Moderator Heidi MacDonald, editor-in-chief of comic industry blog The Beat, began by asking the panelists to describe the inspirations behind their most well-known works. Speaking through a translator, French writer Julia Billet said that the story detailed in her graphic novel Catherine’s War, which follows a young Jewish girl during WWII as she journeys across France … Continue reading The Words Behind the Images
Conference highlights Sonia Sotomayor, associate justice of the US Supreme Court and author of four books, will take the stage 8:30–9:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 22, for a conversation with her editor, Jill Santopolo of Philomel Books. For more on Sotomayor, whose latest book Just Ask! is forthcoming in September, read our interview. The Opening General Session features Jason Reynolds, author … Continue reading 2019 Annual Conference Preview
Adeyemi will be an Auditorium Speaker at the 2019 ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition in Washington, D.C., on June 24. American Libraries spoke with her about writing, her inspirations, and the importance of representation in media. From being a New York Times bestselling debut author to getting a movie deal, what has been the most … Continue reading Newsmaker: Tomi Adeyemi
You spent much of your childhood in the Humboldt Park neighborhood of Chicago. Did you visit the library there? Yes, it had the advantage of being across from a park, in a neighborhood that had shops and candy stores. So there was a ritual: You’d go to the library, and then on the way back, … Continue reading Newsmaker: Sandra Cisneros
Pilkey struggled with dyslexia and ADHD as a child. But being encouraged by his mother to read whatever he liked—”it didn’t matter if it was a magazine, or a comic book, or a bunch of Snoopy cartoons, or the Guinness Book of World Records,” he says—changed his life. He started drawing his Captain Underpants character … Continue reading Newsmaker: Dav Pilkey
Internationally renowned cartoonist Alison Bechdel was the closing keynote speaker. She illustrated her talk throughout with panels from her graphic novels Fun Home (2006) and Are You My Mother? (2013), as well as her long-running comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For. Bechdel said she realized at age 19 that she was a lesbian, “though … Continue reading Alison Bechdel: A Life in Books
“I am a refugee—present tense,” Nguyen said. “Although long ago I made the transition from refugee to bourgeoisie, I claim present tense because my earliest memories began as a refugee when I was 4 years old.” Put into an internment camp at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania, Nguyen was soon separated from his parents and older … Continue reading The Refugee Experience
Gates spoke with American Libraries at the 2019 American Library Association Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits—where it was revealed that she would serve as this year’s honorary chair of National Library Week. The Moment of Lift is about lifting up women and girls. What do you mean by lift, and why is it so important? I … Continue reading Newsmaker: Melinda Gates
Martin’s relationship with Texas A&M began in the 1970s, when he first visited AggieCon, a science fiction and fantasy convention held at the university, says Jeremy Brett (right), curator of the library’s Science Fiction and Fantasy Research Collection. In 1993, Martin began shipping items to the archives, which now include more than 50,000 pieces. The … Continue reading Bookend: An Archive of Ice and Fire
The Emerald City played host to more than 9,200 attendees (as compared with 8,036 in 2018 and 8,995 in 2017), who came to soak up the words of big-name speakers, learn from the practices of their peers, and network around subjects practical and theoretical. As with recent Midwinters, many sessions focused on the empowerment of … Continue reading 2019 Midwinter Wrap-Up
“They’re not just a bloc of black girls who went missing and nobody cares to know their names,” said Sesay. “One of my biggest wishes with this book is that people see them as individuals.” Sesay, the former CNN anchor who broke the news of the kidnappings and won a Peabody Award for her coverage, … Continue reading Isha Sesay: “We need to care”
Acevedo grew up on a dirt road in the desert of Las Cruces, New Mexico, the daughter of a Mexican-American father and a Mexican mother who spoke little English. They moved often and sometimes had to live with relatives because money was tight. But young Sylvia excelled in school, went to college and was one … Continue reading Gratitude and Rocket Science
