they protest. And, of course, to that I say, "Exactly!"

But, you, the Geisel Committee, already know this. And not only do you know that these books are not easy, you also know how important they are too. You know that the best of these books can transform an easily discouraged reader into an enthusiastic one, And that is why it is such a huge honor that my book has received acknowledgement from you.

Ling and Ting are twins that are not the same but I think they would both feel exactly the same way as I do when I say to all of you, THANK YOU, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

After that excitement, my energy level started to crash again. But before it could free fall, dessert came!


And I was good until evening. Which was lucky because I was going to the Newbery Banquet! Unlike my last year's Cinderella night, this time I was just a guest.

But I was still thrilled to go because I got to wear my beloved silver-grey dress!

Me and my agent, Rebecca Sherman, whom I told couldn't wear the same dress to the Newbery banquet two years in the row. I was really joking, but she took me seriously. So I take credit for the smashing dress she is wearing.

Me and Alvina, who edited this year's Caldecott Honor book Dave the Potter.

Librarians Kristin and Sheri (I can't remember their last names!) both of whom were on the Geisel committee. If you look closely at last year's Newbery Banquet post, you'll see I was also seated next to Sheri then. I hope it becomes a banquet tradition!

The banquet was great, both Newbery and Caldecott winners gave such moving and heartfelt speeches that I almost cried. But I was starting to droop by the end of the evening. I really wanted to participate in this year's Red Carpet with awesome hosts Kristin Venuti, Jim Averbeck and Katie Davis (whom I had the morning beignet breakfast with), but even the dessert:

didn't give me pep I needed to find them. Of course, I regret that now. I wanted to show off my dress. Oh well, maybe next year!

ALA 2011 or how I ran out of marbles: Part 1

My last public event for this school year was the ALA convention. I was excited because I was finishing with a blast-in New Orleans, the Geisel Honor Award--I knew it was going to be a lot of fun. However even with such prospects of delight, I have to admit, even before getting on the plane, I was tired.

A while ago, I wrote about how an introverted person like me can only last so long. As I said then:

...my most natural state is introverted--there are only so many visits I can do in a year without stammering incoherently. I'm kind of like a jar of marbles--every visit I do I am less one marble until I am empty.

So, after the last couple of months being full of events and visits (which were all lovely!), my marble jar was pretty low when I got to New Orleans:

Which is perhaps why I had a bit of envy at the LB Middle Grade Breakfast when the other amazing authors Kelly Barnhill and Andrea Pinkney gave such mesmerizing and spirited readings (Andrea sang! Not fair!).

However, the librarians were still very kind to me and many came to my signings (I had two):

But it was only at the LB one that I signed advanced reading copies of Dumpling Days!!

Eeks, eeks, eeks! I can't believe people will be reading it soon!

Then it was a blur of convention exhibits:

pleased to see my friend Anna Alter's Disappearing Desmond and Thanking the Moon!

plus a screening of the movie The Library of the Early Mind (which I am in for about 10 seconds):

Trailer: 'Library of the Early Mind' from Backspace Productions on Vimeo.

and a panel discussion afterwards with the hilarious and highly energetic Jack Gantos and Daniel Handler (aka Lemony Snicket):

I can't believe I'm rubbing elbows with these two!

Trying to keep up with the fast wittiness of those two was no small feat, let me tell you. Luckily, earlier in the day I was able to sneak off to the famous Cafe Du Monde to ingest copious amounts of caffeine and sugar:

frozen coffee and beignets!

and my friend Libby Koponen and I had our tarot cards read!

I was hoping they would tell me I would get through the conference without collapsing.

What do you think?

(I actually don't really remember much of what she said, except something about how I like having lots of projects and thoughts going on in my head...I guess all those projects distracted me...)

It's that time...

It's almost time for the Geisel Award Ceremony! Do you know that that means? Yes, time for me to go dress shopping!

I decided that this year's theme would be silver, in honor of my silver medal. This however proved to be a bit difficult as many silver dresses seemed a bit too...um...shiny:


So I decided to consider "silver grey." This was a unique shopping experience for me, as I tend towards clothes that are bright colors--perusing the neutrals was a mind-broadening experience and pocketbook-thinning experience. For, of course, while shopping in this new territory I found a bunch of "extra" beige and grey dresses, so now my wardrobe has quite expanded. But I digress! Back to the Geisel dress.

Silver-grey...first I considered something like this:which I quite liked but didn't seem special enough for an awards ceremony.

Then there was this:
but I have a horror of strapless dresses.

And then, this:
Hmm, more bombshell than children's author, don't you think?

Nothing was quite calling to me until I saw this dress:
OOOH! Be still my Anne-of-Green-Gables-heart! I loved this one. Cute but elegant, sophisticated but young...I plopped down my money, well pleased. Perfect! All was well until about a week go when I received my schedule for the ceremony.

That's when I found out the Geisel Award Ceremony isn't a banquet like the Newbery or a breakfast like the Coretta Scott King. It is a much more relaxed affair, before lunch and after breakfast. My beloved new silver-grey dress was going to be a bit too much for it. Boo!

So, back to the internet shopping I went...back to the endless quest for the perfect and appropriate silver-grey dress...searching..searching...until finally, I've decided on this:

I'll wear it with some silver shoes...if I can find a pair.

on my desk monday

Flowers from my publisher congratulating me for Ling & Ting's Geisel Honor!

silver is my new favorite color

So yesterday's official announcement of Geisel Honor made me all giddy. Instead of working, I got my toes painted silver in honor of the medal! The committee actually called me Sunday evening to tell me so I was ready to pop all night. True to form, I was particularly incoherent and spent most of my time concentrating on NOT jumping up and down while I was on the phone (I did that later).

Because I am so very thrilled that Ling & Ting, my very first foray into the early reader genre was noticed. It was also a first for my publisher, Little, Brown--it was the first trade (vs. movie tie-in,etc) early reader they'd ever published as well. (And Where the Mountain Meets the Moon was the first novel that my publisher printed in color, too, by the way!)

When my editor first brought early versions of L&T to publishing committee, they probably were not sure what to do with it. Would it be worth the risks? Worth trying something new, that they'd never done before? Because in general, my work has never been considered extremely marketable or a "sure thing" when it come to profits. But despite everything, the publisher believed in my work enough to make it happen and took the chance. I am so grateful for that...and that there's a shiny sticker to tell them they made the right choice!

So now on to the important things! What should I wear to the award ceremony? I'm leaning towards something silver, to celebrate the lovely silver stickers (someone on FB asked me if I felt any pressure for next year's awards considering the two honors two years in a row. No pressure at all--I don't have a book coming out!). I only have 6 months to think about it. ha ha! What do you think of this?


Just joking! If I'm going to have sit at a table with Mo Willems and Kate DiCamillo, looking like a disco ball probably is not a good way to garner respect. Also, I think the ceremony is a breakfast, not a dinner. You can't wear silver sequins before noon.

silver sticker!

Ling & Ting has been award the Theodor Geisel (aka Dr. Seuss) Honor!

I love silver stickers!