Jamboread!

This is the central atrium of the beautiful public  library in Spartanburg, SC, where on Saturday they held their annual Jamboread! event, to which thousands of children came to hear three authors/illustrators (me, Jane Yolen, and Paul Zelinksky) and to have books signed. They also got free ice cream and face-painting as well as some other entertainers, so it was a great success on a gorgeous blue-sky day.

Fun for the authors as well, in part because it is rare that we get free time to be with each other uninterrupted. But Jane and I had a leisurely dinner together and time to talk----well, okay, make that gossip.

I got home Sunday in time for the Oscars, and then today had lunch with Allegra Goodman, author and neighbor, then spent a lot of computer time dealing with the logistics of upcoming travel. Can one get easily or quickly from Bozeman, MT to Sacramento? (answer: no)  Well, how about Wallingford, CT to South Bend, Indiana? (also no)

Here is yet one more classroom enjoying a Gooney Bird Greene Day:

I'm especially taken by the little guy in the middle row who has his glasses on crooked! But every one of them is a charmer.

I was happy to see that they have a map on the wall of their classroom because the next GBG book, the February book (which won't be published for quite a while, because I have another book coming out first. I  have gotten ahead of myself!), deals with maps and geography.

Comments

[jane yolen]

They were VERY HIGH LEVEL discussions, Lois, not gossip.
People will think less of us if you tell them we gossiped. (Of course gossip is the beginning of Story!)

Jane

[Krista]

Gossip or high level discussions,you two could raise big bucks for charity if you auctioned off the extra seats at your table. What newbie writer wouldn't want to sit and absorb your every word?

[Ticcoaleister.wordpress.com]

I attended Jamboread with three friends. (Three of us are English teachers.)It was a such a pleasure to meet you. And we thoroughly enjoyed hearing you speak--especially on the subject of censorship. We've yet to stop talking about our experience at Jamboread!