21st Century Children's Nonfiction Conference

What a lovely morning!

When I first started writing, my native language was COBOL.  I know that because recently I revised an article that I had written nearly a decade ago.  It was a really nice article, but lordy, it needed work.  Back in those early days of writing, I was a logical, orderly thinker because of my experience designing, coding and testing computer programs.  Given my thought process in those days, if I had known I was such a train wreck, I know I would not have pursued this challenging, competitive field.     

A male mallard duck waddled by the pond

At the 21st Century Children's Nonfiction Conference, I heard over and over that back matter matters.  I first heard it from Jason Wells of ABRAMS.  Then I heard it at a lecture by bookstore owner, Jackie Kellachan and Amie Wright, New York City librarian.   I heard it again, when author, Stephen Swinburne spoke.  So, after returning, I spent a great deal of time plumping up the back matter in three picture book manuscripts.  

Ducks were sitting along the edge of the pond.  A turtle, the size of dinner plate, scurried in the water before I could snap a picture.

Saturday morning while I was at the conference, I made my way to the Student Union.  As I walked across the bridge between the ponds, the sun was out and the songbirds were singing in the brush.  Oh, how I wanted to go for a walk, but taking a walk was going to cost me.  It would cut social time and would likely fatigue my freshly sprained ankle.  I looked at the building, then at the ponds, then at the building again.  Thinking.  Pondering.  Deciding.  Was it worth the risk?

Sunday morning, I spotted this great blue heron on my way to the Student Union.

          

The 21st Century Children's Nonfiction Conference, SUNY New Paltz

There were a lot of intriguing sessions listed in the program.

Despite a freshly sprained ankle, I had a remarkably good time at the 21st Century Children's Nonfiction Conference at SUNY, New Paltz.  I drove to the conference wearing flip flops and with an ice pack strapped tightly around my left foot.  Once I got there, I never iced it again because I didn't want to miss anything.

All the sessions I went to were really good and helpful to me.  They gave me fresh markets to pursue, great ideas for school visits and different perspectives for developing quality books.  The faculty was quite diverse.  There were authors, editors, illustrators, digital media developers, app developers, the publisher of a daily app newspaper, the owner of an independent bookstore and a librarian from a major library.  It was interesting hearing how publishers are adapting to the changing and evolving digital world. 

David Aguilar did an excellent job of story telling with his captivating  account of the  "Big Bang."  I was fascinated watching the 3-D printing demo and totally amused when they scanned and printed out Roxie Munroe's head.  It was a weekend to make new writing friends and catch up with old ones.  I made it a point to sit with new people at every meal.  The first night we had a wonderful buffet dinner outside.  It featured the potato martini--mashed sweet or white potatoes in a martini glass with toppings.  It was such a creative idea and perfect for a conference of creators.

This 3-D printer melted plastic at 240°C

Roxie's head and shoulders were scanned..

The 3-D printer made little Roxie......

....and these too.  The skull and hinge (corner of hinge is on right)  had moveable parts.

What a shame this didn't come out right!  One man's junk was another man's treasure (see top photo).

By Sunday night, after a weekend of neglect, my ankle was as bloated as a bullfrog.   I discovered ice cold shower water (foot only!) worked wonders to reduce pain and swelling.

  

21st Century Children's Nonfiction Conference - the wildlife

Red-tailed hawk

First of all, I didn't go to this conference looking for wildlife, it just happened.  I burned the candle at both ends while I was in New Paltz.  Late one night, we went on a field trip to check out the racy signs in the ladies' room, but that's not the wildlife I'm talking about.

Suny, New Paltz

Sunday morning, I got up too early and I knew that getting back to sleep wasn't going to happen, so I strolled by the ponds outside the Student Union where the conference was held.  In a matter of minutes, I got lost in the sound of songbirds.

Muskrat

While I was taking a photograph of the ducklings, a muskrat popped its head out of the water.  I sat on a rock watching it until it disappeared.  Then I walked a short ways and stopped.  Across the pond, a red-tailed hawk swooped down low, landing on a weeping willow limb.  It eyed those ducklings like they were dinner rolls.  I SO enjoyed that walk in solitude and found it hard to pry myself away, but I'm glad I did because it turned out to be another great day for nonfiction.
  

21st Century Children's Nonfiction Conference

Faculty from Charlesbridge, Cobblestone, Lerner, Pearson, Time Home Entertainment, National Geographic and Highlights

    This past weekend I attended the first ever 21st Century Children's Nonfiction Conference.  I had a great time! It was at Suny in New Paltz New York, an appropriate setting for writers who frequent university libraries.   I listened to lectures on pitching, the Common Core, making the most of book fairs/conferences (how fitting) and school visits.  All of them will be helpful as I move forward in this writing journey of mine.

     The conference was Chautauqua-style, where editors were accessible.  The biggest surprise were the "mystery editors" that lurked anonymously among the tables.  Boy, was I ever floored to find out I was sitting next to an editor at Harper!

Chalk petroglyphs (this was the only chalk art I found)

       The conference was an excellent place for meeting other nonfiction writers.  One of the nicest things is that although our resumes differed, I never felt inadequate or unwelcome in the rather large crowd of published authors.  In fact, a prolific author of 180 books came up to me and noted that we were Facebook friends.

One of the entertaining signs in the ladies room of the dorm

      There was quite a mix of people in attendance.  Aside from writers and editors, there was a rep from an assessment company, book packagers, a Publisher's Weekly rep, educators, folks from the Highlights Foundation and Highlights magazine and those "mystery editors."  It was a conference that represented the needs of nonfiction writers and the various markets they write for.  Perfect for me!
      By Saturday afternoon, I was yearning for some solitude.  I longed to take a walk around the little ponds near the Student Union where the conference was held.  I resisted the temptation because I didn't want to waste a moment.  On Sunday morning, I got my chance.  I took an early morning walk and was absolutely delighted with the wildlife I found.  I will post those rather amazing photos next time.
      The thought of hurrying home to salvage Father's Day was on my mind as I pushed it to meet two more editors (we're having a Father's Day, observed).  It was a little intimidating knowing they were sizing me up as I spoke.  I have replayed those conversations, over and over, picking them apart like owl pellets.  Why didn't I say that?  Why DID I say that (open mouth, insert shoe)?   I learned I need to polish my approach and not be in haste.

The world's largest vending machine is the size of a bus depot!

     I put a lot of thought into whether I wanted to plunk down a good chunk of change and commit to this.  I'm glad I went.  Although I have nothing but good things to say about the regional conference (NESCBWI), I feel more at home in the throngs of other people with the same passion for research.  After the evaluation forms are read and reviewed, I expect that next year's conference will be even better.