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Ever see the fast-talking Rosalind Russell in His Girl Friday? No? How about the modern day equivalent: Betsy Bird of Fuse 8? (Go look at that pic of Rosalind and tell me Betsy isn't channeling her.) Betsy has posted FOUR essays on the 1st Annual Kidlitosphere Conference. Me? I've barely had time to digest my food from the conference, let alone what I did/saw/thought. I'm also terrible at the tidy overview. I was the one in class who never took notes; I just listened. Thus, the following...
GOSSIP COLUMN
Laini Taylor met her husband, Jim Di Bartolo, on the first day of Art School in the parking lot. She was a Navy brat. And now she's an awesome author with pink hair and a cool illustrator husband. This makes me feel good about the futures of my own two children, who are also growing up military. And! And! She has a new blog about writing, Not For Robots, which makes me feel immensely better about my struggles with revision just now. I'm wearing the button she gave me as inspiration.
Ellen Klages can name five kinds of blue cheese. Just ask her. She also spoke up bravely for those who HATE the term "kid lit." This doesn't include me. I only hate it if it's "kiddie lit" but still, kudos to Ellen, who knows how to speak her mind.
Gregory K. knows the real purpose of the appendix. And would have advised me to name this post: "Sixty Boobs Meet in Chicago," which would have caused my stat ratings to go through the roof. If I had named it "Judy Blume and Sixty Boobs Meet in Chicago," I would have attracted a "narrowcast" of just the right crowd. (I know, Judy wasn't there, but her little sister was. My, how rumors spread...)
Adrienne can pull a cute pink t-shirt out of thin air. And next time, I'm coming to the conference early so I can shop with her. That girl covered some ground!
Esme Raji Codell knows exactly how wrong Meet the Author Events can go, and thus, provides posters and cookies and lovely signs, and makes every single person feel loved and part of the circle. Please, someone put her in charge of the National Office of Children's Authors Book Visits: Policies and Plans. And pay her a lot so she never leaves.
Imps act rather impish if you sit between them. They pass notes. They make jokes about balls and nostrils. They look oh-so-sweet and innocent, but those are some wickedly funny and sharp minds those two have. One might even call them juggernauts of the kidlitosphere, if one wanted to risk sparking a rash of witty give and take.
Robin either knows herself very well or has an evil internal clock. On the first coffee run, she told me to meet her in SEVEN minutes in the lobby. The next morning, she instructed me to appear in THREE minutes. What? Does she not do five/ten/fifteen minutes intervals like the rest of us? Where are those missing minutes, people?
Confidential to Sara: Someone tell that poor girl not to order only one hard-boiled egg at an IHOP. (Okay, I knew this, in theory, but I'd already had a large chocolate mocha and a bagel with cream cheese and a banana from Starbucks with my coffee buddy--see above--that morning. But when the egg came in the little dish, I felt silly, like a kid at a birthday party whose mom told the hostess not to give her child any cake. Luckily, Tricia saved the day by sharing a delicious potato pancake with me.)
And apparently, there was kidlit action going on at home, as well. When my plane (Susan of Wizards Wireless was also on it) landed at National Airport, right on time, the pilot informed us that we would have to wait indefinitely on the tarmac until a gate opened up. (What? A plane landing is a COMPLETE SURPRISE?) So my husband had to spend an hour in the cell phone parking lot. I apologized when I finally got into the car, and he smiled and said: "No problem. I finished this great book." It was Cecil Castellucci's YA novel, Boy Proof. The one she'd signed in L.A., but I hadn't even read yet. As soon as I do, we're going to gossip about it.
Gossip: Cause that's what happens when I don't take notes.
***Thanks to Mark and Andrea of Just One More Book for the awesome photos!
***Next year's conference will be in Portland, under the leadership of Jone (MsMac.) Make your plans now!
15 Comments on Gossip Column, last added: 10/10/2007
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HA! Sara, you're a juggerninja, too. Will you join us, and we can be superheroes?
Thank you, Liz Smith. I enjoyed the gossip!
Hi Sara!!
Thanks for the gossip-y props! :) I've put up a post about the conference as well. I'd put in a thanks to you and Kelly for still talking to me even after I'd made an off-color-cocaine joke seconds after meeting you, but it didn't sound right, so I'm going to thank you here -- okay? (note to readers: I've never even smoked a cigarette so it was most definitely only a joke!)
Anyhow, it was GREAT meeting you and thanks for being so welcoming and friendly on that first evening when I didn't know a soul. Laini and I hope you're planning on coming to Portland next year! You'd better be! :)
All best,
Jim
Hey, Coffee Buddy, you'd better believe I work in odd-numbered segments. Just keepin' it fresh.
I had no idea about Ellen and the blue cheese skill! Dang! I need to mingle better.
Thanks for coming to the conference. I had a blast hanging out with you. Thanks for always going with me on the early morning Starbucks run!
The egg did look a little lonely, but I was impressed that you ordered exactly what you wanted and nothing more! Know your mind and speak it! (And beg a potato pancake if need be!)
What a fun take, and I LOVE that you noted my shopping prowess! The funny thing is that I hardly ever shop when I home, but I love to do it when I travel. I think it might be a time thing.
What? I have no idea what you're talking about. Jules and I are very serious professional-type bloggers and would never do anything so juvenile as to pass notes during a conference session. What a load of balls! Balls, I tell you.
Hmmmm. National Office of Children's Authors Book Visits, huh? Sounds pretty fantastic...especially since it was a teeny bit hard to go back to my day job after such a glammy weekend. Thanks for helping to make it so much fun, and for this great post so we can re-live it!!!
Loved meeting you...
Sara,
That was a terrific post! I loved the gossip. And you're right, you'd think that they're would be a little bit of advance warning that a plane was landing. It can't have been a huge shock.
Had a great time with you- and I agree with Mary Lee- I was impressed that you ordered exactly what you wanted and nothing more.
I had a lot of fun talking with you with this weekend.
-Susan
Thanks, Sara! Great meeting you this weekend.
Sounds like you had a blast!!! Super!!!
I guess my dancing with a lamp shade on my head wasn't noticed after all. Whew.
Great seeing you again, Sara, and I'll be looking forward to another meeting closer to home.
Thanks for all the gossip! Funny fun fun :)! I just KNEW those Imps were impish!! Poor lonely egg.
Rosalind Russell? It doesn't get any better than that. Seriously. It doesn't. The fact that you can conjure her up even after seeing me desperately clutching an espresso brownie in the airport the next day makes it all the more impressive. Thanks for the great round-up of personalities!
Great gossip!!!
Sorry that we didn't get to talk (Ya know we have the whole Lewis thing going for us!!)
Now I have figured out that you look familiar because you were at SCBWI-LA also AND you are the Sara that has been posting with me on the blog of the nicest, 'cool'est, most author supportive person in the entire world : Mac MacCool!!!!
TTFN!!!!