I recently attended the conference Spotlight on Books 2016 in Walker, MN. This was my first time attending this conference. It was a great opportunity to meet several authors and illustrators, including Carrie Ehlert Newman, Eric Rohmann, Candace Fleming, Anton Treuer, Consie Powell, Peter Schultz, Aime’e Bissonette, Linda LaGarde Grover, Rebecca Hahn, and Cheryl Minnema. It truly was a Festival of Authors. Candace Fleming, Eric Rohmann, Anton Treuer, and Carrie Ehlert Newman gave extensive presentations about themselves, their process, and what they are working on next. Consie Power, Peter Schultz, Aime’e Bissonette, Linda LaGarde Grover, Rebecca Hahn, and Cheryl Minnema were briefly introduced, and we were given time later on to visit individually with any authors or illustrators that we wished.
There was an interesting presentation by Debbie Reese called “Indigenize Your Library”. Ms. Reese is asking libraries to rethink how many native stories are classified. Ms. Reese is asking that libraries Raise their awareness of native points of view, Increase their knowledge of Native Nations traditional stories, Study the ALA statement on diversity and intellectual freedom, Study and update our libraries policy on collection development, and Analyze our collections for selection and de-selection of materials.
Thank you SAMMIE! This truly was a Fabulous conference to attend, and I highly recommend it.