Well, I didn’t have to run around so much today because all the sessions were in the same room, so I got to actually see the sessions.

Ashley Bryan started us off with a rousing communal poetry recital. His enthusiasm makes you just about want to jump up out of your chair. At all other times he seems to be a very mild-mannered gentleman, but put some Langston Hughes in his hand and he is jumping around, grinning, declaiming poems loudly and proudly. Every child in America should hear him.

Then we heard some stories from storyteller Diane Williams. Her beautiful speaking and singing voice brings every story to life.

Pat Scales provided us with a bibliography of children’s books set in, told about, or written by authors from the South.

Then, of course, it was Judy Blume’s turn. Her heartfelt speech had an entire auditorium wailing. I sobbed like a child!

After book signing, storyteller Yuyi Morales opened up her bolsa de sorpresas (hope I spelled that correctly…I speak Japanese, not Spanish) and brought out Señor Calavera and remembrances of Coleen Salley.

Now my favorite part: My signed books!

Louise Borden’s true story of the Reys:

Yuyi drew gorgeous little illustrations in the books she signed!

She signed it in silver ink on the deep purple-blue background….preeeeetty.

And here’s her counting book–she drew Señor Calavera in it!

And here are the Judy Blume books!

Tomorrow I probably won’t have time to see many sessions, as I will be running around from faulty laptop to faulty laptop. Thank goodness for blister cushions!

So I’m here in my official capacity as Lugger-Arounder and Makey-Worker of Laptops and Other Electronic Equipment at the Fay B. Kaigler Children’s Book Festival. I didn’t get to sit in on many of the sessions, but I did get to meet the presenters and authors. There was one very interesting session on “hush harbors,” places out in the woods where slaves would go worship in their own way, done by Freddi Evans. I did sit in on that one, largely because I needed to help with the technology.

SPEAKING OF WHICH. O my every god. The computers the USM tech people loaned out to us should not even exist. They didn’t bother to clean them, so they were dusty and smudgy; at least one is completely out of commission because it is acting very strangely; they don’t appear to have the capacity to play sound, although I know that they must. They are slooooooow and their touchpads are way too responsive, so you end up opening five or six windows trying to open just one, which slows them down even more. They are stocked with Office 2003, when most of the presenters are using 2007. It’s really frustrating for me, and even more so for the presenters. Poor Ms. Evans couldn’t get most of her material to work, and the lack of sound was really bad for her because her presentation mostly involved song and dance. The out-of-commission computer decided to completely lose its mind right in the middle of a big presentation later on, and we had to swap computers entirely.

BUT ANYWAY. I got some books signed, pictures of which I will post…now.

Here’s a book a former professor (and director of the Festival) wrote. She seemed surprised to find that she now has a fangirl. (Fractured faerietales are my FAVORITE THINGS.)

She got all smart-alecky signing it.

Here’s a collection of African folktales by Ashley Bryan.

A spooky offering from Arthur Yorinks…

A sweet poem by Eloise Greenfield, illustrated and signed by Jan Spivey Gilchrist.

Finally, another Ashley Bryan; this time, a colorful celebration of Satchmo.

More tomorrow! (Say a prayer to whatever gods govern technology that these abysmal laptops will cooperate.)

Last night, author/radio personality/voice actress Sarah Vowell (one of my personal role models) came to campus to read from her new book The Wordy Shipmates. 

It is always such a shock to me that the authors of books are actual human beings and not some sort of demigod. Sarah showed up in baggy jeans, black ballet flats, and a striped T-shirt. Until she walked to the podium I thought she was one of the students! (Don’t get me wrong, I love this. Had she been snooty I’d have turned on her like a wolverine.) The woman had no pretensions whatsoever. 

She did read excerpts from her book, but she also told other hilarious stories. The one I was most impressed with was the story of Charles Preuss, the cartographer who went along with Fremont and Carson to map their explorations. The poor man hated the food, the bugs, and the whole business of exploring. While Fremont was atop a mountain, living his bliss, poor Preuss had fallen on his bum and slid down the mountain. So now I have to go track down his diaries and laugh at/commisserate with him. (I act the same way when I go camping with my husband–he’s standing outside, taking deep breaths of the woodsy air, and I’m furiously scratching my legs because I’ve managed to get into poison ivy or chiggers AGAIN.) 

Afterward, she answered a few questions from the audience. It is wonderful to listen to someone talk about something they are genuinely fascinated by, especially if they can do so without boring you to tears. Each question received a detailed answer which led to another interesting story–about the Puritans, about her experience with Pixar. I did have to disagree with her twice: once when she assumed that students don’t “get” to write about things that fascinate them–at least, I have usually done so–and again when she said that she believed that most Americans pretty much believe that you should be able to believe in whatever religion you want. I don’t think that’s strictly true, at least not here, but I wasn’t about to press the point. 

And then, she signed books, and I was second in line!