I'm just back from Book Expo America in NYC. This year I went on my own and still managed to have a wonderful time. I went early, on Saturday, so I could spend some time with my former student John. He performed in a cabaret show Saturday night, great fun and energy, at a bar called Duplex. On Sunday we went to brunch at Good Enough to Eat, yum, then wandered around doing some shopping for his new apartment.
Monday evening I was able to attend a taping of Late Night with Dave Letterman, which was a new adventure for me. I had to show up at 3:30 to be given a ticket and told to return at 5:15. When I got back, my group was escorted up to the balcony, which was disappointing, but oh well. I had been warned that it was very cold inside but it wasn't bad at all. The special guest for that taping was Don Rickles (age 84). It seems like he was on TV all of my life, even back when I was just a little kid, so it was pretty cool to see him in person. Then Dave had the birdcall contest winners from Piedmont High in California, which was very entertaining. The musical guest was John Prine, with Yim Yames. It was great to get to see Prine live.
Tuesday was the LJ/SLJ Day of Dialogue, which began with free breakfast (always a plus) at the Javits Center. The first panel discussed Steampunk literature (the quote in this blog's title is from a librarian and "fangirl" who was on the panel). Cory Doctorow lead the discussion. That was followed by a discussion on "The Line Between Graphic Novels and Picture Books" by David Wiesner, George O'Connor, Laura Vaccaro, and Mark Siegel. We had a free lunch (woot, big bonus!) and then had the Publisher's Pitch. I came away from the day with two tote bags stuffed full of books.
Wednesday morning was the "Childrens Book and Author Breakfast" MCed by Sarah Ferguson. After the news of her most recent scandal (attempting to sell access to her ex) I wondered if she would make the appearance, but she did, head held high, even making a couple of light jokes about her situation. The other authors on the panel were Cory Doctorow, author of For the Win (Tor Books / Tor Teen); Mitali Perkins, author of Bamboo People (Charlesbridge); and Richard Peck, author of Three Quarters Dead (Penguin/Dial Books for Young Readers. All of their talks were wonderful, both entertaining and moving, but Richard Peck's talk was phenomenal. I made a brief video of part of that and will post it later. Wednesday afternoon I attended the American Flavor presentation: Host: Melissa Clark, NYT dining columnist, author, IN THE KITCHEN WITH A GOOD APPETITE; Authors: Adam Richman, AMERICA THE EDIBLE: Why We Eat, What We Eat, Where We Eat; Rowan Jacobsen, AMERICAN TERROIR: Savoring the Flavors of Our Woods, Waters, and Fields. This was pretty interesting, and Adam Richman wasn't as odd in person as he is on his TV show, Man VS Food. He actually seemed pretty intelligent.
