Last Night at Harvard

This time I was so aware that I arrived 20 minutes late last year, that I arrived an hour early.  Maybe some year I'll get it right.

In any case, here are Jack Gantos and Mitali Perkins, during their presentations, and then the three of us afterward at a nearby restaurant. In retrospect I'm sorry I didn't include Jack's 12-year-old lovely red-haired daughter, Mabel, who came with him and helped with the PP technology.

Mitali said she would put photos on her blog as well so I went there to see if she had firmed up my chin in Photoshop (alas, she hadn't). But I did see one thing I want to correct on her blog (sorry, Mitali, I'm coming on like an  over-eager copy editor).. She refers to my having once worn the Newbery Medals as earrings.  Can't be done! They are big and heavy!  What she had heard about was this:

which is a cartoon (by me) on my website.

Here is Jack with his funny blueprint of his own childhood, which incudes the place where he vomited and splattered a wall, as well as bickering spots and an alligator who made off with his dog. (Yikes, Note to self: never move to Florida)

Here is Mitali, and I inadvertantly firmed up HER chin (which didn't need it) by shining a laser beam at it.

And here we are at dinner. Who better to go with to an Indian restaurant than someone who was born in India?  She advised me which of the many lamb dishes would not overwhelm me with spiciness.  (And both Mitali and Jack ordered SUPER SPICY. Whew)

A fun evening which reinforced what I already knew, that children's authors (with a couple of horrible exceptions; no names) are smart, funny, interesting, and generous.

Comments

[Mitali Perkins]

All fixed now! You'll have to taste my son's homemade catfish curry -- his grandmother taught him how to make it and it's yummy. No lemon grass.

[rhonda]

i love that picture by you. i have always dreamed of going to harverd