Fun at VAASL

selfies with authors!

I had a terrific time at my first VAASL conference!  We did not get to stay at the Hotel Roanoke, which was too bad since the hotel itself was absolutely beautiful.  However, the hotel that I was at was a 2 minute drive to the conference.  The three big highlights of my trip were:

• Listening to Neil Shusterman talk and read from his books, including a selection from his soon to be published book.  He was witty and personable and seemed like he truly enjoyed speaking to us.
• The talk given my Sharon McQueen, from Old Dominion University was amazing!  She spoke about picture books for older readers and introduced so many different titles to me.  Her passion for the subject was evident in her excitement as she presented.  Her talk was tailored down from 90 minutes to 45 minutes, but I was lucky enough to have been able to stay for a bit to chat with her about the rest of her presentation. I was very glad to have gotten a list of titles that were introduced.
• Getting to see Roanoke.  I’ve never been there before and I had a blast exploring the city center with my cohort friends and my family.

I’m so glad that I had the opportunity to see different presentations.  I only wish that I was able to go to more sessions.  Maybe next year!