As Eloise at the Plaza Hotel said, "Oh my Lord. There’s so much to do. Tomorrow I think I’ll pour a pitcher of water down the mail chute." Dear Readers, Book Expo in NYC looms large, and our BEA schedules are packed tighter than our suitcases. Whether or not you’ll be at the Javits Center next week, we thought you might like to know about some of the major events for children’s book people.

We’ve tried to make the info as complete as possible, culled from the ABA website, the official BEA website, and the Association of Booksellers for Children website. But we’re still missing one important piece of information: what do you want to hear from us about the show next week? Best galley snag? Most exciting author sighting? Best Julie Andrews or Katherine Paterson quote? Josie, Alison, and I will all be posting tidbits to ShelfTalker all next weekend for your amusement and/or edification, so please  add any requests to the comments field below. We’ll do our best.

Hope to see you there!

            THURSDAY, MAY 28 — ABA Day of Education

• 10:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.—Give It Away to Get It Back: Using "Thought Leadership" Marketing to Build Your Children’s Business (Room 1E13) In this workshop, learn why you and your children’s staff are your own best advertising, and how to leverage your collective expertise as a powerful marketing tool to build your children’s business exponentially. This workshop will explore the definition of "Thought Leadership" in relation to current trends in New Economy Marketing and why it should be central to any children’s marketing plan. We will also discuss the benefits that can come from actively giving away knowledge as a marketing technique, as well as outlining the key elements for crafting a strategic and successful Thought Leadership plan for your children’s department regardless of size or staffing level. Panelists include: Diane Capriola, owner, Little Shop of Stories, Decatur, Ga.; Shannon Mathis, children’s book buyer, Books Inc., San Francisco; Shelly Plumb, owner, Harleysville Books, Harleysville, Pa., Kristen McLean, executive director, Association of Booksellers for Children (moderator).

  12:15-1:15 p.m.—The ABC’s New Voices Luncheon Room Javits Center, Room 1E13
  Free to attend; boxed lunches available for $15.95
  The ABC’s 2009 New Voices Luncheon celebrates the power of being independent and showcase this year’s ABC picks from new authors. This year’s lunch is moderated by Kristen Cashore, author of Graceling, one of our featured picks from 2008, and the forthcoming sequel, Fire (Penguin). She will be joined by Daniel and Dina Nayeri, brother/sister authors of the new novel Another Faust (Candlewick), a satirical re-imagining of the classic bargain set in an elite New York private school, and David Whitley, author of The Midnight Charter (Roaring Brook), a fantasy set in a world where everything—and everyone—is for sale. Afterward browse the Galley Grab for ten more titles that the 2009 New Voices committee loved.

  
  FRIDAY, MAY 29—EXHIBITS OPEN
  

• 8:00 am – 9:30 am—Children’s Book and Author Breakfast (Ticket required: $35 breakfast/$20 no breakfast) 
  Javits Special Events Hall — This opening-day breakfast will feature Meg Cabot, author of Allie Finkle’s Rules for Girls Book 4: Stage Fright (Scholastic); Tomie de Paola, author of Strega Nona’s Harvest (Putnam); and Amy Krouse Rosenthal, author of Duck! Rabbit! and Little Oink (both Chronicle). Julie Andrews Edwards, author of Julie Andrews’ Collection of Poems, Songs and Lullabies (Little, Brown) will be the Master of Ceremonies.
  
  10:30 – 11:30 a.m.—ABC Annual Meeting
  The Association of Booksellers for Children’s annual meeting will review 2008, approve new board members, and open the floor for discussion of ABC’s upcoming conversation with ABA regarding the future. Open to all members of the ABC. Javits Center, room 1E10
  
  1:45-2:45 p.m.—Tea with Children’s Authors (Open to booksellers and librarians only) Javits Center, Room 1E10  
  (No cost but advance registration required.)
  This brand-new program gives librarians and booksellers a chance to chat with some of the industry’s brightest stars in a more relaxed and casual environment. Each author will join a table of booksellers for refreshments and open-ended conversation about the author’s life and work. Each table will be moderated by an ABC bookseller. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. Authors include: Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson (Disney), Libba Bray (Random House), Kristin Cashore (Dial), Suzanne Collins (Scholastic), Christopher and Walter Dean Myers (Egmont), Kate DiCamillo (Candlewick), Tomie dePaola (Putnam), Sarah Dessen (Viking), Mary Downing Hahn (Clarion), Ann M. Martin (Feiwel and Friends), Herman Parrish (HarperCollins), Jon Scieszka (Simon & Schuster), Trenton Lee Stewart (Little, Brown), Rosemary Wells (Candlewick), Mo Willems (Hyperion), and Jane Yolen and Mark Teague (Scholastic).
  
  2:00 pm – 3:15pm—BEA Young Adults Editor’s Buzz–new  Room 1E15  

  5:45-6:30 p.m.—Silent Auction Preview at the New York Marriott in Brooklyn

  6:45-9:30 p.m.—The ABC Not-a-Dinner and (Mostly) Silent Auction  A glamorous evening of great art, wonderful speakers, and a celebration of being independent! ($89 per ticket; $59 for ABC bookseller members) The New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge, 333 Adams Street, Brooklyn 718-246-7000

  6:45-7:30 p.m. Keynote program hosted by Shannon Hale, bestselling author of several titles, including Goose Girl, Rapunzel’s Revenge, and the forthcoming Forest Born (Bloomsbury), with distinguished speakers Katherine Paterson, two-time Newbery Medalist, and author of the upcoming The Day of the Pelican (Clarion) and Mike Lupica, nationally syndicated sports columnist, and bestselling author of stories for young readers including the upcoming Million-Dollar Throw (Philomel)

  The 2009 E.B. White Awards will be announced LIVE!
  
  7:30 – 9:30 p.m. Cocktail Not-a-Dinner Party & (Mostly) Silent Auction
  Close out the evening with some yummy food and playful drinks, while bidding on fantastic artwork by some of today’s top children’s book artists. All proceeds benefit the programs of the ABC.

  UPDATED TO ADD:

  8:00 pm – ?? 
  KidLit Drink Night at the Hounds Tooth Pub, 520 8th Ave. @ 37th St., hosted by Elizabeth Bird (blogger extraordinaire of A Fuse #8 Production,) and Cheryl Klein (Scholastic editor extraordinaire).

            SATURDAY, MAY 30

• 9:30 AM – 10:30 AM Driving Success with Teens & Tweens: Authors Share Online Success Stories Room 1E16

• 10:30 AM Alternate History – Scott Westerfeld, Leviathan; Cassie Clare, The Clockwork Princess Uptown Stage

• 11:00 am – 12 :30pm: ABC/ABA/CBC Speed Dating with Children’s Authors (Open to booksellers and librarians only) Room 1A10 & 1A12
  Get to know 23 children’s book creators up close and personal! Authors and illustrators will move from table to table, stopping for quick get-to-know-you chats. Participating "dates" include: Lee Bantle (Henry Holt); Nick Bruel (Roaring Brook); Don Calame (Candlewick); Cecil Castellucci and Holly Black (Little, Brown); Cinda Williams Chima (Disney); Troy Cle (Simon & Schuster); Matt de la Pena (Random House); Sharon Draper (Scholastic); Amy Hest (FSG); John Hulme and Michael Wexler (Bloomsbury); Maureen Johnson (Scholastic); Gordon Korman (HarperCollins); Jarrett Krosoczka (Random House); Josh Lieb (Penguin); Linda Sue Park (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt); Michael Rex (Penguin); Alexander Stadler (Scholastic); James Sturm, Andrew Arnold, and Alexis Frederick-Frost (Roaring Brook); Bill Thompson (Cavendish); and Sara Zarr (Little, Brown).
  

• 11:00 AM – 12 Noon – Teens Read Books—Teens Have Money—There Are a Lot of Teens: How to Get Them into Your Store Room 1E16

• 12 Noon Stage to Page –  Adam Rapp, Ball Peen Hammer; David Rabe, Mr. Wellington Downtown Stage

• 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM Consumer Panel: Teens Sound Off  Room 1E14

• 12:30 PM— Sci Fi – China Mieville, The City & the City; John Ringo, Eye of the Storm Uptown Stage

• 1:00 PM Children’s Picture Books – Amy Hest, When You Meet a Bear on Broadway; Nick Bruel, Happy Birthday, Bad Kitty Downtown Stage

• 2:00 PM Emerging Voices Uptown Stage

• 2:00 PM YA Authors of YA Editors Buzz Downtown Stage

Autographing Schedule

Special Events Page

For what it’s worth, I would just like to point out that the children’s book field has done a much better job balancing out male and female speakers and authors. The adult side, not so much: out of 32 featured author speakers at BEA events, 29 are men. Two of the three women are interviewers; one is a panel member, and she’s a children’s book author. It concerns me that at the major events in the publishing world, it still seems that male speakers continue to be considered the bigger, more prestigious draws. I don’t think it’s a conscious decision, but an undeniable cultural bias of which we should all be more aware. (We won’t go into the lack of racial diversity; that’s another post.)

This will surely be an interesting and bittersweet BEA—so many fantastic books and authors to celebrate, yet so many colleagues on all sides of the field lost to the vagaries of the economy and business decisions, and to life itself. Many glasses will be raised and many toasts made at dinners throughout the weekend. And now I’d better get back to my suitcase. See you soon!