Becky's ALA Schedule Including Me Interviewing Joe Hill

Click through for the full
schedule of events and panels

I think I may have my busiest ALA Annual Conference ever mostly because I am attending as a librarian and author.

Below is my appearance schedule. These are things I am actively participating in. Links go to the full details for each.

Please note, this is my official appearance schedule. I will be at other panels and events as an attendee. Come find me though. I will have RA for All stickers and pens as well as special stickers for my book.

Friday June 27

While the opening session for ALA Annual is not unit 4:00pm, I am beginning my conferencing participating in the Library Insights Summit which is happening from 8:30am to 3pm and includes lunch with your registration. It is in the convention center and if you click on each program in the schedule here you can see which rooms are being used.

From the Library Insights Summit landing page:

This is an in-person only daylong conference focused on bringing publishers and librarians together to improve their business relationship, LIS discussion topics include improving metadata for title discovery, balancing digital and print book demand, collaborating on challenges faced by librarians, and marketing tactics for reaching both rural and urban systems. Two keynote speakers, lunch, and refreshments round out the day with plenty of time for networking.

LIS was conceived as a forum for publishing professionals to better understand and interact with librarians, to learn more about current collection development needs, and to network with other publishers to energize their ALA participation.

A separate morning track is designed to meet the needs of author publishers. Please provide demographic information during registration to maximize your participation.

It is $225 for the entire day (with lunch) and you can still register here.

I am moderating and participating in the program for both tracks right after lunch. 

Library Challenges and How Publishers Can Help

This panel will discuss how publishers can offer librarians encouragement and support in the face of book bans, decreasing budgets, collection diversity impediments, technology advances, increasing data insight vs privacy concerns, and a more engaged community.

Saturday, June 28

9-10am, Booth 2442: I will begin my day appearing at the University of Illinois Booth 2442 with Robin to meet with anyone who has questions about our Call for Papers for the issue of Library Trends (published by the University) we are guest editing on Readers' Advisory. For more details about the Call for Papers click here. Also we will both have bookmarks on us that have a QR code with all the info you need.

Then later in the day...

1pm, Room 124: Booklist Presents: The State of RA Today:

Event Description: Readers’ Advisory (RA) is a staple of public library work, and it’s hard enough keeping up with those titles you want to suggest to patrons—but how do you keep up with developments in the field? This panel discussion will take a step back from specific books to take a holistic look at the state of readers’ advisory today. This wide-ranging discussion will focus on the latest RA research, actively anti-racist RA, tools for creating book displays, and how to make RA training available for all staff. This program is hosted by your friends at Booklist and features a host of library luminaries who are experts in RA.

Host:
Susan Maguire, Senior Editor, Collection Management & Library Outreach at Booklist

Panelists:
Becky Spratford
Robin Bradford
E. E. Lawrence
Lila Denning
Jessica Trotter

Next up, my first panel as an author ever!

• 4pm, Room 112 AB: ALMA/LibraryReads Speculative Fiction Adult Author Panel:

Event Description: What Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror will you be reading this fall? Get a preview of what's in store this year with this author panel, featuring the inside stories behind the stories from authors from a variety of publishers. Hosted by Library Reads.

Featuring: Alix E. Harrow, The Everlasting 

Kirsten Miller, The Women of Wild Hill

K. X. Song, The Dragon Wakes with Thunder 

Becky Spratford, Why I Love Horror: Essays on Horror Literature 

Andrew Joseph White, You Weren't Meant to Be Human

RSVPs requested for galley giveaways. Please register at: http://bit.ly/SaturdayAuthorsALA25

Please note, you must click on the link above so that there are enough ARCs for everyone. I will be doing a signing as part of this panel as well. 

I will also be at the ticketed Andrew Carnegie Medal Ceremony and Reception in the evening.

Sunday June 29

10:30-11:20am: I am moderating the following panel at the Chapter One Stage (Booth 112) 

Cli-Fi Panel: Exciting Forthcoming Environmental Fiction:

Join authors Anna North (BOG QUEEN, Bloomsbury), Wendy N. Wagner (GIRL IN THE CREEK, Tor Nightfire), and Yume Kitasei (SALTCROP, Flatiron), as they discuss their forthcoming novels, which explore environmental issues in bold new ways and through various genres, including literary fiction, eco-horror, and sci-fi. This panel will be moderated by librarian Becky Spratford, RA for All. 

After 30 minutes of discussion and Q&A, please join the authors for a 20-minute galley signing. Anna North will also have a galley giveaway and signing at the Bloomsbury Adult booth (#1909) immediately after the panel, from 11:30am-12:30pm. Wendy N. Wagner will have an additional signing at the Macmillan booth (#1917) at 1:00pm on Sunday. 

12:30-1:20pm: I am headed to moderate another panel. This time at the A Real Page-Turner Stage (Booth 2435)

Crossing Thresholds: The Rise of Transgressive Horror:

Join authors Eric LaRocca, Hailey Piper and Clay McLeod Chapman as they take you on a journey into the heart of transgressive, LGBTQ+ horror fiction. Discover how their bold and fearless narratives challenge conventions and continue to reshape the horror fiction landscape, inviting readers to question, fear, and understand the complexities of the human experience. The panel will conclude with a Q&A session, allowing attendees to delve deeper into the authors’ processes, challenges, and future projects.

Monday, June 30 (also know as Becky's 50th Birthday)

I am in conversation with Joe Hill on the Main Stage from 10:30-11:20 am in Terrace III & IV Ballroom

I hope to see many of you there. I will have some wrap up posts after I return.