Saturday, February 25, 2012

Outing to Indy

Today I went with my colleague Martha, who teaches the children's literature course in our English department here at DePauw, to the Indianapolis Youth Literature conference at the main branch of the public library in downtown Indianapolis. I wasn't speaking, just listening and learning.

The library itself is STUNNING: a gorgeous historic structure gorgeously expanded, so that it has BOTH wood-paneled reading rooms with leather chairs in front of a lit fireplace AND soaring four-story atrium with light and air everywhere. The program featured inspirational Phillip Hoose, author of the much acclaimed book about teenaged civil rights protester Claudette Colvin (Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice - she refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama, bus well before Rosa Parks and was the inspiration for Rosa's later act of rebellion); delightful Shannon Hale (The Princess Academy and other fairy tale-based fantasy fiction); and Nick Bruel (author/illustrator of the Bad Kitty books).

The day was altogether a treat. On the wall of the old part of the library are engraved these words:

TIME BY MINUTES SLIPS AWAY
FIRST THE HOUR AND THEN THE DAY
SMALL ITS DAILY LOSS APPEARS
YET IT SOON AMOUNTS TO YEARS

Sobering thought, that! But days spending time with fellow authors and committed librarians add up to years well spent.

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