This week, the Arkansas Literacy Association hosted our first face-to-face conference since pre-COVID. What an amazing time at the 50th Annual Literacy Conference!
For ALA, this year I serve as chair and have spent hours preparing for this conference, and, now, that conference is over, I regret not one of them! The first task was to choose a theme for what would be the 50th conference. Fifty. Just wow. Seemed appropriate to simply choose our slogan and build on it: Spreading the Love of Literacy. This, this is what our group excels in in every project, event, endeavor.
From keynotes Colleen Cruz and Kekla Magoon to Book Award authors Wade Bradford, Shanda McCloskey, and Brian Lies to nearly 20 mini-keynotes to two luncheons, one with seven Arkansas authors...all added up to two packed days of meeting and greeting and sharing and learning. Just powerful! Those faces in these images? All of them spent time with us...and seem human just like us! In Nerdville, where I live, these are stars, even maybe superhuman?! :)
Already, I look forward to 2023 conference and hope that many more peers will attend.
My favorite part? Working with the Board to bring this event to Arkansas' literacy leaders. They are a group of gifted ladies who give of themselves to grow and to encourage this growth in others. Just amazing how each had a strength that was needed, one feeding off the other to ensure that success was the end result.
Yes, I bought more books! How could I not when the authors were right there? I look forward to taking some new Arkansas author young adult books into my classroom this fall. Yes, I look forward to reading the children's book read alouds...or having the kiddos read the books aloud.
What a great way to kick off 2022-2023!
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