Looking back on the NCTE Annual Convention/ALAN Workshop

Each year when I come home from NCTE/ALAN, there's so much experience to digest, I have trouble telling people about it.  This year is no exception.  One thing I've learned about conferences--this one at least--is that if you go annually, your experience from year to year really morphs and changes.  At first it's about seeing the stars, being in the physical presence of authors whose books you've read.  As time goes by, it becomes more about getting to know people as colleagues.  Just five years ago I couldn't have imagined being a friend and colleague with people like Don Gallo and CJ Bott, but this year I sat and talked with them regularly at YA events.  Here they are signing in for the first day of the ALAN Workshop:

I also attended NCTE for years as a spectator: I went to hear other people talk.  It was such a sea change to begin seeing myself as someone who had knowledge to share and who could initiate conversations.  I loved introducing a panel discussion featuring Matt de la Pena and Coe Booth on issues of race and class in young adult literature and in our schools:

Deborah Appleman is someone I don't know personally (though I did talk with her husband on the convention shuttle bus about their joint work teaching English in a prison), but I love listening to her as a fan and hearing her talk in person about literary theory.  Here you can see her giving a presentation after her Critical Encounters book won the Meade award for outstanding contributions to English education.  She opened her talk with a video clip of Henry Waxman and Alan Greenspan talking about ideology in front of a House subcommittee on finance.  It was a great popular culture connection to the ideas about ideology and literary theory in her book.

Then there's the privilege of hearing a YA author talk in depth about the ideas behind her book, and the pleasure of seeing that author win a $5000 award with her sister and parents in tow.  Kristin Cashore was passionate and eloquent in talking about the ideas that led to Fire, this year's winner of the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award.  You can read her speech by visiting her blog.  Below you can see her with the committee that selected her book to win and with her editor at the book signing table. 

You can see how many people were excited to get her signature in their book!

In another toast to admired experts who eventually become colleagues and friends, here is Professor Nana, otherwise known as Teri Lesesne, with Michigan teacher Daria Plumb.  I got to know these two when I served on the Walden award committee myself a couple of years ago.  Daria and I spent a lot of time together this year at NCTE/ALAN, presenting together and attending the sessions of other YA booktalkers.  You can read Daria's much more thorough account of our experience here and here.

I thought of several of you when Ned Vizzini spoke at ALAN about his experience writing It's Kind of a Funny Story.  To Ned's right is Han Nolan, a wonderful YA author who wrote a book I loved called Dancing on the Edge.  She also wrote a great book called Born Blue, but she was at ALAN to promote her newest novel, Crazy.

An ALAN report wouldn't be complete without giving you at least a glimpse of the boxes and boxes of free books given away to workshop participants.  When I shipped my book box home, I learned it weighed 33 pounds!  The first morning of ALAN, it's like seeing a bunch of teachers and librarians opening Christmas presents, there is so much excitement in the room over free books.  Some participants like Professor Nana (and me) already own a lot of the books we get in our boxes.  Professor Nana usually gives most of hers away!  I have mine at home, ready to dole out to any of you who still want to join ALAN.

Finally, there's not much down time for me over five days at this conference, but I do admit that Orlando was a beautiful setting.  This was the sunrise one morning when I left my hotel room:

I hope this post inspires you to make mental plans to get yourself to Chicago for NCTE/ALAN next year.  Remember that once you are employed as an early-career teacher, you can apply for a Gallo Grant to reduce the cost of the ALAN workshop for yourself.  Gallo Grants cover your registration fees for ALAN and give you a newly-upped $750 stipend for travel and lodging costs.  It helps your case if you're a member of ALAN, so remember that it's never too late to join!

Jennifer Buehler