Katie Davis

Picture Book Month Featured on the Oprah Blog, Life Lift

by dlcasas on November 20, 2011

Oprah Blog - Life Lift

“Children can have too many toys, but never enough books.” – Jarrett Krosoczka from his Picture Book Month Essay.

I created an initiative to designate November as “Picture Book Month.” Katie Davis, Elizabeth Dulemba, Tara Lazar, Wendy Martin, and Australian International Liaison, Christopher Cheng, came on board to help me champion the cause and spread the word. A logo was designed by Joyce Wan. Videos were created by motion graphics designer, Carter Higgins. PictureBookMonth.com features essays from “Picture Book Champions,” thought leaders in the children’s literature community. Each day in November, a new essay is posted from such notable contributors as Peter Brown, Suzanne Bloom, Denise Fleming, Leslie Helakoski, Eric A. Kimmel, Jarrett Krosoczka, Tammi Sauer, Dan Yaccarino, and Jane Yolen. Looking ahead, 2012 Picture Book Month Champions include such notables as Doreen Cronin,Toni diTerlizzi, Brett Helquist, Tom Lichtenheld, John Rocco, and Karma Wilson.

Though the website officially opened on November 1, the site saw over 25,000 visitors in the first couple weeks. The initiative became a movement and the movement went viral. Imagine my surprise to find out that Picture Book Month had been featured on the Oprah Blog, Life Lift! Read the post in its entirety: http://www.oprah.com/blogs/November-is-Picture-Book-Month

Now, not even a third of the way through November, a Google search of “Picure Book Month” lists nearly 10 million results. It has been tweeted, Facebooked, Googled, linked, and blogged. Besides Oprah, Picture Book Month has been featured in Huffington Post, School Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, and Kirkus Reviews, to name a few. Organizations such as the Children’s Book Council, Reading is Fundamental, and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators support the initiative as partners.

The Picture Book Month website also features links to picture book resources, authors, illustrators, and kidlit book bloggers. In addition, parents, educators, and librarians can download the theme calendar to help them plan their picture book celebrations and access picture book activities. Libraries and schools worldwide are holding Picture Book Month celebrations.

Join the celebration! Visit www.picturebookmonth.com.

“But if you really want more curious, intelligent, creative children in the world, then go ahead and give them picture books.” – Peter Brown from his Picture Book Month Essay

Read * Share * Celebrate!

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November is Picture Book Month!

by dlcasas on November 1, 2011

November is Picture Book Month!

“I have always believed that literature begins in the cradle — the poems we say to the babies, the stories we tell them — prepare them to become part of the great human storytelling community. We humans are the only creatures in the known universe who make and remake our world with story.” – Jane Yolen from her Picture Book Month essay

The New York Times declared, “Picture Books No Longer A Staple for Children” in an article published in October 2010. The controversial article incited a barrage of responses from the children’s book industry, many in defense of the venerable picture book. In addition, the digital age has ushered in an unprecedented amount of ebooks and, with devices like the iPad, the color Nook, and the Kindle Fire, picture books are being converted to the digital format.

Thus, Picture Book Month was born. Founder Dianne de Las Casas decided it was time to celebrate picture books in their printed format so she created an initiative to designate November as “Picture Book Month.” Katie Davis, Elizabeth Dulemba, Tara Lazar, and Wendy Martin came on board to champion the cause and spread the word. A logo was designed by Joyce Wan. A website (www.picturebookmonth.com) was created to feature essays from “Picture Book Champions,” thought leaders in the children’s literature community. Each day in November, a new essay will be posted from such notable contributors as Suzanne Bloom, Denise Fleming, Leslie Helakoski, Eric A. Kimmel, Tammi Sauer, Dan Yaccarino, and Jane Yolen.

Better World Books and organizations like Scholastic Book Fairs Philippines are lending their support. The website will also feature links to picture book resources, authors, illustrators, and kidlit book bloggers. In addition, parents, educators, and librarians can download the theme calendar to help them plan their picture book celebrations and access picture book activities.

Join the celebration! Visit www.picturebookmonth.com. The website officially opens on November 1, 2011. Read * Share * Celebrate!

“Picture books are important because they are with us for life. They are the most important books we’ll ever read because they’re our first. No matter how many books we’ve read since, they will always have a place in our hearts.” – Dan Yaccarino from his Picture Book Month Essay

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SCBWI L.A. Conference – August 5-8, 2011

by dlcasas on August 13, 2011

8-6-11 Jay Asher, Dianne de Las Casas & Jason Roer

Friends:

It’s been more than a week since I arrived in Los Angeles (Century City) for the 40th annual SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) conference. OMG. It was a WOW weekend of superstar authors, awesome agents, excellent editors, and fun friends. This recap is going to be a long one because there was just so much to take away! Unfortunately, my camera was on the fritz so I had to use my iPhone 3GS too (without a flash) so some of the pictures are less than stellar. To begin…

Thursday, August 4, 2011 – The Arrival
This year, I was staying with Kat Yeh and Joyce Wan, two fabulous authors from NYC. We had a great room on the 10th floor of the Hyatt Century Plaza overlooking the pool and the MGM building.

8-4-11 The view from our 10th floor balcony at the Hyatt Century Plaza in L.A.

Kat, Joyce, and I headed out for eats at the nearby Westfield Mall which has a “Dining Terrace,” filled with tons of multicultural foods for a reasonable price. The ramen was my FAVE!!

8-4-11 Kat Yeh, Dianne de Las Casas, and Joyce Wan just arriving at SCBWI

Friday, August 5, 2011 – Day 1

8-5-11 Bruce Coville inspires everyone with lots of wise advice

The Friday morning opening keynote was given by Bruce Coville. He gave some very sage advice on becoming a successful author. My favorites were:

“Take storytelling lessons.”
“Take voice and singing lessons.”
“Scare yourself. Take yourself to the edge of discomfort. Be fearless.”
“Take your work seriously but take yourself lightly. Rise above your own best work.”
“Embrace the unfinished chord. It is not knowing that is more powerful than knowing.”

Jerry Pinkney was the next speaker and he talked about how his family history inspired his art. I then went to a breakout session with Debra Dorfman, V.P. Publisher of paperbacks, non-fiction, and licensed publishing at Scholastic Books. It was interesting to see how a title is treated after it is acquired at Scholastic, the steps it goes through to become part of the Scholastic Book Club and the Scholastic Book Fairs.

The afternoon panel featured five publishers talking about the “state of the union” of publishing. The message was that there is always room for excellence, even in a changing world and that they are looking for books that break the mold.

8-5-11 The incredibly hilarious Libba Bray

Libba Bray was the first afternoon keynote and boy was she uproariously funny. She talked about how “writing it wrong” helped authors to get it right. My favorite Libba quotes:

“Embrace the suck!” (The crowd guffawed at this.)
“I love deadlines. I love the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.”
“Readers are not trends. They are readers.”
“Getting it wrong is a necessary part of getting it right.”

Then it was time for the last breakout session of the day. I chose Katie Davis‘ “Podcasting Your Way to Success.” She talked about using social media to build a platform as an author and went through the steps on how to create a podcast.

8-5-11 Emma Dryden on Traveling Through the Digital Landscape

The last keynote of the afternoon was the ever informative Emma Dryden. She talked about traveling the digital landscape of publishing. Though the publishing industry is changing, books still matter. She said:

“The digital world is reshaping the book business. Print is not going away for the sake of digital.”
“The publishing industry is evolving right before our eyes.”
“Picture books do matter. Picture books still do sell.”

Thank you for reassuring us, Emma!

8-5-11 Cheri Williams and Dianne de Las Casas at the PAL Book Sale

That evening, it was time for the SCBWI P.A.L. (Published and Listed) Book Sale. It was a cocktail reception and book sale for the published members of SCBWI, who were not on the program. I am happy to say that I sold out of my new book, The House That Witchy Built, illustrated by Holly Stone-Barker.

8-5-11 The ever-cool Illustrator E.B. Lewis

Later, it was time to schmooze in the lobby! I got to hang out with all my friends (Ellen Hopkins, Kristin Clark Venuti, Cheri Williams, Rachel Ann Marks) and even made new ones (The Hilts Brothers). Here I am with my roommates, Kat Yeh and Joyce Wan, with the amazing illustrator, E.B. Lewis.

8-6-11 Kat Yeh, E.B. Lewis, Joyce Wan & Dianne de Las Casas

Saturday, August 6, 2011 – Day 2
I attended every session on Friday so I admit that I was a bit burned out. I opted to sleep in and I missed Donna Jo Napoli. I caught the tail end of David Small‘s keynote. He was so cute dancing to “How Sweet It Is to Be Loved by You.”

Then something extraordinary happened. We had a surprise guest!!! It was… Judy Blume!

8-6-11 Lin Oliver interviews surprise guest, the legendary Judy Blume

John Green, Author of Looking for Alaska, was supposed to be our keynote. Unfortunately, he had gallstone surgery and SCBWI had to fill his slot. So they brought us a spectacular substitute!! Lin Oliver interviewed the legendary, life-changing author, Judy Blume. Judy received a standing ovation BEFORE she was interviewed. Here are my favorite Judy Blume quotes:

“Get yourself though it and write a whole draft.”
“I know I start a book on the day something different happens.”
“The stuff that matters, that works for your readers, comes from deep, deep inside.”
“The first time I was rejected, I went into a closet and cried.”
On revising: “It never gets any easier. The only thing that gets easier for me is that I know how to do this.”
“Whatever way works for you is the right way.”
“You don’t think about the audience. If it’s good, it will find an audience.”
“I don’t think about my legacy. That’s dangerous. But I want a tombstone that says, ‘Are you there God? It’s me, Judy.’”

8-6-11 Carrell Gueringer, Denise Fleming & Dianne de Las Casas

Sometimes things happen for a reason. I was on my way to a breakout session on books, e-books, and apps when I saw my friend, Carrell Gueringer, talking to picture book author Denise Fleming, whom I adore. I met Denise and we took pictures. Then we all saw HER. Judy Blume!! I introduced myself to Judy (we’ve tweeted a couple of times) and I got to take this adorable picture of her.

8-6-11 The Amazing Judy Blume!!!

OMG. I met Judy Blume!! She was so sweet and I can’t believe she is 73 years old!! That was definitely a conference high for me. I don’t often get fan-girlish but I felt fluttery around Judy Blume!

Then it was time for lunch. Denise Fleming, Kari-Lynn Winters, Valerie (sorry – I forgot your last name!), and I headed to the Dining Terrace at the mall next door for some food. I had yummy ramen and totally fell in love with Denise Fleming. We all had a blast at lunch. Because I spent so much time with Denise, I missed Jon Scieszka’s afternoon keynote. But sometimes, the stars align in a different pattern than you planned and the sky is even more brilliant than you imagined. That’s how I felt about meeting Denise Fleming and hanging out with her. What a fabulous lady. Kari-Lynn Winters is my newest BFF and I totally LOVE her too! She’s such a hoot!

8-6-11 Norton Juster, author of The Phantom Tollbooth, inspires the crowd with his accidental foray into children's books

The afternoon keynote was by Norton Juster, the author of The Phantom Tollbooth, a brilliant book! Norton Juster said, “Playing with words was my great disease.” He ended his keynote with a reading of “Prinderella,” a hilarious spoonerism story.

Later that afternoon, I went to Verla Kay‘s workshop on promoting yourself using the Internet. Verla was so sweet she included ME in her slideshow!

8-6-11 Dianne de Las Casas & Lisa Rondinelli Albert tear up the stage at the 40 Winks PJ Gala. Photo courtesy of Joyce Wan.

Then, IT WAS TIME… for the 40 Winks Gala!! And it was a pajama party! My stupid camera wasn’t working so I didn’t get any pictures. :( I didn’t see anything scandalous but there were some crazy cool costumes! The Princess and the Pea won first prize. The princess was actually wearing a BED, yes a bed!! There was bunny costume from “A Christmas Story” and Max’s wolf suit from Where the Wild Things Are. I danced on the DJ’s stage the whole night long!! After the party was done, we moved the after-party to the X-Bar, a bar connected to the Hyatt. There, I danced with my roommates, Kat and Joyce, Michelle Parker-Rock, Lisa Rodinelli Albert, Rachel Ann Marks, Cheri Williams, and lots of other FUN people! It was a FABULOUS night!!

Sunday, August 7, 2011 – Day 3
On my third day into the conference, I was burning out (actually, my feet burned from dancing in stilettos all night!). I opted to sleep in. I missed the agents’ panel and Gary Paulsen‘s talk. But the great thing about the SCBWI conference in this digital age is that you can relive the moments through other authors’ tweets and blogs! I’m really sorry I missed Gary Paulsen. I heard that he lived in the Philippines (where I was born and where my mom is from) and can speak Tagalog!

I went to Jon Scieszka‘s workshop on “Experimenting with Multi-Platform Storytellling.” It was very interesting to hear him talk about his new series, Spaceheadz. He is so crazy and genius at the same time. His new series encourages media literacy for kids, highlighting access, analysis, evaluation, and creation. Later that night, I got to talk to Jon at length and I totally fell in love with him (in a writerly way). He’s gracious, witty, and fun. I’m mad that I forgot to take pics!! Ugh.

8-7-11 The incredible dessert to celebrate SCBWI's 40th anniversary at the Golden Kite Awards Luncheon

At noon, it was time for the Golden Kite Awards Luncheon. My friend, Michelle Parker-Rock won 2011 SCBWI Member of the Year. Woo hoo, Michelle!! Tanya Lee Stone was the non-fiction Golden Kite winner for The Good, the Bad, and the Barbie. My good friend, Jenni Holm, was the Golden Kite fiction winner for her Newbery Honor book, Turtle in Paradise. In her speech, Jenni said, “You are my family. You are my people.” Yay, Jenni! Rukhsana Khan won the Golden Kite for picture book text for her book, The Big Red Lollipop. She is an amazing storyteller – she had the audience riveted. The Sid Fleischman Award for humor went to Alan Silberberg for his book, Milo: Sticky Notes & Brain Freeze. Alan made me laugh and cry and laugh again. I was sooo moved by his speech! I talked to him in the lobby later that night and he is every bit as warm, caring, and funny as he is on stage. The Golden Kite for picture book illustration went to Salley Mavor for her book, Pocketful of Posies: A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes. Such beautiful bas relief fabric and embroidery!

Then we had a surprise guest! The eloquent Richard Peck embellished the stage with his funny rhetoric. Some golden nuggets and funny quotes from Richard:

“A writer’s secret: A story is always about something that never happened to the author.”
“We do not write what we know. We write what we can find out about.”
“Tweets and texts bomb the ruins of our language.”
“Every book begins in the library with the hope that it will end there.”

So Richard Peck does not like Twitter. Oh well. He’ll never have to revise his words to 140 concise characters. LOL

After the luncheon, I headed over to Emma Dryden and Harold Underdown‘s workshop on social media. I ducked out before it ended because of an oncoming migraine, which caused me to miss LAURIE HALSE ANDERSON! Crud. Anyway, social media? I have a handle on. I am really sorry I missed Laurie’s amazing and inspiring (so I heard) keynote.

8-7-11 Dianne de Las Casas & Nuria Coe, both mommies of daughters named Eliana!!

That evening, I went to dinner the Pink Taco for the Kidlit Drink Night organized (in part) by the fabulous Lee Wind. I LOVE me some Lee!! I went with Kat Yeh and Joyce Wan, my roomies. I met another author named Nuria Coe. Like me, she has a daughter named ELIANA! How coincidental is that? Our daughter’s middle names are similar too. It gave us both the chills. I met some fabulous people at the Kidlit Mixer and had the most delicious crispy brisket tacos. Mmmm!

Then it was back to the hotel lobby for my last night of SCBWI schmoozing. I met up with my friends, Jenni Holm and Katie Davis. I talked with the cool Dan Santat and met the amazing Alan Silverberg. I also spoke with Greg Pincus and Jim Averbeck — totally great guys. Then I bumped into my soul sistah, Samantha Berger. I totally missed hangout time with her this conference but at least we got to hang in the lobby for a little bit. To top off this amazing conference, like I said earlier, I talked at length to the phenomenal Jon Scieszka. Although he is a kidlit rockstar, Jon is totally approachable, gracious, and unpretentious.

I met so many amazing writers, illustrators, and authors. I know I didn’t list you all but I hope you know that, in the words of Jenni Holm, “You are my people.” Thank you for being a part of this wonderful tribe called “Kidlit.”

It was an uplifting, inspiring, kidlit star-studded weekend of tears, laughter, and hugs. Thank you, Lin Oliver and Steve Mooser, for creating SCBWI. You have enriched us for 40 years. Here’s looking at 40 more!!

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

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American Library Association Conference 2011, New Orleans, LA – June 23-28, 2011

by dlcasas on June 30, 2011

6-24-11 Jane, a new librarian friend, Dianne de Las Casas & Marita Gentry

Friends:

It has been a fabulous, non-stop week in New Orleans! The American Library Association (ALA) was in town for their annual conference. I was so excited to play hostess because I live in New Orleans!

THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 2011
On Thursday, I picked up my good friend, Katie Davis (children’s book author/illustrator and host of Brain Burps About Books podcast) and John Schumacher (a librarian/book reviewer of Mr. Schu Reads fame) and took them out to eat at Al Copeland’s Cheesecake Bistro. Then we had an impromptu Kidlit drink night at W.I.N.O. (Wine Institute of New Orleans) and tons of children’s book authors showed up: Michelle Knudsen (Library Lion), Phil Bildner (The Hallelujah Flight), Kevin Lewis (Editor at Disney/Hyperion), Ellen Hopkins (Crank, Burned, etc.), Eric Wight (Frankie Pickle series) and Alex from the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. The late night ran into the wee morning… good times with good friends!

6-23-11 Dianne de Las Casas and Ellen Hopkins

FRIDAY, JUNE 24, 2011
On Friday, it was the opening of the exhibit hall known as “The Stacks.” The ribbon-cutting was at 5:15pm. I signed books from 5:30-6:30pm at Pelican Publishing and ran into my long-time friend, author and storyteller Rose Ann St. Romaine, who is a fellow Pelican author.

6-24-11 Children's Book Authors Dianne de Las Casas and Rose Ann St. Romain

On Friday night, I went to dinner with my author liaison from ABC-Clio Libraries Unlimited, Debby LaBaoon. Debby and I ate at Pascal Manale’s, famous for their barbecue shrimp. I just LOVE Debby! Afterwards, it was off to the ALA Dance Party at Oz in the French Quarter. I went with children’s book author, Erica Perl, who is fun and fabulous! We hung out with Ellen Hopkins, Kevin Lewis, Phil Bildner, and a large group of dancing librarians.

6-26-11 Dianne de Las Casas with Debby LaBoon

SATURDAY, JUNE 25, 2011
On Saturday, it was the first full day of the stacks and it was buzzing! I signed books in the morning with illustrator Marita Gentry, who has illustrated several of my books including The Cajun Cornbread Boy and There’s a Dragon in the Library. There was a line waiting even before I sat down and we sold out of There’s a Dragon in the Library! After that, Marita and I signed books at ABC-Clio Libraries Unlimited. We promoted our new professional book, A is for Alligator: Draw and Tell Tales from A-Z. Kid Chef Eliana was with me and she had a great time exploring the stacks and visiting the new “What’s Cooking?” section of the ALA exhibit hall, which hosted cooking demos and cookbook signings.

6-25-11 Dianne de Las Casas and Marita Gentry sign at ABC-Clio Libraries Unlimited

On Saturday evening, it was time for the ALSC Stories for a Saturday Evening Concert. I was the headlining storyteller and shared the stage with Patty Carleton and Elizabeth Ellis (whom I have adored for years). Marita Gentry accompanied me, drawing as I told the stories. We began with “W is for Whale” from our new book, A is for Alligator: Draw and Tell Tales from A-Z.

6-25-11 Marita Gentry draws W is for Whale as Dianne tells the story from their new book, A is for Alligator

Then we performed There’s a Dragon in the Library, which is a great story that showcases Marita’s drawing and coloring skills!

6-25-11 Marita Gentry draws Dewey the Dragon as Dianne tells the story from their new book, There's a Dragon in the Library

We closed with Madame Poulet and Monsieur Roach, an old New Orleans folktale that has lots of boisterous audience participation with members of the audience coming on stage to play the parts of the roaches. So much fun!!

6-25-11 Marita Gentry draws Monsieur Roach as Dianne tells the story, with helpers, from their book, Madame Poulet and Monsieur Roach

Then it was time for our final bow. Thank you to Mary Morgan Smith, who organized the Stories for a Saturday Evening concert, sponsored by ALSC (American Library Services to Children).

6-25-11 Taking a final bow with Marita Gentry, Elizabeth Ellis and Patty Carleton with host Mary Morgan Smith

SUNDAY, JUNE 26, 2011
On Sunday, I signed more books with Pelican Publishing and ABC-Clio Libraries Unlimited.

6-27-11 The ABC-Clio booth

But the big event of the night was the Newbery Caldecott Wilder banquet!

6-26-11 The Newbery Caldecott Wilder Awards Banquet

I sat at a table with my dear friend, Beth Jackson, who sat next to her friend, Ellen Ruffin, Curator of the deGrummond Collection at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, MS. I wish I knew the name of the woman sitting next to Ellen! Sorry.

6-26-11 Cutie pie, Ellen Ruffin and Beth Jackson at the Caldecott Newbery Wilder banquet

To my left was Sara Rutenberg, Chief Operating Officer of SCBWI. Wow. What luck I had! She was a great table-mate and we laughed lots.

6-26-11 Sara Rutenberg, COO of SCBWI at the Newbery Caldecott Wilder banquet

My friends Jim Averbeck and Diane Chen came by to see me. They hadn’t met each other and I thought they looked so good together in this picture! GLAMOROUS!! Jim Averbeck is the host of Interviews on the Kidlit Red Carpet, in which he does red carpet interviews with kidlit authors. Even I got interviewed! He was accompanied by the lovely ladies, Kristen Venuti and Katie Davis.

6-26-11 Children's Book Author Jim Averbeck with ALA Executive Board member Diane Chen

On the red carpet, I ran into children’s book author Anastasia Suen and we discovered something we had in common: we love bows and peeptoes! LOL

6-26-11 Dianne de Las Casas' shoes & Anastasia Suen's shoes. We love bows & peeptoes!

First, they announced the winners of the Caldecott Honors: Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave by Bryan Collier and Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein. The Caldecott went to A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Phillip C. Stead and illustrated by Erin E. Stead. Erin’s speech was so sweet and poignant. She made me cry. It made me love the book even more!

6-26-11 A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Phillip C. Stead and illustrated by Erin E. Stead wins the Caldecott

Then it was time for the Newbery Medal. The Newbery Honors went to Margi Preus for The Heart of a Samurai, Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night by Joyce Sidman, Rita Williams-Garcia for One Crazy Summer, and Jennifer L. Holm for Turtle in Paradise. Jenni is a good friend of mine and I was so excited to see her win!

6-26-11 My friend, author Jenni Holmes, wins the Newbery Honor for Turtle in Paradise! Yay Jenni!

The Newbery Medal went to Clare Vanderpool for Moon Over Manifest.

6-26-11 Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool wins the prestigious Newbery Award

Tomie dePaola is also a good friend so I was elated to see him honored with the Wilder lifetime achievement medal. Well-deserved! Afterward, I talked to Bob Hechtel, Tomie’s assistant, and he showed me the gorgeous medal.

6-26-11 Tomie dePaola's assistant, Bob, with the Wilder medal

This is the Wilder medal up close. So pretty!

6-26-11 The Wilder medal up close!

After the banquet, a group of us went out to celebrate Jenni Holm’s special night. Crazy things happen when kidlit authors are partying! LOL Dan Santat signed John Schumacher’s shirt. Then all the kidlit authors got to sign it, including me! I got the collar. LOL

6-26-11 Dan Santat draws on Mr. Schu's shirt - how cool!

We were in the “Living Room” of the W. Tomie dePaola was there and posed for this cute picture with me. Doesn’t he look so jolly?!! Adorable.

6-26-11 Tomie dePaola and Dianne de Las Casas

As the consummate New Orleans hostess, everyone wanted a place (at 3 in the morning, mind you), where we could get some good grub and drinks. So I suggested St. Charles Tavern. We all piled into a mini-van cab and headed there: Jenni Holm, Ellen Hopkins, Katie Davis, Dan Santat, John Schumacher, Travis Jonker, and Eric Wight. It was so late, it was early. We saw the sun come up!! I didn’t get home until 6:30am!! Ssshhh! But look at how fresh we looked on Monday!

6-27-11 Dianne de Las Casas with Children's Book Authors-Illustrators Eric Wight & Dan Santat

MONDAY, JUNE 26, 2011
On Monday morning, I performed at the Pop Top stage for the National Storytelling Network. I performed The Cajun Cornbread Boy and a short string story called “The Mosquito.” I also got to see some long-time Louisiana storyteller friends, Sylvia Davis and Rosa Metoyer! Love you, girls!

6-27-11 Storytellers Sylvia Davis, Dianne de Las Casas, and Rosa Metoyer

It was off to sign books with Pelican Publishing Company one last time and it was busy. Then I was able to finally walk the stacks with my precious daughter, Eliana.

6-26-11 Kid Chef Eliana with Halle Durand and Tony Fucile, author & illustrator of Mitchell's License

That evening, I went to the International Librarians Reception. I ran into Diane Chen again and she invited me to a private reception in the ALA Presidential Suite. I met Roberta Stevens, the 2011 ALA President. What a sweetie!

6-27-11 Diane Chen - ALA Executive Board, Roberta Stevens - 2011 ALA President, and Dianne de Las Casas

After the President’s reception, I met with my friend, Ryan Sias, who is a fantastic children’s book author and graphic novelist. His work has great style.

6-27-11 Dianne de Las Casas with Children's Book Author-Illustrator Ryan Sias

ALA 2011 in New Orleans was a phenomenal conference for me! Loved every minute of it and it was so much fun playing hostess and ambassador to the stars. :) I look forward to Anaheim next year!

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

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American Library Association Conference, Washington D.C. – June 25-28, 2010

by dlcasas on July 14, 2010

6-28-10 The ABC-Clio Booth

Friends:

From June 25 through June 28, 2010, I attended the American Library Association conference in our nation’s capitol, Washington, D.C. Unfortunately, I did not see a lot of the District this time because I was so busy with the conference. But here is a picture of the Capitol building I took from a cab! LOL

6-28-10 The Capitol Building

I also managed to snap a shot of the Washington Monument. Fortunately, I have been to Washington, DC before and have been to many of the museums. It’s a great city to visit.

6-28-10 The Washington Monument

My first day to sign books was Saturday, June 26. I had a lunch and panel to attend first. When I went to the ABC-Clio Libraries Unlimited booth, there were people waiting for me to sign their books. Very cool. :) I signed copies of my brand new book, Stories on Board: Creating Board Games from Favorite Tales.

6-26-10 Signing books at ABC-Clio Libraries Unlimited

Here I am with my dynamic team of women from ABC-Clio!

6-26-10 Dianne de Las Casas with the Libraries Unlimited team (L-R) Shannon Hysell, Kristina Sheppard & Debby LaBoon

Later that evening, I was invited to a yacht cruise on the Potomac River by my friend, Tammy DiBartolo from Rapides Parish Library.

6-26-10 Tammy DiBartolo & Dianne de Las Casas on the Playaway Potomac yacht cruise

The cruise was sponsored by Playaway. The yacht was named, “Celebrity.” Not only was it fun but the sights were also beautiful. The city was gorgeous from the vantage point of the river.

6-26-10 The Celebrity Yacht on the Potomac

On Sunday, June 27, 2010, I signed books again at the ABC-Clio booth. I also had the great fortune of meeting Teresa Taylor who is at a DOD (Department of Defense) school in Italy. Teresa wants me to visit her school in Italy! Oh yeah! Here I am with Teresa and her friends. What great people! (Thank you to Donald, Teresa’s husband, for taking the picture!)

6-27-10 Gorgeous Gals of ALA - (L-R) Dianne, Teresa, Susan & BJ

On Sunday night, it was the night of the Newbery/Caldecott Award Banquet. What an event! There were lots of authors, publishers, editors, librarians, and book lovers. The banquet was packed. I rode to the affair with my lovely roommate, children’s book author & illustrator, Katie Davis and Brian & Beth Jackson. I visited Beth’s school in Athens, Georgia in April. Look at us!

6-27-10 At the Caldecott-Newbery Banquet (L-R) - Beth Jackson, Brian Jackson, Dianne de Las Casas & Katie Davis

Here I am with Michelle Knudsen, the author of Library Lion and many other books. Michelle and I presented at the Savannah Children’s Book Festival together a couple of years ago. She is so pretty!

6-27-10 Dianne de Las Casas & Michelle Knudsen (Author of Library Lion)

The ceremony was great. I really enjoyed the speeches, especially the one by Jerry Pinkney who won the Caldecott Medal for his book, The Lion and the Mouse. Rebecca Stead won the Newbery for her book, When You Reach Me. Look at this gorgeous program Jerry Pinkney designed! It’s really spectacular!

6-27-10 The Caldecott-Newbery program designed by Caldecott Winner, Jerry Pinkney

Here I am with my friend, Allison Roberts, who is a school librarian in Tennessee. I love see all my friends glammed up!

6-27-10 Allison Roberts from Tennessee & Dianne de Las Casas

This gentleman is Jim Averbeck, Author of In a Blue Room. He’s sweet and fun to be around, not to mention he’s nice to look at. ;)

6-27-10 Dianne de Las Casas & Children's Book Author Jim Averbeck

On my last day in Washington, D.C., I attended the International Association of School Librarians Luncheon. The speaker was none other than Sharon Coatney, my wonderful editor at Libraries Unlimited. Sharon spoke about the many faces of school librarian leadership.

6-28-10 Sharon Coatney (my editor at ABC-Clio Libraries Unlimited) speaks at the International Association of School Librarians luncheon

ALA was a great conference and I made so many wonderful connections. I look forward to the next conference, which will be in… NEW ORLEANS! Woo hoo! I can’t wait!

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

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