While I consider myself to be a fairly good writer, I often wish I had been a little more willing to step outside of my comfort zone and try new ways of expressing myself on paper, for instance through poetry or fiction or other forms of creative writing. Perhaps I would have ended up going down a slightly different path and become a professional writer. Nonetheless, one of my favorite things about being a librarian is having the opportunity to hear authors speak about their development as writers. When did they know they wanted to do nothing else but write? How long did it take to get their first book published? What inspires them to write the things they write about?
If these kinds of questions interest you, you will be glad to know that the Teen Services department at KPL often brings well-known young adult authors to Kalamazoo so that you can ask them these questions (and more!) yourself. For instance, in the last several years, we've had Sharon Draper, Chris Crutcher, Laurie Halse Anderson, Jacqueline Woodson, John Green, Angela Johnson and M.T. Anderson, just to name a few. And this year is no different. We are busy getting ready for fall visits from authors Lisa McMann (Wake and Fade) and James A. Owen (The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica series), as well as some other favorite authors who will be coming later in the 2009-2010 year. You'll definitely want to keep checking back here for the latest news on upcoming author visits.
In the meantime, if you have read any of Lisa McMann's or James A. Owen's books, what did you think about them? We'd love to know!
Wake
9781416953579
Book