School Library Journal Day of Dialog
Marcia Strykowski
♦ October 14, 2019
♦ 28 Comments
I’ve been remiss in keeping up this blog over the past few months, but rather than make excuses, suffice it to say, I’ve been busy and it’s great to be back. There have been several awesome events lately that I’d like to share with you. First up, SLJ Day of Dialog was held at the Cambridge Public Library in Cambridge, MA on October 4, 2019. 
Here are the details from the SLJ website: Join School Library Journal for our second-annual Day of Dialog Cambridge, the most anticipated librarian-only gathering of the year! Attendance is absolutely free!
Be informed, inspired, and entertained by the industry’s leading authors, illustrators, editors, and publishers. Spend the day discussing the latest trends, and get the inside scoop on the hottest books in the world of children’s and young adult literature.
You’ll enjoy a full day of panels and speaker presentations by celebrated authors. And thanks to our many publisher sponsors, attendees will receive free advanced reading copies and an opportunity to have complimentary books signed by their authors.
Network with colleagues from around the country in an intimate, library-centric setting; get a first look at exciting titles due out next season; and walk away with free books and stimulating ideas for your libraries and classrooms.
How could I not join in on this fun event? Thanks so much to SLJ, all the sponsoring publishers, and Dr. Maria McCauley, Cambridge Public Library director for hosting this wonderful conference. Kiera Parrott did a great job introducing each group, as well. 
The morning opened with the thoughtful words of Erin Entrada Kelly, 
author of the gorgeous Lalani of the Distant Sea novel for middle grade readers.
Second on the agenda was the Picture Books panel with Kyle Lukoff, author of Call Me Max, Julia Denos and E. B. Goodale, author and illustrator of Here and Now, Vita Morrow, High-Five to the Hero, and Cornelius Van Wright, author/illustrator of The Little Red Crane. Leslie Hynes, a school librarian from Kingsley Montessori School in Boston, did a nice job moderating.
Next was the first Book Buzz with representatives from American Psychological Association/Magination Press, Candlewick Press, Charlesbridge Publishing, Greystone Kids, Minedition, Boyds Mills & Kane, Owl Kids Books, and Houghton Mifflin Company.
After those three excellent presentations, we broke for a delicious lunch, collected books and autographs, and caught up with old and new friends.
The afternoon keynote was Deborah Heiligman
who shared the fantastic research methods she used for Torpedoed: The True Story of the World War II Sinking of “The Children’s Ship.”
The Nonfiction Panel was moderated by Margaret Bush, Professor Emerita, Simmons College, Boston. This energetic group was such fun to listen to. Marge Pellegrino, Kim Chaffee, Melissa Stewart, and Carole Boston Weatherford all have delightfully compelling books you really should check out!
The third panel of the day was all about Tweens & Teens. Panelists included Craig Battle, author of Camp Average, Ryan LaSala, author of Reverie, Maulik Pancholy, author of The Best at It, Karen Rayne, author of Trans+, and Christina Soontornvat, author of A Wish in the Dark. Ashleigh Williams, a SLJ middle grade editor, did a great job moderating this fascinating discussion.
The second Book Buzz had representatives from HarperCollins, Page Street, Quarto, Reycraft, Sourcebooks, and Starbright Books. A lot of fun new books were shared. 
The mesmerizing closing keynote was presented by 
multi-talented Nikki Grimes, author of Ordinary Hazards: A Memoir. Her many books and poetry are amazing–check them out!
All in all a very worthwhile day!
Marcia Strykowski 
Great post as always, Marcia. Good to see you back. 🙂
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Thanks, Art! 🙂
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Wow, Marcia! SLJ Day of Dialog sounds like a fantastic experience – lots of interesting people and information!
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Aside from parking and traffic troubles, it was amazing! Wish you could have joined us, Cathy.
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Marcia, thank you so much for sharing information and pictures from this event. I’m so sorry I missed it, but reading your post is the next best thing.
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Thanks, Laura. I’m glad you enjoyed the post!
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Glad you’re back. I’ve missed reading your comments.
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Thanks so much, Louise! Like most of us I’m sure, I just wish there were more minutes in a day. Blogging takes away what little writing time I have, but I do have some more post ideas coming up. I’ve missed talking with everyone. 🙂
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Wow!! That’s quite a day!!!
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Hi Bobbi, it was a fun time!
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What a marvelous gathering! Thanks for writing about it.
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Hi, Anne, how are you!? I’m so behind on blogs but I’ll have to check out what’s new with you. Thanks for your comment!
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There is never anything earthshaking about my posts. A retirement without emergencies is a blessing! I’ve missed you, and I’m glad you are back.
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Your posts are lovely, a slice of day to day life in a peaceful setting. 🙂
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Thank you. I enjoy the energy of your posts. You always have interesting things going on.
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Thanks! 🙂
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Sounds amazing!
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I’m so glad they held it in a location I could get to, somewhat easily. 🙂
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Welcome back! The Day of Dialogue sounds wonderful.
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Thanks, Sheryl! It was an interesting day.
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It is so good to have you back with your wonderful blog posts! I have missed them! What a great day you had! It sounds like a full program with interesting speakers and books!! Thank you for posting! :0
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Thanks, Bette! It was a fun day. There have been many fall events, so I’ll be picking another to post about soon.
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All those books look awesome, wish I could have been a fly on the wall!! You shoulda been up there with a new book!!
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Ha, thanks, Ashley. I’m working on it!
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This does sound like a marvelous event, Marcia. How wonderful you could attend.
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Thanks, Robbie, nice to hear from you!
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So wonderful to hear about all of your activities, Marcia! I’m thrilled about your success as a children’s author. Congratulations and I look forward to hearing about your next book!
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Thanks so much, great to hear from you! 🙂
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