A big, arch-size hug for everyone who came to the conference a few weeks ago. Thank you to YALSA for their hard work in organizing this wonderful event. Thank you to the presenters for all their hard work and for sharing their knowledge with us. Thank you to The Hub for covering the event (check out their notes if your memory is a little foggy). Thank you to the authors, agents, editors and publishers who came to sign…

Can anyone tell me what kind of clothing people generally wear to the panels? Is it professional dress all day long, or are jeans acceptable?

I got some restaurant recommendations from a friend of a co-worker who lives in St. Louis, and thought I'd share:

DOWNTOWN with-in walking distance of Hotel:

Caleco's Bar and Grill is pretty good.  Sort of like a Friday's.  This is with-in easy walking distance of Downtown. Pricing is reasonable.

Mike…

What's the next big thing in the world of book reviews?  Are bloggers and sites like Goodreads moving traditional review sources out of the way?  Is this a good thing or a bad thing?  How do we evaluate trustworthiness? How does all this affect how we find and select books?   Recent articles such as  Critical Reviewing in the Age of Twitter,…

As well as wowing the crowd at the YA Lit Symposium, Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, Greg Neri, and Andrew Smith will pay a visit to St. Louis Public Library branches.  Books for sale courtesy of Left Bank Books.  See below for details.

Vaunda Micheaux Nelson will discuss and sign her books, which include No Crystal Stair, Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshall, and Almost to Freedom at Buder branch on November 1st, from 7-8…

The infographic seen in this article on successful e-books and their readership is so colorful, slick and visually gorgeous, that we almost forgot that there is some very interesting information being presented.  The article's author, Andrea Smith, does a great job of pointing out (which was created by a…

So today the Hub is talking about how Fantasy is making a come back! This would be fantastic in my opinion. I love Tamora Pierce and all the other wonderful authors that make fantasy worlds for us to dive into. Right now I'm half way through…

Don't miss coverage of 31 Days of the Next Big Thing on YALSA's The Hub, a blog all about young adult literature. All month long, Hub bloggers will be posting about what will be the next big thing in literature, as well as big thing trends of the past. The Symposium is only a month away, now is the time to start…

It is time to start planning your days at YALSA's YA Literature Symposium! The schedule has been announced so begins the painstaking process of deciding which sessions to attend. The good news: there are fabulous sessions going on all the time, you will never be bored! The bad news: you are going to want to go to them all and unless you have Hermione's time-turner you will have to choose. The news that…

If you are like me, you are easily confused by the lines drawn between, around and through fan created work and copyright. Sometimes the rules seem clear...others they are a bit more murky. I found this (hour long) presentation from San Diego ComicCon interesting.

Although it should be noted that some people find fault with parts of the presentation. So I…

As we get closer to November and the YALSA Symposium, I’ve been thinking more and more about the future of the book and where that will put us librarians in the grand scheme of things. I know that when I was in Library School this was a common topic of discussion and I always blew it off saying “never gonna happen.” People kept telling me that the book was going to be replaced by some form of technology and I never believed it. There is something about holding a book in your hands and…

...YA Literature and Fan-Created Work

I've started reading & reviewing other people's work over here: http://www.harrypotterfanfiction.com/. It's typically very easy to tell the younger, less experienced writers from the older more experienced ones. Some have been writing for years, and you can see the evolution of their writing skills.

We've done NaNoWriMo adult programs at our library for a few years now. I'd like to…

Who doesn't love a good pun?  If you have already registered for the symposium, we have something special for you: a badge to show off your awesomeness to others! 

If you haven't registered yet, remember that early bird rates end on September 16! …

This YPulse blog post on teen fan culture caught my eye today. The article notes what I think librarians already know, fan fiction goes way beyond writing. Teens, especially teens at the library, love to geek out about their favorite books, movies, bands and celebrities. And when they become obsessed, they aren't just limited to…

The YA Literature Symposium is still 4 months away, but that doesn't mean we can't start thinking about the future of young adult literature this weekend at ALA Annual in sunny Anaheim, Cal.  Here are some sessions you might be interested in:…

Goodreads posted an interesting blog post this morning about book discovery and the marketing engines churning out the next best sellers.  The article does a good job of showing the effect of marketing pushes like giveaways, newsletter mentions, and interviews on the popularity of a book. 

The blog post examines the popularity of best-selling non-fiction book…

A few days ago, at BEA, John Green revealed the new cover for An Abundance of Katherines,…

Register now for the 2012 YALSA Young Adult Literature Symposium, "The Future of Young Adult Literature: Hit Me with the next Big Thing” held in the heart of Downtown St. Louis. Plan your trip today! Take some extra time while you’re in town to see the attractions, do some shopping, and try some great restaurants.

If you like exploring museums check out Campbell House, City Museum, The Eugene Field House…

With so much to keep them occupied - computers, videogames and their busy social lives - there's a common belief that young adults are reading less than ever - if at all!  Information released by the Association of American Publishers gives hard evidence that this is not the case.  Not only are teens still reading, sales growth in the children/young adult sector outpaced that of the adult market. 

From January 2011 to January 2012, where adult books sales across formats increased…

Early birds, the worm has arrived!

Registration is open for the 2012 symposium! Read the preliminary program (PDF), read descriptions of our programs and presentations, and register today! Early bird rates apply through Sept.…