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it's like Brigadoon for librarians!
So, I saw that on one of ALA's twitter accounts for annual and not only did it CRACK ME UP but I couldn't help but think how accurate it was.
Brigadoon, naturally, being a reference to the 1950s musical about a magical Scottish town that appears for one night every century. Annual lasts longer than one night and comes around more often than a century, but the connotations and implications are right on.
And it's just the kind of nerdy jokes librarians love.
Which is, in itself, one of the best parts of Annual.
Annual is shorthand for the American Library Association's annual conference, or, THE BIG ONE. Every summer, over 25,000 people (the vast majority being library workers) and almost 1,000 exhibitors get together and spend many days talking about the future of the profession, handing out awards. networking, and basically just having endless good library times of every sort you can imagine. And, believe me, many more you cannot.
Children's book authors become rock stars!
Advance reader copies of books become more precious than gold!
Totebags are free and plentiful!
And, best of all, pretty much everyone speaks your language. Yes, even the people who have very little in common with you, say, academic cataloging librarians from Harvard, even they "know" what it's all about, even they are there in one big giant geek-gasm of ... well, what we do and why it matters and how we ended up there, in many different ways that are somehow very similar.
This is my third year attending annual.
My first was in New Orleans, with almost all the library girls. It was overwhelming and inspiring. I was still a student, but I came away from ALA more convinced than ever that I was doing the right thing for my life.
Perhaps most famously, I totally, totally lost my shit when I met Neil Gaiman.
Neil Gaiman: And who am I signing this book for?
Me: Duuuuuh. (internally: Neil. No, wait, Neil is HIS name. What is YOUR name?!! Say a name! Say any name! An 'A' name. Your name is an 'A' name!!) ANGIE!
Neil Gaiman: OK then, Angie. (signs book)
Me: (internally: tell him how much his work has meant to you, how Sandman was there for you in a very lonely time in your life, how glad you are he's writing children's books, how you appreciate his support of libraries! SAY IT! ) I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M MEETING YOU.
Neil Gaiman: And I can't believe I'm meeting *you.*
AND THEN I DIED.
My second was last year, in Anaheim, California. Only Erin was there, but we had an amazing time anyway. As a professional, it was an entirely different experience, but fun in its own way.
There's just something about Annual. It's not like a "serious" academic conference, because there's so much fun and so much experience based practical workshops and there's also rock shows and poster sessions and a chance to pose for pictures with Clifford the Big Red Dog. It's a giant pastiche, a family reunion of "people like us." You run into people you know, you get all these crazy ideas from libraries all over the country, you get to network, you are with "your people" ... and it's all so much fun, so much exhausting, library, book fun!
And before any of THAT starts, Elliot and I will be having vacation fun times! Yup, Elliot is coming with me this year, and you KNOW that means the adventures will just be BETTER THAN EVER. (in a city I've never been to before, w00t x 10!) And even when ALA isn't in session, we will be.
Assuming I survive the part with my duties and responsibilities and all that official stuff, I am going to enjoy this most special time in the most special way, learning more, thinking back to that first year, sweating in New Orleans and knowing with 100% clarity that I had come home to my tribe.
Erin and I will goof it up. I will connect with librarians I've met before and we'll brainstorm over margaritas and laugh about our bosses. I'll meet all new people and gossip about YA literature.
I couldn't ask for more. I can't wait to see if I can remember my name when Neil Gaiman asks this year, and I can't wait to see what brand new adventures I have this time around.
It's Brigadoon, you see, and I've got to dance while I can.
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| love turns the whole thing around
no, it won't all go the way it should
but I know the heart of life is good
Last week? Can it only be last week? Cimball turned a corner one night hanging out with his friends and ran into the most openly gay teenage boy in all of our town. Let's call him Morty.
One night of hanging out turned into another and another and another -
until Friday night when they sat on the hood of Morty's car in a park and Morty played What A Wonderful World on the ukulele while Cimball smiled.
Then they sat on a rock at Overlook Point, staring down at the whole town and Cimball said, "Whoever is your boyfriend next is going to be SO lucky." And Morty said, "Whoever is going to be YOUR boyfriend next is going to be so lucky.
And then they held hands as the wind blew and then they kissed and decided they would be each other's next boyfriends.
Tonight, when Cimball is relating this unbelievably fantastic story to me over dinner, this has to be scripted romantic comedy that cannot be true for a boy who told me four months ago he couldn't keep a copy of Rainbow Boys because he'd get in trouble, I can't stop laughing, I can't stop the joy. It just keeps bubbling up, brimming to the surface, a smile on my face that literally won't stop.
"I'm not laughing at you," I gasp with glee.
Cimball beams back, holds my hand. "I KNOW! IT'S JUST SO GOOD."
We giggle, we can't stop, smiles stretching our faces, the joy bursting forth.
See? The thing is?
You just never know what you're going to find when you turn the next corner.
You just never know when your romantic comedy is waiting to start.
You just never know what kind of friends and family you'll find to laugh and smile with over burritos, cupcakes, and boba tea.
When I drop Cimball off at home I shout out my window to him, "Didn't I tell you when you were reading all those books? Everyone gets a story!"
He stops in the middle of the street. I hear his laughter trill up and up, to the sky and beyond.
I think, suddenly and perhaps stupidly, of Harvey Milk and Harry Hay and millions of men who dreamed a day something like today would come for 17 year old boys across the world, this exact moment, a 17 year old boy who has thrown off the shackles of his repressive religion, embraced his queerness, and feels OK kissing his boyfriend in Starbucks in a small town in New Mexico of less than 12,000 people.
"I like my story better than the books!" He says.
I feel something so good and sweet and strong and happy in me that I want to catch it up, save it forever, hold close when I want to put my head in my hands and weep. I take a deep breath, savor it, and shout back: "Then that's how you know you're doing it right."
And again, we laugh, laugh, laugh into the warm, dusty twilight of whatever comes around the corner next.
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| REMINDER!
"If he's the wrong man, you can turn yourself inside out with wiles and perfume and French maid outfits and nothing will work. You'll never get him, you'll never keep him, you don't have a chance. If he's the right man, you can have greasy hair, spinach in your teeth, and your skirt on inside out, and he'll still be entranced and follow you to the ends of the earth...you just have to follow your own personal, weird, goofy little star and some poor sucker is going to come along and die for you."
-Cynthia Heimel
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| So, I went to this 10th grade English class and taught a unit on Walt Whitman and a unit on Allen Ginsberg. (everyone try really hard to think of how and why I was selected for this and what these fellows have in common.) God, it was awesome. Then they were all forced to write me a thank you note. This was EVEN BETTER.
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Some highlights:
Thank you for going out of your way to teach us something you love -- I just have to say that you have the best personality ever. Thanks again!
-C
I now know a lot about Walt Whitman and Leaves of Grass, I actually saw and recognized a quote from him in the least likely of places, a chemistry book. I'm your number one!
-A
The only explanation I can come up with for you to take YOUR time to present to us is that you liked us as much as we liked you!! AND we loved you and enjoyed your gay poet presentations.
-E
Thank you so much for taking time to come talk to us! It was so interesting! Let's go see Howl together!
-S
I love the way you told our class all of the interesting history of our important poets who have inspired many poets in my generation (including me) It was awesomly intruiging. (I hope I spelled that write.)
Awesome. I love listening to stuff about gay poets. :D The presentations were really fun, like...a lot of fun. Thanks!
-Y
I had so much fun during your two visits. I loved how you didn't shrink away from certain topics.
-A
You're an awesome speaker. Seriously. A book talk was somehow interesting. Keep it up.
-A | | |
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Yeah, that just happened.
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