conferences – Heise Reads & Recommends

Where to Find Me @ #NCTE19

Jillian Heise — Wed, 13 Nov 2019 02:40:00 +0000

Attending the NCTE Annual Convention in Baltimore next week?

Here’s where I’ll be sharing and learning alongside some awesome authors.

Hoping to see many edufriends there!

Gratitude for NCTE & ALAN 2017

Jillian Heise — Wed, 22 Nov 2017 03:26:00 +0000

I am utterly exhausted, but feeling utterly blessed after this year’s trip to NCTE & ALAN. So much learning, so much laughter, so many amazing conversations, leaving me with so much to go home and think about. I feel as if NCTE is my yearly call to action to center me in the work of doing best by kids. And I am left feeling so very grateful.

To my educator friends: Whether a quick hug & hello, a brief chat, a shared meal, someone to sit next to, a deep conversation, or scheming for future plans…THANK YOU for supporting me, pushing me, cheering for me, challenging me, and keeping me centered on doing the work for the kids whose faces we see and love every day.

To my new friends: Whether stopping me to introduce yourself, commenting on our social media exchanges, or letting me know something that has impacted you…THANK YOU for reminding me why we work so hard to share the work we do to support each other in this profession in the interest of doing what is best for kids.

To my publisher friends: Whether a hug and a smile, a booktalk recommendation, a question about how my new job is going, books to take home, or dinner and drinks…THANK YOU for always making me feel welcomed, encouraging me, and helping make it a little easier for me to do the hard work for our kids.

To my author friends: Whether a passing hug, being part of my sessions, chatting at a dinner, signing a book, or speaking to a large group…THANK YOU for giving of your time, your energy, your passion, and yourself to help inspire us to do what we know is best and right in loving the kids we see in our schools every day and doing the internal work we need to so we can do right by them. You are human, and you are exhausted, but you do so much to make a difference for the present and the future. I see you, and I thank you.

If you’ve never been to NCTE or ALAN, make plans now to meet us
in Houston in 2018 for some of the best literacy PD out there!

Where I’ll Be – #NCTE14 & #ALAN14

Jillian Heise — Sun, 16 Nov 2014 20:57:00 +0000

This week I’ll be heading to National Harbor (outside Washington, D.C.) for my annual trek to the NCTE Annual Convention. This year will be my 4th time attending the National Council of Teachers of English convention, and my 3rd time presenting. It’s one of the most meaningful professional development experiences of my year because not only are there great sessions to attend with gurus in the field of E/LA education, but I have the opportunity to network and continue developing relationships with the amazingly supportive publisher reps who recommend books to bring back for my students, and also a chance to see my edufriends – people I’ve gotten to know over the year’s through my PLN on twitter and now consider friends, even if we only see each other in person a few times a year at conferences. I always feel exhausted, but reinvigorated after attending NCTE. I come back with ideas of things to try in the classroom and ways to improve my teaching, validation of the goals I’ve set for myself professionally and the growth I’m aiming for, and lots of new and upcoming books to share with my students.

The most exciting part this year is the session I am co-chairing with Sarah Andersen for the second year in a row (it was such a success last year, we’re hoping to make it an annual session!). We created a session with roundtables of authors with their editors to talk with teachers about their writing and revising process in order to help teachers take on more of an editor role with the student writers in their classrooms. I heard so many ideas to take right back to my classroom and start implementing last year, and I can’t wait to hear what this year’s group of authors and editors will have to share that will impact my teaching.

Thank you to all of the amazing publishers who support their authors and editors in attending to make this session possible!

If you’re going to be at NCTE, I’d love to see you there (or around anywhere)! Please come say hi if you spot me.

The start of the ALAN Workshop is like English teacher’s Christmas, and the energy in the room is equivalent!

Then, on Monday and Tuesday, I get to spend two days listening to author talks and panels discussing YA literature at the ALAN (Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of the NCTE) Workshop. This is always one of my most anticipated events of the year, and not just for the awesome box of books we get upon arrival (over 40 this year!) but because it’s a nice wind down from the craziness of running around at NCTE and I always hear things I can bring back to share with my students and things that remind me why I’m passionate about this field and why I do what I do to get books into the hands of adolescents. This year will be my 7th straight ALAN Workshop – I can’t wait!

This year’s ALAN Workshop schedule

Reflecting on NCTE & ALAN 2012

Jillian Heise — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 23:31:00 +0000

One of my absolute favorite events that I get to go to in my entire year was last week, and I was lucky enough to be able to have a family, staff, and administration that understand how important this is to me and facilitate my being able to go. It was the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Annual Convention followed by the two day Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of the NCTE (ALAN) Workshop. This was my second year going to the NCTE Convention and my fifth year attending the ALAN Workshop. If you haven’t been, I’m not sure I can adequately express how amazing and reinvigorating and refreshing and exhausting attending these events are, but if you’re an English or reading teacher or librarian, I highly encourage you to find a way to join us in Boston next year.

My journey all started during last year’s NCTE, when I met my twitter friend, Sarah Andersen (@yaloveblog) in person for the first time. Sarah is a high school teacher in Michigan, and we knew we got along really well, and after spending every meal together in 2011, we became official “convention buddies” and concocted our Super Secret Plan to submit a proposal to present at NCTE 2012. We recruited two other twitter teacher friends, Danielle (@MyMercurialMuse), a high school teacher in New Jersey, and Mindi (@mindi_r), a middle school literacy coach in IL, to join in our planning. We were all really excited to find out back in the spring that our proposal had been accepted and we would be presenting at NCTE 2012 in Vegas! Our session was titled Facilitating Choice Within Curriculum Constraints (you can find the slideshow here if you’re interested) and we had a nice size audience in attendance on Friday afternoon and heard good feedback about our presentation. Special shout out to Chris Lehman (@ichrislehman) who tweeted out a bunch of our highlights from our session, and it was so great to meet him in person for the first time. I’m now hooked and have already started the gears in motion for Super Secret Plan #2 with Sarah, which we hope will culminate in presenting in Boston in 2013.

Because of this, most of my focus this year was on my presentation. I arrived early on Thursday and attended an incredible pre-session (one of four offered) by Penny Kittle, Kelly Gallagher, and Jim Burke. If you’re a teacher, you know these are powerhouse names in our field. Hearing them talk about reading and writing instruction validated much of what I do and encouraged me to go further in taking those next steps to improving what I do in the classroom and making it even more meaningful and beneficial for my students. One of the best part of hearing them talk was that I got to do it with some of my twitter teacher friends, some who I had met last year, and some who I was meeting for the first time this year. I have to say that one of the most meaningful parts of this convention for the past two years, for me, has been getting to meet so many of my twitter PLN in person, and continuing our conversations well beyond the sessions and onto the exhibit floor and our meal times beyond. I think I almost had more great Professional Development during meals with teacher and librarian friends as we talked and challenged each other about our classroom practices. It’s so true-get smart teachers together who are knowledgeable about best practices, and we create our own best PD – that’s pretty much the entire NCTE experience.
Special shout out to my awesome PLN I got to hang out with this year and learn and grow from throughout the six days we were together: Brian Wyzlic, Sarah Andersen, Jennifer Fountain, Lea Kelley, Beth Shaum, Mindi Rench, Danielle Kulawiak, Sherry Gick, Donalyn Miller, Kellee Moye, Jen Vincent, Cynthia Alaniz, Teresa Bunner, Alyson Beecher, Cindy Minnich, and Niki Ohs Barnes.

I have to give a special mention to my convention buddies and hotel buddies group from this year. Just about every meal was spent with these amazing people, and I am so thankful to call them all friends, especially ones who I can spend almost all day with for six days straight and not get sick of at all! Sarah, Lea, Jennifer, and Brian (and sometimes Sherry) Also, they challenge me and inspire me and build me up int he way only another teacher/librarian can, and I thank them for it. Can’t wait to convention together again next year!

This is how we spend our time between sessions in Vegas! Books and Twitter

I better not forget to mention one of the absolute best parts of the first day – getting to meet my amazing sister classroom teacher, Brian Wyzlic (WyzReads), in person for the first time. Although we had previously Skyped, emailed, called, texted, facebooked, twittered, and communicated in every other way about our various Sister Classroom Project adventures, and already felt like bonus siblings, it was our first time getting to meet in person. Definitely a highlight.

Another highlight? Getting to see and talk with Michelle Hodkin again, who is the author of one of my all-time favorite series, THE UNBECOMING OF MARA DYER and THE EVOLUTION OF MARA DYER. She’s the sweetest person and I got to introduce her to some of my friends and get a second copy of Evolution signed by her to put into my classroom (because as much as I adore the first copy she signed for me, I can’t put it in my classroom, so Lea gave her a little reminder before signing this one). She also grabbed me to introduce me to Eliot Schrefer, author of ENDANGERED, a book that I was raving about a couple of weeks ago. He was super nice also and it was so great to meet him in person after loving his book so much. Thanks to Michelle for making that introduction happen by yelling, “Jillian, stop!” as I was walking out of the exhibit hall to get lunch.

Another great part of the NCTE Convention is the exhibit hall. Last year I was so overjoyed and overwhelmed by the generosity of the publishers giving teachers books that I vowed to be a little more selective this year. I still ended up with almost 70 books, but every single one of them is one that I was on the lookout for, or wanted to get signed by the author, or was booktalked to me by the publisher reps and sounded like something I or one of my students would love to read. I can’t wait to see the excitement on my students’ faces when they walk into my classroom and see all of these books spread out on tables for them to do a book pass and see which books to add to their “Want to Read” lists. It was also great to see some of the awesome School & Library department reps from the publishing houses who are always so generous to us teachers at these conventions.
Special shout out to the awesomeness in reading material, booktalking, and author signings provided by: HarperCollins, Little Brown, Sourcebooks, Simon & Shuster, Penguin, Disney Hyperion, Scholastic, Macmillan, and Bloomsbury

But, wait, the fun and excitement is not over yet! After the craziness of NCTE, things wind down, (and I headed down to Encore for an amazing much-needed massage and few hours of relaxation thanks to my mom), and then ALAN begins starting with the cocktail party on Sunday night. This is basically all of us mingling with all of the authors who will be presenting. In other words, a whole bunch of introverts trying not to gush and create awkward silences with each other. But there’s mutual love between teachers/librarians and authors, so it’s always a fun time. I always feel like I’m just surrounded by my rockstar heroes. Then I went into two days of hanging out with the Nerdy Book Club group who stayed for ALAN. It’s always so much fun to go in the first morning and see everyone acting like it’s Christmas morning as they tear open their boxes of 30 or more books and start stacking piles of what they want to keep, what they want to get signed, and what they want to trade with others. And then the negotiations begin. Being surrounded by books and bookish people and authors is definitely a room where I want to hang out for two days – and I did. We heard some amazing authors speak about inspiring things, had a brilliant keynote from Teri Lesene (@Professor Nana – if you’re not following her, why not?!) who I want to be when I grow up, and lots of lines for silent signings in the back of the room after the authors spoke on their panels.

Waiting, waiting, waiting for them to open the doors for ALAN

The ALAN Nerdy Book Club contingent

Already adding titles to my goodreads list!

So that’s it. I’m exhausted and exhilarated and rejuvenated and ready to go again next year. Tuesday was a sad day as I had to say goodbye to friends I’d spend the whole six days with – it was a bit like summer camp ending, but I know I get to talk to them on twitter all the time and just because we again scattered across the country, I know we’re all still supporting each other every day. Plus, NCTE 2013 in Boston is only 11 months away, and I’m sure it will come up much faster than we think.

Thanks again to all of my friends who I got to spend time learning and talking and laughing with, to the publisher reps who were so overly generous and supportive, and to the authors who allowed me to gush over them and their writing and never looked at me like I was too crazy. See you next year!

ALAN Workshop Anticipation

Jillian Heise — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0000

So I just want to talk for a minute about a little thing called the ALAN Workshop. ALAN stands for the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of the NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English). Their motto? Connecting the Young Adult Literature Community…One Book at a Time.

It’s an organization I’ve been a member of since I started teaching eight years ago. In two weeks I will in the final moments of attendance at my 5th ALAN Workshop. It is one of my most anticipated events of every year, and it is the one that energizes and reinvigorates me heading into the gray of winter. Why? Because I’m surround by my kind of people – bookish people! I get to sit with librarians and teachers and educators from around the country while listening to authors and editors talk about what we all love: books and connecting them with adolescents.

Thanks to the amazing support of the publishers, this year ALAN Workshop attendees will be seeing these authors: Shannon Hale, Maggie Stiefvater, Rae Carson, Kristin Cashore, Charlie Price, Paul Griffin, Todd Strasser, Robin Wasserman, David Lubar, Seth Rudetsky, Joe Schreiber, Joan Bauer, Xavier Garza, Amy Gordon, Stacey Kade, Sharon G. Flake, Emily M. Danforth, Ilike Merey, Julie Anne Peters, Leslea Newman, Sonya Sones, Patricia McCormick, Deborah Ellis, Eric Walters, Beth Ann Bauman, Deborah Cooner, Deborah Blumenthal, Gabrielle Zevin, Benjamin Alire Saenz, Barry Lyga, Dan Wells, Derf Backderf, Faith Erin Hicks, Mark Siegel, Dave Roman, Raina Telgemeier, Gaby Rodriguez, Anita Silvey, Eric Greitens, Nell Beram, Marissa Meyer, Malinda Po, Beth Revis, Scott Westerfeld, Lois Lowry, Mike Mullin, Kat Falls, Isamu Fukui, Marie Lu, Jessi Kirby, Corrine Jackson, E.M. Kokie, Trish Dollar, Kate Ellison, Jo Knowles, Blue Balliett, and Susan Vaught

And breakout sessions will be offered from these authors: Ann Angel, Varian Johnson, Peter Marion, J.L. Powers, David Macinnis Gill, Robin Wasserman, Alan Gratz, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Isamu Fukui, Mary Pearson, Kat Falls, JJ Johnson, Stephen Messner, John Claude Bemis, Jennifer Harrod, Kate Messner, Blue Balliett, Jody Feldman, Rebecca Stead, Jo Knowles, Francisco X. Stork, Donna Freitas, Deborah Heiligman, Catherine Ryan Hyde, Steve Brezenoff, Sharon G. Flake, David Levithan, Frank Portman, and E. Lockhart

I hope to always have the opportunity to be able to attend the ALAN
Workshop. It’s become so important to my professional development life
as a language arts and reading teacher. The information and words I’m
able to bring back to my students, right from the authors’ mouths, is
invaluable. And the box of books sure ups the excitement for them as
well. The number of authors I’ve been able to see and hear speak, and
the strong memories I have from this yearly event provide so much
inspiration and motivation. I distinctly remember the 2011 ALAN Workshop
when David Levithan challenged us all to become an Army of Empathy and
when Laurie Halse Anderson, after getting light-headed on stage,
proceeded to give her speech while lying on the ground, among many other
moments.

I, for one, can’t wait! And, hey, if you’re part of the young adult literature community, why don’t you join us? Becoming a member of ALAN is not very expensive, and you can be a part of a wonderful organization supporting books, authors, teachers, librarians, and readers.

While I Was Away – ALA Edition 2012

Jillian Heise — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 01:38:00 +0000

Things have been pretty quiet on the blog in the last week because I was in California at ALA Anaheim last weekend – the American Library Association’s Annual Conference & Exhibition. I was excited when I found out it was going to be in Southern California because I could combine it with a visit to my parents after the school year ended.

Being a teacher, one of the valuable benefits of being a member of a professional organization and being able to attend teacher/librarian professional association conferences/conventions, beyond attending sessions to learn more about aspects of my profession, is visiting the exhibit hall and talking to publishers about what books they have coming out that might work for my students to bring into my classroom. Sometimes I go in with specific genres/topics in mind where I’m trying to find titles to fit certain units we’re planning. Sometimes there are some titles I’m just really looking forward to reading and want to be able to read and share with my students, other teachers and librarians, and on the blog. Sometimes I come across titles I hadn’t heard of yet, but by seeing it/hearing about it from the publisher reps, I learn about books that could be great for others to know about too that I might not have found any other way. All times I feel very lucky if they’re offered to me at no extra cost (usually the ARCs), but many times they’re books for purchase (especially if it’s an author signing) at a discounted cost from other ways of purchasing (I still easily spent a couple hundred dollars on books over the course of 2 1/2 days). This was an excellent chance to increase my knowledge of what the current titles for fall/winter are as well as a way to help enhance my teaching through getting books I can share with my students. There were also lots of authors there that I was able to get signed books from and talk to about what my students think of their books and how I use them in the classroom, which always seems to be something they enjoy hearing about. And, extra bonus, I bought books to get personally signed by the authors for my nieces and nephew for their Christmas presents, too (part of the reason my picture book list is so long).

In light of all of that, I like to do a post after attending a conference so others, who weren’t able to attend, can see what books are new or upcoming that may be ones they’d want to know about also. At this conference, I got a bunch of young adult titles, lots of middle grades titles (fantasy seems to be the big genre trend right now!), and some awesome picture books that I can’t wait to use with my students! I didn’t pick up everything I saw (there was so much and it doesn’t all fit what I’m looking for), but if it was a title I’d heard of that was already on my to-read list, or the summary sounded good or like it would interest my students, I would decide if I wanted to carry it. If you want to know any more about a particular title that sounds interesting to you, just let me know!
*I’m not doing pictures this time because many of the titles were already sent out on loan to my twitter teacher and librarian friends who weren’t able to make it this year. The whole list is here on goodreads if you’d rather (you can also see which ones I’ve already read and rated).

Picture Books
I WANT MY HAT BACK by Jon Klassen
BLACKOUT by John Rocco
ME…JANE by Patrick McDonnell
THE FANTASTIC FLYING BOOKS OF MR. MORRIS LESSMORE by William Joyce, ilus. Joe Bluhm
WAG! by Patrick McDonnell
INTERRUPTING CHICKEN by David Ezra Stein
A HOME FOR BIRD by Philip C. Stead
BEAR HAS A STORY TO TELL by Philip C. Stead, ilus. Erin Stead
BULLY by Patricia Polacco
TOO TALL HOUSES by Gianna Marino
THE INSOMNIACS by Karina Wolf, ilus. Brothers Hilts
TALLULAH’S TUTU by Marilyn Singer, ilus. Alexandra Boiger
TALLULAH’S SOLO by Marilyn Singer, ilus. Alexandra Boiger
THE LIBRARY by Sarah Stweart, ilus. David Small
THE QUIET PLACE by Sarah Stweart, ilus. David Small
A FLOWER IN THE SNOW by Tracey Corderoy, ilus. Sophie Allsopp
UNSPOKEN: A STORY FROM THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD by Henry Cole (a beautifully powerful wordless picture book)
EACH KINDNESS by Jacqueline Woodson, ilus. E.B. Lewis
HELEN’S BIG WORLD: THE LIFE OF HELEN KELLER by Doreen Rappaport, ilus. Matt Tavares
ANDREW DREW AND DREW by Barney Saltzberg
ISABELLA: GIRL ON THE GO by Jennifer Fosberry, ilus. Mike Litwin
THE BOY WHO CRIED ALIEN by Marilyn Singer, ilus. Brian Biggs

Graphic Novels
SMILE by Raina Telgemeier
DRAMA by Raina Telgemeier
ICHIRO by Ryan Inzana
CARDBOARD by Doug TenNapel

Middle Grades
IF YOU WERE A CHOCOLATE MUSTACHE (poetry book) by J. Patrick Lewis, ilus. Matthew Cordell
KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES by Shannon Messenger
WONDER by R.J. Palacio
THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ME by Karen Rivers
THE SPINDLERS by Lauren Oliver
STARRY RIVER OF THE SKY by Grace Lin
ALMOST HOME by Joan Bauer
THE FIRE CHRONICLE (sequel to THE EMERALD ATLAS) by John Stephen
PRAIRIE EVERS by Ellen Airgood
THE CAVENDISH HOME FOR BOYS AND GIRLS by Claire Legrand
THE VOYAGE OF LUCY P. SIMMONS by Barbara Mariconda
FREAKLING by Lana Krumwiede
BECAUSE OF SHOE AND OTHER DOG STORIES ed. Ann M. Martin
THREE TIMES LUCKY by Shelia Turnage
MIRA’S DIARY: LOST IN PARIS by Marissa Moss
IRON HEARTED VIOLET by Kelly Barnhill
GEEKS, GIRLS, AND SECRET IDENTITIES by Mike Jung
JUMP INTO THE SKY by Shelley Pearsall
THE CLOAK SOCIETY by Jeramey Kraatz
THE TEMPLETON TWINS HAVE AN IDEA by Ellis Weiner
THE VENGEKEEP PROPHECIES by Brian Farrey
IN A GLASS GRIMMLY (A TALE DARK & GRIMM #2) by Adam Gidwitz
KEEPING SAFE THE STARS by Shelia O’Connor
ZEUS AND THE THUNDERBOLT OF DOOM by Joan Holub
THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN by Katherine Applegate

Young Adult
THE LETTER Q: Queer Writers’ Notes to their Younger Selves
PRODIGY (sequel to LEGEND) by Marie Lu
THE RAVEN BOYS by Maggie Stiefvater
ENDANGERED by Eliot Schrefer
THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN by Sherman Alexie
EVERY DAY by David Levithan
THE DIVINERS by Libba Bray
DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE by Laini Taylor
HOLLYWEIRD by Terri Clark
SAFEKEEPING by Karen Hesse
MAGISTERIUM by Jeff Hirsch
WHO I KISSED by Janet Gurtler
THE LOST GIRL by Sangu Mandanna (came highly recommended as an overlooked midlist)
BREATHE by Sarah Crossan
SKINNY by Donna Cooner
THE FORSAKEN by Lisa M. Stasse
WHAT’S LEFT OF ME by Kat Zhan
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT by Colleen Clayton
STEALING PARKER by Miranda Kenneally
SWEET SHADOWS (sequel to SWEET VENOM) by Tera Lynn Childs
THE DARK UNWINDING by Sharon Cameron
QUARANTINE: THE LONERS by Lex Thomas
STARLING by Lesley Livingston
MONSTROUS BEAUTY by Elizabeth Fama
HEAVEN (HALO #3) by Alexandra Adornetto
THE RUNNING DREAM by Wendelin van Draanen
CHOKE by Diana Lopez
THE PREGNANCY PROJECT by Gaby Rodriguez
CALL THE SHOTS (SWIM THE FLY #3) by Don Calame
BECAUSE IT IS MY BLOOD (sequel to ALL THESE THINGS I’VE DONE) by Gabrielle Zevin
SCARLET (sequel to CINDER ) by Marissa Meyer
THE CROWN OF EMBERS (sequel to THE GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS) by Rae Carson
THE LOST CODE (The Atlanteans #1) by Kevin Emerson
CREWEL by Gennifer Albin
UNRAVEL ME (sequel to SHATTER ME) by Tahereh Mafi [Since I knew this was a much-coveted title, I put it out on twitter to see if anyone was interested in a mini-tour. So, it’s going on a 13 city “Sisterhood of the Traveling ARC” mini-tour to teachers and librarians I talk with on twitter who weren’t able to attend. Each will read it, jot their thoughts inside, and then send it on. I’ll be posting a follow-up on the whole thing in a few months when I get it back.]

Many, many, many thanks to the awesomeness that is the reps at HarperCollins (&Walden Pond Press), Little Brown & Co, Penguin, Simon & Schuster, Sourcebooks, Disney Hyperion, Scholastic, Random House, Candlewick, and Macmillan!!!

Looking Ahead to NCTE & ALAN

Jillian Heise — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 22:00:00 +0000

One of my favorite experiences over the last three years has been my yearly attendance at the ALAN Workshop in November. This workshop is the highlight of my year and reinvigorates me as a teacher (and I get a box full of books to bring back to my classroom). ALAN is the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of NCTE (the National Council of Teachers of English) so it happens right after the NCTE Annual Convention. I first attended in San Antonio in 2008, then Philadelphia in 2009, and Orlando in 2010. This year, it’s pretty much local, as the 100th anniversary of the NCTE Annual Convention is in Chicago – and that means I not only get to attend my fourth ALAN Workshop, but also get to go to my first NCTE Annual Convention, which I am so looking forward to.

The chance to see nationally-renowned speakers, the best in the business of English education, a slew of authors, and meet so many of the teachers I’ve been growing my personal learning network with on twitter, all makes this a super-exciting event to look forward to for me. I can’t wait to see what NCTE has in store for us.

So, in anticipation of being there in only two short weeks, I wanted to share the list of authors (from the ALAN website) that will be speaking at this year’s ALAN Workshop. It is an amazing list, and I am so excited to meet so many of them (and I always discover some authors I hadn’t heard of before, but have great books and fabulous things to say).

M.T. Anderson will deliver the keynote address at the Workshop, and
Jacqueline Woodson will serve as the 2011 ALAN Breakfast speaker.

Several fantastic authors will speak on Monday, including Angela
Johnson, Walter Dean Myers, Janet Tashjian, Sean Beaudoin, John Green,
Matt de la Peña, Leslie Margolis, Jennifer Nielsen, Sarah Weeks, Rita
Williams-Garcia, Sarah Dessen, Lauren Myracle, Cheryl Rainfield, Andrew
Smith, Paul Yee, Kazu Kibuishi, Elizabeth Scott, Abby McDonald, and
Laurie Halse Anderson. The evening will conclude with a reception
honoring the finalists for the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award
(AEWA)—Kristen Chandler, Matt de la Peña, Matthew Quick, Jordan
Sonnenblick, and Francisco X. Stork.

Tuesday will feature an equally impressive collection of authors,
including Chris Crutcher, Cara Chow, Sharon Draper, J.L. Powers, Matthew
Quick, Kenneth Oppel, Jennifer Donnelly, Neal Schusterman, Coe Booth,
B.A. Binns, Simone Elkeles, Stephanie Perkins, Sara Zarr, Jay Asher,
Carolyn Mackler, James Dashner, Megan McCafferty, Veronica Roth, Dom
Testa, Katie Alender, Beth Fantaskey, Michelle Hodkin, Thanhha Lai, and
David Levithan.

I look forward to sharing some of my exciting author experiences with you when I’m back – and as long as my battery lasts, my twitter stream will have my favorite moments and most inspirational insights.

Authors I Heard at ALAN

Jillian Heise — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 16:20:00 +0000

When I went to the ALAN Workshop early last week, I was lucky enough to hear a wonderful lineup of YA authors talking about their books and writing related to the theme of the workshop: Looking for the Real Me: The Search for Self in Young Adult Literature

I haven’t had time to inventory the multitude of books I got yet (there are a lot!)…that will be coming in my IMM next weekend; but I did want to put the list of authors that I heard out here. It was such a phenomenal experience at this year’s ALAN Workshop and I was using twitter throughout the two days to share the nuggets of wisdom from the authors as I heard them – so I wouldn’t forget! You can check out all of my ALAN posts on my twitter page or the #alan10 hashtag stream to see my thoughts along with others who attended. Technology made it so easy to get thoughts out there right away before they were lost – and there was quite a bit of deep thinking going on and being shared by these fabulous authors!

The ALAN Workshop 2010 Author Line Up:
Day One: Carlos Eire, Darren Shan, David Levithan & Rachel Cohn, Rebecca Stead, Sarah Mlynowski, Sara Holbrook, Michael Salinger, Allan Wolf, Matt de la Pena, Jesica Warman, Sigmund Brouwer, Jewell Parker Rhodes, Lisa Yee, Art Corriveau, Laura Resau, Frank Beddor, PJ Haarsma, Megan Whalen Turner, Siobhan Vivian, Abby McDonald, Tricia Rayburn, Sneed B. Collard, IIII, Susan Campbell Bartoletti, Jeannette Ingold, Beth Kephart, Ned Vizzini, Han Nolan, Janette Rallison, Carolyn Mackler, Lauren Myracle, Cinda Williams Chima, Sarwat Chadda, Cindy Pon, Rita Williams-Garcia, Dana Reinhardt, Ellen Hopkins, Jane Springer, Jon Lewis, Kristin Cashore

Day Two: Ruta Sepetys, Laban Carrick Hill, Barry Deutsch, George O’Connor, David Macinnis Gill, Robin Wasserman, S.A. Bodeen, Ally Condie, Rene Saldana, Derrick Barnes, Brent Crawford, Martin Chatterton, Tom Angleberger, Robin Brande, A.S. King, Lisa McMann, Alyson Noel, Bill Konigsberg, Malinda Lo, Michael Cart, Holly Black, Carrie Ryan, Marlene Perez, Andrea Cremer, Hilary Wagner, Judy Blundell, Amy Gordon, Ally Carter, Heather Brewer, Melissa de la Cruz, Adam Rex, Lauren Oliver, James Lecesne, S.L. Rottman, Lisa Klein

ALAN Here I Come!

Jillian Heise — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 16:30:00 +0000

I’m super excited to be heading to the ALAN (Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of the NCTE) Workshop for the third year!
My first year was in San Antonio and I met Rick Riordan, read Little Brother by Cory Doctorow, and discovered e lockheart and her fabulous book The Disreputable History of Frankie Landeau-Banks. My second year was in Philly and that’s where I got the amazing book Thirteen Reasons Why and an ARC of Linger and met and discovered my love of Maggie Stiefvater (she’s hilariously awesome to listen to).

This year it’s in Orlando – and I can’t wait to see what new YA authors/book discoveries I’ll make. This workshop is always an invigorating and inspiring two days of listening to young adult authors talk about their books and the impact they have on adolescents in today’s society. It focuses on what the new trends are in young adult literature and the motivations, inspirations, and processes of the authors who write them. I also get a box full of new books from the wonderful publishers who help sponsor the workshop. It’s always fun to walk in the first morning and see a room full of adults (teachers, librarians, professors, etc.) tearing into boxes full of books and exclaiming over the contents. It’s like Oprah’s Favorite Things, but with YA books! I’ll be posting a list when I can (probably after Thanksgiving), but that’s where I’ll be for the next few days…immersed in celebrating young adult literature.