PopTop Stage events

Numerous events will take place at the stage in the exhibits hall, including readings, panel discussions, and presentations on topics popular in libraries and among librarians—from crime fiction and poetry to trivia, vampires, and more. For the full schedule, go to ow.ly/wCkW4.

ALL BETS ARE ON Attendees at ALA will enjoy hearing from authors (top row, l.–r.) Ryan Winfield (Isn’t It Romantic?),
Ann Hood (Hot Picks for Book Clubs), Adi Alsaid (First Author, First Book), Issa Rae (The Laugh’s on Us), and (bottom row, l.–r.) Jean Kwok (Gala Author Tea), as well as daredevil Philippe Petit (United for Libraries President’s Program).
Winfield photo by Mike Chard; Hood photo by Joyce Ravid; Rae photo by Leroy Hamilton; Kwok photo ©Chris Macke

FRIDAY, JUNE 27

Jane McGonigal 4–5:15 p.m. Opening General Session. Renowned alternate reality game designer McGonigal will get attendees jazzed about the myriad possibilities for integrating serious games into library programming. Meet the Authors Authors galore at events and booth signings are a huge attraction at ALA. Check out the schedule at ow.ly/wAMkY. Susann Cokal (Kingdom of Little Wounds) Sally Gardner (Maggot Moon) Rainbow Rowell (Eleanor & Park) Marcus Sedgwick (winner, Midwinterblood) Clare Vanderpool (Navigating Early) 8–10 p.m. YALSA. The Michael L. Printz Awards for Excellence in Young Adult Literature and Reception. Winner Sedgwick and the four Honor Book authors will respond to questions submitted by librarians and local teens. Ticketed event.

SATURDAY, June 28

Jane Fonda (Being a Teen) 8:30–9:30. Auditorium Speaker Series. The film star and fitness devotee speaks on a topic about which most adults are clueless. Deborah Coonts (Lucky Bastard) Shelley Coriell (The Buried) Jeaniene Frost (The Beautiful Ashes) Jill Shalvis (Then Came You) Ryan Winfield (Jane’s Harmony) 8:30-10 a.m. United for Libraries. Isn’t it Romantic? A panel of popular romance writers will discuss their (hot and steamy) books and sign copies afterward. LJ Prepub Alert editor Barbara Hoffert knows her romance, so who better to moderate? Linda Castillo (The Dead Will Tell) Caitlin Doughty (Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory) Carrie La Seur (The Home Place) Laura McBride (We Are Called To Rise) Ben Mezrich (Seven Wonders) Christopher Scotton (The Secret Wisdom of the Earth) 8:30–10 a.m. AAP/LibraryReads. Book-a-Licious Breakfast. RSVP (ow.ly/wCj2A) by June 20, as space is limited (as always). Author signing to follow. LVH-Pavilion 10. Azar Nafisi (Things I’ve Been Silent About) 10:30–11:30 a.m. Auditorium Speaker Series. The award-winning author of Reading Lolita in Tehran returns in her latest book to her childhood in Iran. Markus Zusak (The Book Thief; I Am the Messenger) 10:30 a.m.–noon. YALSA and School Library Journal. Margaret A. Edwards Brunch. Markus Zusak, winner of the 2014 Margaret A. Edwards Award, speaks about his career and his motivations. The award honors an author’s significant and lasting contribution to writing for teens. Stan Lee (Zodiac) noon–1 p.m. Auditorium Speaker Series. The comic book master will chat about his new book, in which a young Chinese American teen is drawn into a mysterious conspiracy surrounding 12 mystical pools of energy and a power-hungry secret ­organization. Josh Hanagarne (The World’s Strongest Librarian) 12:30–1:30 p.m. Bookmobile Saturday Author Luncheon. Tickets to the lunch are $25 and must be purchased online by June 14. Please refer to Ticket ALA2 when registering. Liz Climo (The Little World of Liz Climo) Ian Doescher (William Shakespeare’s The Jedi Doth Return) Caitlin Doughty (Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory) Jennifer Holland (Unlikely Heroes: 37 Stories of Courage and Heart from the Animal Kingdom) Ben Parzybok (Sherwood Nation) 1–2:30 p.m. United for Libraries. Quirky Books for Quirky Librarians. A panel of authors who have stepped around, through, and outside of the box will discuss wonderfully offbeat topics. Book signing to follow. LJ’s quirky editor Barbara Hoffert will lead the chat. Alexander McCall Smith (The Forever Girl) 3:30–4:30 p.m. Auditorium Speaker Series. The author of the “No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency” series and the Isabel Dalhousie titles has a new stand-alone you won’t want to miss. Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction 8–10 p.m. RUSA and Booklist. The two books chosen as winners from the shortlist of six will be announced. Speakers include the authors (or their representatives), selection committee chair/program moderator Nancy Pearl, and ALA bigwigs.

SUNDAY, June 29

Bryan Collier (illustrator, Knock Knock: My Dad’s Dream for Me) Patricia and Frederick McKissack (Coretta Scott King–Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement; Best Shot in the West: The Adventures of Nat Love) Theodore Taylor III (John Steptoe Award for New Talent; illustrator, When The Beat Was Born: DJ Kool Herc and the Creation of Hip Hop) Rita Williams-Garcia (author, P.S. Eleven) 7–9:30 a.m. EMIERT. Coretta Scott King Book Awards Breakfast. Honoring outstanding African American authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults that demonstrate an appreciation of African American culture and universal human values. Event Code: EMI1. Daniel J. Brown (The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics) Tessa Dare (Any Duchess Will Do) V.E. Schwab (Vicious) 8–10 a.m. RUSA’s Literary Tastes Breakfast. Appetizing book fare from Reading List and Notable Books authors. Yum. Adi Alsaid (Let’s Get Lost) Kimberly Elkins (What Is Visible) Jim McGinty (Right To Kill: A Brooklyn Tale) Will Thomas (Fatal Enquiry) 8:30–10 a.m. United for Libraries. First Author, First Book: Veteran & Rookies. Veteran author Will Thomas will join debut authors in a conversation on what it takes to get a first book published. LJ’s Barbara Hoffert is always the first choice for moderator. A continental breakfast will make this program even more tasty. Ana Castillo (Give It to Me) Ann Hood (An Italian Wife) Rebecca Rasmussen (Evergreen) Julie Lawson Timmer (Five Days Left) 10:30-11:30 a.m. United for Libraries. Hot Picks for Book Clubs. Book clubs in themselves are hot, as folks love to gather to discuss new works and new authors. Hear these authors talk about what makes a good book club read. No one knows books better than LJ’s Barbara Hoffert, so she will moderate. Ilyasah Shabazz (Malcolm Little: The Boy Who Grew Up To Become Malcolm X; coauthor, X) 10:30–11:30 a.m. Auditorium Speaker Series. The daughter of Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz advocates for dialog and building bridges. She’ll talk about both here. Meg Medina (author, Yaqui Delgado Wants To Kick Your Ass) Yuyi Morales (author/illustrator, Niño Wrestles the World) 1–3 p.m. ALSC & REFORMA. Pura Belpré Celebraciòn. Honoring Latino/Latina writers and illustrators whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth.

FEARLESS AUTHORS

Clete Barrett Smith (Magic Delivery) Judy Schachner (Skippyjon Jones: Snow What) Bethany Crandell (Summer on the Short Bus) “Science” Bob Pflugfelder (Nick and Tesla’s Super-Cyborg Gadget Glove) Adi Alsaid (Let’s Get Lost)

THE SPARKPLUG LIBRARIANS

Gretchen Caserotti, Meridian Lib. Dist., ID Stephanie Anderson, Darien Lib., CT Kirby McCurtis, Multnomah Cty. Lib., OR Soraya Silverman-Montano, Las Vegas–Clark Cty. Lib. Dist. Patrick Sweeney, San Mateo Cty. Lib. Syst., CA 3–4 p.m. AAP. Library Family Feud. The quiz show that never quits pits authors against librarians in a battle for supremacy. Sterling’s Chris Vaccari will be in charge. Author signing to follow. The librarians have ordered special signage. LVH-Pavilion 06. Robert Dawson (The Public Library: A Photographic Essay) Russ Kick (editor, “The Graphic Canon” series) 3–4 p.m. United for Libraries. Hot Books from Small Presses. What’s on tap from smaller houses. It’s no small thing that ­Barbara Hoffert will moderate. Margarita Engle (The Lightning Dreamer and Silver People) Joan Bransfield Graham (The Poem That Will Not End) Nikki Grimes (Words with Wings) K.A. Holt (Rhymer Schemer) Emily Jiang (Summoning the Phoenix) Alan Katz (Oops and Poems I Wrote When No One Was Looking) Marilyn Nelson (How I Discovered Poetry) Kenn Nesbitt (Revenge of the Lunch Ladies) Marilyn Singer (The Superheroes Employment Agency) Jacqueline Woodson (Brown Girl Dreaming) 3–4:30 p.m. ALA Poetry Blast. Cohosts Marilyn Singer and LJ’s Barbara Genco will help set the rhythms for this fascinating PopTop Stage event. Lois Lowry (Son: The Giver Quartet) 3:30–5:30 p.m. ALA President’s Program & Awards Presentation. Barbara Stripling will conduct an interview with the award-winning author of more than 40 titles and moderate a Q&A with the audience. Anthony Breznican (Brutal Youth) Eric Kaplan (Does Santa Exist? A Careful Philosophical Investigation) Paula Poundstone (I Heart Jokes: Paula Tells Them in Boston) Issa Rae (The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl) 5:30-7:30 p.m. United for Libraries. The Laugh’s on Us, sponsored by SAGE. Laughs along with wine and cheese are on the menu for this gala show featuring Paula Poundstone. Book signing to follow, with most books given away free. Buy tickets early or the laugh will be on you. Tickets: $60. Event code: UNI1.

MONDAY, June 30

Philippe Petit (Creativity: The Perfect Crime) 8:30–9:30 a.m. United for Libraries President’s Program. Subject of the Academy Award–winning 2008 documentary Man on Wire, Philippe Petit has performed his act more than 80 times worldwide. He also street juggles—for which he has been arrested 500 times. Hear what this charming felon has to say about being creative. Jennifer Kahnweiler (Quiet Influence: The Introvert’s Guide to Making a Difference) 10:30–11:30 a.m. Auditorium Speaker Series. How introverts can find success through building on their strengths without changing who they inherently are. Kirstin Cronn-Mills (Beautiful Music for Ugly Children) Lori Duron (Raising My Rainbow: Adventures in Raising a Fabulous, Gender Creative Son) David McConnell (American Honor Killings: Desire and Rage Among Men) Hilary Sloin (Art on Fire) e.E. Charlton-Trujillo (Fat Angie) 10:30 a.m.–2 p.m. Stonewall Book Awards Brunch. Presented annually to English-language works of exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and trans­gender experience. Event Code: GLB1. James McBride (The Good Lord Bird) 2–3 p.m. ALA Wrap Up/Rev Up. Author McBride and his gospel quintet will bring the Las Vegas exhibits party to a close with their renditions of classic gospel music. The performance will also close with prizes and a really good feeling. Amen. Heather Gudenkauf (Little Mercies) Laurie R. King (The Beekeeper’s Apprentice) Jean Kwok (Mambo in Chinatown) Emily St. John Mandel (Station Eleven) James Rollins (The 6th Extinction) 2–4 p.m. United for Libraries. Gala Author Tea, sponsored by ReferenceUSA. Enjoy tea, finger sandwiches, and sweets. Authors will sign (most books will be given away). Get tickets ($60) early. Event code: UNI2.

TUESDAY, JULY 1

B.J. Novak (One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories; The Book with No Pictures) 9:30–11 a.m. Closing General Session. Stand-up comedian, writer, TV and film star, executive producer, and Screen Actors Guild and Writers’ Guild of America award winner Novak now adds author to his impressive list of credits. Hear what he has to say as the 2014 ALA annual conference bids farewell to Sin City.