What a week for librarians and their friends! The weekend before last, I flew to Baltimore to attend my first ever in-person LibLearnX (my last Midwinter was...the last Midwinter, in January 2020 Philly; remember then?). Yes, it felt different, yes, it seemed smaller...but there was some BIG news at the Youth Media Awards that felt like old times, excitement-wise; and it really was a thrill to see the Happy Anniversary, Horn Book! banner in the opening slideshow — all thanks again to ALSC Executive Director Alena Rivers and her team.

There were great meals and fantastic company — Terry and Lizette, how did I not take any pictures of our dinners?! — fortuitous and planned run-ins (Julie, Erika, Claudette, Susan, Arthur, Nick, Sylvie), informative and entertaining booth visits (Macmillan, Holiday House, Simon & Schuster, Astra, Penguin Random House, Random House, Sourcebooks, Abrams, Scholastic) with Al Berman, excellent stories, wonderful books, thought-provoking discussions, excited conversations...and a big football game right up the road. All in all, a satisfying whirlwind of a visit. See slideshow below. 

Last Thursday I was invited to present at the Boston Youth Libraries Summit: "Join Boston Public Libararies and Boston Public School Libraries for their first annual citywide summit in service to the children of Boston." Nearly one hundred librarians from the Boston Public Library and Boston Public Schools came together for a daylong learning, networking, and community building event. The spirit of engagement, communication, and togetherness was palpable and inspiring. I'm so grateful for our valuable, hard-working, and brilliant Boston community of librarians — from those new to the field to library veterans. This is a particularly complicated system, and people's hard work and dedication can often go unnoticed. Thank you to Boston Public Schools Director of Library Services Liz Phipps Soeiro, Assistant Director Felicia Humphries, Jess Snow with the BPL, and everyone who made this important day such a success.