[ Music ]
>> Kaleena Black:
Hello, everybody.
I'm Kaleena Black and I work
in the Professional Learning
and Outreach Initiatives Office
here at the Library of Congress
and welcome to this pre-NBF
webinar for educators.
We're so glad that you're
here with us and we're excited
to share more about the upcoming
event and what you can expect
from the Book Festival
this year.
So, like I said,
we're here to talk
about the National Book
Festival, and it's --
there's plenty to offer,
there's plenty for --
for everyone this year.
And just to give you a
little bit of a glimpse,
my colleague is going to show
you a sizzle reel, kind of a --
a little promo clip just to
get you kind of in the mood
and knowing what to expect
for this year's festival.
>> Hi, everybody.
I'm LeVar Burton and this is
Open a Book, Open the World,
The Library of Congress
National Book Festival.
>> When I try and create
a work -- work of fiction,
one of my big aims is to
create an entire world.
>> When I think that kind of
fictional world and how see --
we see characters express
their thoughts and feelings,
that for me, is opening
up the world.
>> I believe that narrative
nonfiction is the closest
that many of us will ever
get to being another person.
>> And that sense of
empathy is good for anybody,
but it's also particularly
important I think for writers
because that's one of our most
important tools is the capacity
for empathy.
>> I think there's many
places that I've met
for the very first
time through a book.
>> For me, books were a way
of learning about the world
and experiencing things I
had never experienced before.
>> Books have always just
shown me just how big
and how small the world is.
>> A good book can
take you on a journey,
and after the last year, we are
all ready to plot a new course,
and books can be
an amazing compass.
>> An addiction to reading has
been a key secret of my success.
>> It was literature that
opened up so many pathways,
so many possibilities for me.
>> I read books so I
could discover new worlds
in those books.
>> I -- I had books
that I didn't know --
I didn't even think of like --
like this room, I don't think I
had books in, but I had like 50,
60 books in this room.
>> It's enlarging your horizons,
it's like books are everything.
>> It gives me more of a complex
understanding of humanity,
which I think is the power
of stories that we are able
to see ourselves in all manner
of different characters.
>> And that, I think, is what
I enjoy from a great book.
>> Join me as some
of our nation's leading
literary voices bring us a sense
of renewal, discuss
their newest work,
and open up a whole new
world of possibilities.
[ Music ]
>> Kaleena Black: And --
and just -- just so --
you know, that was a clip for
the PBS Special, Open a Book,
Open the World, and that will
be hosted by LeVar Burton
and it premieres Sunday,
September, 12th, 6 p.m. eastern,
but you should check
your listings
for when it will be
available where you live.
So, I hope that -- that video
just gave you a little glimpse
of the -- the tone and what to
expect in the Book Festival.
So, I'm curious now to --
to hear what you're thinking
and feeling about
the Book Festival.
So, in the chat, if you can
complete the following sentence
stem, I am blank about
the National Book Festival
because blank.
And I can start.
I'll -- I'd say,
I am super excited
about the National Book
Festival because it is going
to be largely virtual, and so
it will be a great opportunity
for folks across
the country, I'm --
across the world even to
participate, and engage,
and learn more about all
these wonderful authors,
and their work.
So, please feel free to
state what you're thinking
in the chat.
Okay, I see, I am curious
about the National Festival.
I am excited because I love
hearing from my favorite authors
and learning about new books.
Enthusiastic.
Intrigued [inaudible].
Thrilled. Excitement.
Stoked, that's a good word.
So, I see there were all
of these really positive,
enthusiastic feelings
because of the authors,
because of the potential
local connections.
Someone said, the tradition.
Thinking about how
to use it with --
with students or
in your library.
Authors, again.
So, I'm really glad to -- to
see curiosity, and excitement,
and just the sense that --
that you're looking
forward to the event, and --
and the possible ways that you
can use it and get a lot of it,
that's -- that is great to see.
I hope, today, that
we'll be able to share --
you know, more information
about the event to sustain some
of that excitement and hopefully
answer some of the questions.
There's still some information
that -- that I don't have yet,
but I'm going to share with
you what we know so far,
and then give you some resources
on how you can stay informed
about information
that is to come.
But, yes, please do, if
you -- if you would like,
please feel free to
keep it coming with --
with what you're
looking forward, to or --
you know, how you're --
how you're feeling about
the festival this year.
So, just a little bit of --
of information about
the Book Festival,
just kind of high
level overview,
and then we'll get
a little bit more --
more deep into some
of the details
and how you can learn
more about the event.
So, this year's Book Festival
is -- is sort of jampacked,
but it will be happening
over a 10 day period.
So, the festival
will be taking place
between September
17th and the 26th.
And the theme, as you heard
and -- and saw previously is,
Open a Book, Open the World.
And so it will be online,
mostly, and interactive,
and it will also be featuring
over a hundred authors
and illustrators, and we'll
talk a little bit more
about that in just a second.
Of course, it is free to attend.
And if you forget everything
else that I say today,
just remember loc.gov/bookfest,
that's where you'll find the
information about the festival,
about what it has to offer,
and it will help point you
in the right direction.
In terms of what to expect,
in terms of what the festival
will offer, there's going
to be a mix of -- of quite a
lot of activities, and events,
and materials for
you to dig into.
So, there will be
live online events,
and so these will be
things like author talks,
and Q and A's with authors.
There will be some on-demand
videos that you can watch
when they are released, and that
they'll be released on the 17th,
which I'll talk about
in just a second.
There's going to be a -- a
selection of presentations
by Library of Congress experts
on a variety of subjects,
and I'll talk about
those a little bit later.
And then new this year, we
pulled together activities
and events that local
organizations are organizing
in support of extending
the festival
to communities beyond Washington
DC, which is typically
where the Book Festival
takes place in person.
In addition, there will
be a couple of other plans
for a couple of onsite
events, those will be ticketed.
And if you would like more
information about those,
when that's available,
you can check
out the National Book Festival
blog, and we'll put a link
to that in the chat
in just a little bit.
In addition, we also have
a number of partner events.
We pointed to one of the PBS
specials that will be hosted
and premiered on the 12th.
But in addition to
those, there --
there are scheduled author talks
I'll talk about in a second.
There is an NPR podcast
series, and more information
about that will be -- will be
released in the coming weeks.
And in addition, there are
interviews that will be hosted
and sent out via
Washington Post live.
So, there is plenty,
plenty in store.
Just a little bit more
about these videos.
So, the on-demand videos will
be available for all genres.
If you've been to the
Book Festival in the past,
you may be more familiar with
the term stages in terms of --
you know, how the
content is grouped.
But this year, we're --
we're using the term, genres,
so it's basically
the same thing.
And there are nine genres, I
believe, and these include --
it's like fiction, content for
children, content for teens,
current events, history,
and biography, etcetera,
and all of that is
available on the website.
And those videos will be
available starting on Friday,
September 17th at
10 a.m. eastern.
The live conversations
will be posted on --
and live streamed online, and
they will be available on a --
on a schedule, and we'll
talk a lot about schedule
in just a second, and they'll
be hosted in the afternoons
on weekdays and weekends.
And so, generally, during
the -- during the weekdays,
that content will be --
will air sometime between 12
and 8, depending on the day.
And on the weekends,
between 3 and 8.
And unlike in years past,
there will only be one session
during each hour, so hopefully,
that will simplify
some of your decisions
about what you --
what you attend.
Maybe still be hard to
choose what to attend,
but at least the timing won't be
as much of a concern, hopefully.
In addition to that, we'll also
be hosting nine live Q and A's
with authors of teens and
children's literature,
and these will take place
on Saturday the 25th
and Sunday the 26th.
I also want to point out
that on the 18th of --
September 18th, there will
be a live conversation
with the National Ambassador
of Young People's Literature,
Jason Reynolds, and so --
you know, if you are --
are interested in
checking that out,
just know that that will be the
only presentation for -- for --
for teens that will not
be on the 25th or 26th,
so just something
to keep in mind.
And finally, as I said before
this event is free to attend,
and no registration
is required to attend.
However, if during one of
these live Q and A's --
you know, you -- you wish to
ask the question, you will need
to register to ask questions.
So, I just wanted to go
over just pretty quickly
just what you can expect
if you go to loc.gov/bookfest.
And if you've been to the
Book Festival in the past,
this should look familiar to
you, the -- the layout of it.
But you'll notice when you
go to loc.gov/bookfest,
you'll see information about the
festival, a list of the authors,
the schedule, the sponsors,
etcetera, and I'm going to go
over those just very quickly.
I have screenshots here.
So, if you -- if you
find it hard to read,
we're going to be
putting links in the chat
so you can follow along there.
But really, I'm just trying to
point you in the right direction
for the in -- for
the information
that might be most
useful to you now.
And then, of course, at your
leisure, and as you can,
you can take a deeper
dive into the website.
So, I -- I wanted to start by
just acknowledging the sponsors
of this year's festival,
and to be --
be aware and thankful
for -- for their support.
Without them, this --
this wouldn't be possible.
So, if you do have a
chance, we'll put the link
to the sponsors page
in the chat,
you can please have
a look, and --
you know, we're grateful
for their support.
So, the authors.
Like I said, there are
over a hundred authors
and illustrators
participating this year.
And on the author
page of the website,
just look in through the chat
to make sure I didn't
miss anything.
You'll see an alphabetized
list of all the authors
who will be participating.
And if you click on
any of these names,
you won't be able
to click it here.
If you go to the website
and click it, you'll be able
to see the way they'll
be participating
in the Book Festival, whether
that's through a live event,
or video on demand,
or a PBS book talk.
So, I -- I encourage you to take
a look at that list of authors
and start -- start planning --
you know, what you want to watch
or what you want to see live,
and perhaps when the videos
on demand become available.
Now in terms of the schedule, I
know this is a little bit small.
So, again, we'll be putting
all these links into the chat.
I wanted to just -- just
kind of give you a sense
of what this will --
what this looks like.
So, as you'll see on the
page, across the top,
there are the festival events,
so those are the
-- the live events.
Then there's a tab
for videos on demand.
And then there's a tab
for partner events,
which talk about just a second.
And then another tab for
the festival near you,
which we'll talk about
in just a second.
And so, there are different ways
to search content, and to figure
out what you want to see, what
you want to participate in.
And you can do that by date,
you can do that by format,
in terms of -- you know,
in person or online.
Or if there's a particular
genre that you're looking,
for you can search by that --
you can narrow your
search that way.
So, there are -- there
are there's a lot to see,
but there are some ways to sort
of help you focus your search.
Another -- another entry
point -- this is kind of cool,
I think -- is this clickable PDF
document that basically is --
like it says, the
schedule at a glance.
And so, if you go to this --
this PDF, if you click on any
of the events, you should
be taken to an event page
that gives you a little bit more
information about the author
and what they'll be discussing.
But I want to point you to the
key at the bottom that sort
of gives you kind of the
legend of how to read this.
so, if you're looking
specifically
for children's content,
or for content on science,
or content on the Library of
Congress, there are letters
in circles, that should help
you sort of follow along
and have a sense of --
of what those programs
or what those events --
what the genre will be,
what the focus will be.
So, I -- I do encourage
you to take a look at this,
this is a great way to have
all of the events in one place
for you to -- for you to see.
I mentioned earlier, the
-- the partner events.
And so, in addition to
that NPR podcast series,
which I mentioned earlier,
and more information
about that will be
coming out soon,
and the author interviews
via the Washington Post --
via the Washington Post
live, there are a series
of PBS author talks,
PBS books author talks
that you can participate
in, and -- and join in on.
And the first one was
actually last night,
but there will be a -- a
series between last night
and September 16th, so feel
free to -- to explore those.
If any of those are of interest
to you -- you know, please do --
please do join, this way
to build more anticipation
before the --
the event starts on the 17th.
[ Inaudible ]
Okay, in addition this
year, just as another way
to really learn more about
the Library of Congress
and its collections,
there will be a series
of expert presentations that
are delivered by Library
of Congress subject specialists.
And this year, these
specialists will include experts
from the Prints and
Photographs Division,
from the Conservation Division,
from Copyright, Rare Book,
and also the -- the main reading
room will focus on genealogy.
So, here, I -- I basically took
that schedule I just showed you
and highlighted where --
where these events will fall.
And so, they will be
held on September 20th
through 24th at 3 p.m. eastern.
And I just wanted to point out,
if I didn't say it earlier,
that, again, all of these
times are eastern time,
so that's just something
for you to keep in mind,
if you are in another time zone.
Another new feature -- really
exciting feature that I --
I think will be a --
a great way to have --
have folks really be involved
with the National Book Festival,
both at the national level
and also at the local level,
is the festival near
you, component.
And basically, these are
events that are being organized
by local organizations, and
affiliates, state affiliates
of the Library of Congress.
And they'll be pulling
together programming,
so things like story walks,
book clubs, poetry slams,
those kinds of events, in
their local communities.
So, I encourage you to take
a look at, either the list,
which I have here, and you can
find that on -- through the --
the schedule on the
-- on the website.
There's also a really kind of
handy map that will allow you
to find your state, and click
on it, and you'll be able
to see what's being
offered near you --
or at least closer to you,
perhaps than -- than
Washington DC.
So, as an example, here
is what's being offered
in Virginia.
There is a -- you
know, a book that's --
that's highlighted by the
Virginia Center for the Book.
There is a talk that appears
to be happening on the 14th,
so this is just one example.
You can take a look
at your state and --
yeah, see what's being offered.
And so, with that, I want
to switch gears a little bit
and bring on Rebecca Newland,
who is a school librarian
in Fairfax, Virginia.
And I just want to read her
bio real quickly, and as --
as she gets on with us.
So, Rebecca is currently
a high school librarian
in Fairfax, Virginia.
She was previously the teacher
in residence at the Library
of Congress from 2013 to 2015.
And before that, she was
a middle school librarian
in the Virginia Beach
City Public Schools.
And at some point in the past,
she was also a secondary
English teacher.
So, hi, Rebecca.
I'm going to stop sharing
so that I can see your face.
>> Rebecca Newland: Hello.
>> Kaleena Black:
Hey, great to see you.
Thank you so much for
-- for being with us.
We're excited to hear --
you know, insights from
you about your experience
with the Book Festival
and how you've used it.
You know, you've had a
wonderful background and career
in educational systems,
and libraries,
and working with young people,
and books, and literature.
So, just curious know, what does
the National Book Festival mean
to you?
>> Rebecca Newland: For me,
since I've had --
can you hear me?
>> Kaleena Black: Yes, perfect.
>> Rebecca Newland: Okay,
so for me, since I've had --
I have been lucky enough
to have the opportunity
to attend in person.
Since I left the library,
I still live in the area,
and I think, for me, from
a very -- from like --
take it from a professional
standpoint, it's so invigorating
for me to go and see the
authors, and not just the ones
that are connected to
students, or to my colleagues.
But for me, to just be
reminded of why I love books.
And it's -- I don't usually
forget why I love books,
but I still do need that
push every once in a while,
and to be in a space,
whether it's a physical space
or an online space,
with other people
who love books is just
professionally invigorating.
And now -- you know, we're
-- at my school district,
we are back live in
school, and so even more so,
where I'm finally
seeing students again.
And I'm so excited about the
Book Festival coming up to --
to share it with them.
And to come back with things
that I'm excited about and say,
oh, man, I didn't even realize
this author was so exciting,
we have these books
on our shelf,
and let me highlight
these in some way,
either through a display
or something like that.
So, it means a lot to me.
And I -- I saw in some of the
comments I was reading earlier
about the idea of it being truly
national now that it's online.
As much as the on -- you know,
the in-person experience
is something
that I think everyone should
try to do at least once,
if they're able to, if we go
back to that -- that format.
But I also think it's just
-- it's just a way to --
to share with so many people
who love books, and --
and you don't feel that very
often, as much as my students --
I have a lot of good readers
to be in a room, virtual
or otherwise, with other
people who are there
because they love reading and
love books, and want to hear
about authors is just so --
there's just a boost in my mood
to do -- for -- for weeks and
weeks and weeks afterwards.
>> Kaleena Black: Yeah.
No, that's great, I --
I'm glad that you --
yeah, you said a lot there
about sort of benefits to you,
as a professional,
the benefits to --
that sort of ripple
out to your students.
And just -- yeah, being
in this community of --
I guess fellow book
lovers, fellow readers.
So, I wondered if you -- if
you have a favorite memory,
or that there's like an
experience that you've had
at the Book Festival that
really just sticks out as
like that was a -- ha -- a-ha
moment, or a big moment for you.
>> Rebecca Newland: I -- well,
so again, being at the library,
I had the opportunity -- they --
they would send out an
opportunity email for people
who worked at the library
to introduce authors.
And I got to do that twice,
once with Holly Black,
who was fabulous, she's
a -- a YA, and a --
and a middle grade author.
But the next year, I got to
introduce Rita Williams Garcia
who wrote -- of course, now I'm
going to totally blank on it.
It's a three book series
and -- oh, Crazy in Alabama,
it's this three book series
about these young girls who --
who live in Brooklyn, and they
go to live with their mother
in California for the summer,
and this is in the 1960s.
And so, that day, I
got to introduce Rita,
but it also happened to be my
birthday, which was just sort
of this crazy intersection of
two things happening at once.
And I mean, what better
way to spend your birthday.
But she was so gracious,
and so kind to me, and --
you know, gave me a big old
hug after I introduced her,
and wished me a happy birthday,
and then signed my book
for me afterwards, and we had
a nice little chat about books.
And -- and that is one of the
nice things because as big
as the Book Festival can be,
you can have those moments.
It's not just because
I introduced her,
there were other people
in the audience who got
to have those movements, which
is why I'm really excited
about this year that
there is going to be
that live Q and A opportunity.
Because, even if you're not
in the room with the authors,
if you've registered, you
might get your question --
you get to ask your
question, and that's --
gosh, you know, how often
do you get to do that?
You know, if you don't live near
a bookstore where authors come,
or you don't have a great
public library that brings
in authors -- you know, this
really is a national platform
to -- to get up -- it's
an opportunity at least
to get the chance to maybe
really speak to someone,
and ask that burning
question that --
just you've been thinking
about, as you read their books,
or you interact with their --
you know, their online presence.
>> Kaleena Black:
That's -- yeah, that's --
that's just really true,
just sort of this opportunity
to really just engage
and interact with someone
who you really feel
like you've known --
you know, perhaps from
the page, and then get
to hear their voice, see
their -- see their faces,
and really kind of
see that they're real,
which I know can be a
really cool experience.
And so, thinking about that, how
have you used the Book Festival,
or I guess your takeaways
from the Book Festival
with your students?
>> Rebecca Newland: One of
the things that I like to talk
about with students --
and I -- I appreciate it,
I really enjoyed that in
that introductory promo video
that they showed, both Lupita
Nyong'o and Diane Furstenberg,
both of whom are not
writers by profession.
Their profession is -- you know,
actress and fashion designer.
And -- and the messages
that Jason Reynolds also
promotes are this idea
that everyone can be a writer,
that sharing your experiences
in writing makes you a writer.
You know, and so much of
what Jason did in some
of his newsletters over the past
year, and when we were all --
you know, at home
teaching was this idea
that we can all be writers.
And I think, with kids, any
age, showing them the --
the videos, whether
you do it live,
or whether you have
them watch them later,
is such a key experience to
see that they are real people
with -- with quirks, and
goofiness, and jokes, and fun,
and seriousness, and genius,
and all of those
things all mixed up.
And that they don't
-- that as much
as you admire their writing, and
that's great, they don't have
to be on a pedestal
because you can do it too.
You can be a writer, you can
be an author in your own way,
however you choose to do that.
And I think that's so
fabulous, and that's why I also
like so much of the
incorporation of the poetry
that it's not just --
you know, prose authors,
but the poetry has been --
you know, bigger, and bigger,
and bigger almost
every year with the --
the inclusion of the poetry
slam over the past few years.
Because that's a -- that is a
key, especially for teenagers,
that's a really big way
of expressing themselves
is through poetry.
And I love -- you know, the --
the continued incorporation
and so much of that.
So -- and I'm thinking
about if you wanted
to do something very
structured, so I --
there was a teacher I saw --
or a librarian who was asking
about, well, can I post --
you know, the -- can I download
that the schedule and post it
in my library because just
that will encourage students
to maybe do something
on their own.
But maybe doing something
with them more structured,
if you can get a
class to come in,
and you watch something
together.
But I also like the idea --
we say in library land that
choice is one of the key things
for kids to get them reading is
giving them the ability to --
to decide what they want to
read, and not just saying, well,
you have to pick from the
shelf for this reading level.
But to say, here is a
library full, have at it.
And doing the same thing
with the Book Festival is giving
them maybe a list of, well,
here are the -- at least the --
you know, the age appropriate.
We -- we know that not
every student needs to be --
be looking at every author
because that might not be the
appropriate reading for them.
But giving them a list and
saying, here, all right,
let's do an -- an activity,
where -- pair up with somebody,
and pick a couple,
and watch those.
And then let's maybe come
back together, or let's --
you know, you could do an
exit ticket where, well,
what did you get
out of those, or --
or what did you think
was exciting?
It doesn't have to be
a huge group lesson,
it can be really individual
experiences for kids,
and I think that is a great way
to show them a different way.
Not -- I mean all -- so
many of our students,
over the past year, have
seen Zoom and online as --
as what they have to do for
school, and I'm hoping that,
if they haven't already, the
Book Festival could be a way
for them to see that --
that there's so much else in the
world online, so many amazing,
amazing things that you can see.
And it can be just as
exciting as sitting
down to watch a TV show
or a movie that these --
these author interactions
can be really,
really, really super fun.
And so, maybe if you do one
in school, they might go home
and watch more of them.
Or maybe bring their
parents in and say, oh,
remember you read me that
book, and Mo Willems is going
to be there, or Jason
Reynolds is going to be there,
and we read that book together.
Let's make this a
family experience to sit
down in the evenings and watch
-- you know, these videos.
And so, many from past years
are available that you can go
into the library's website
and look up authors that you
like who may have
been from a past one
and still see their videos.
And just a way to open that
up to not just kids in school,
which I think is great, but
also, what they're going
to take home, and say, what
did you do in school today?
Well, we did this -- we
watched these cool videos.
And I really -- mom,
can we show --
I want to show you what this
-- my favorite author said.
>> Kaleena Black: And
that's actually a --
a really great a reminder.
So, you mentioned Book Festivals
in years past, so I'm curious,
for those of you who
have participated
in the Book Festival in the
past, or you've either --
whether you've attended in
person, or you participated
in the online event last year,
let us know in the chat the ways
that you've used the Book
Festival with your students.
Or -- you know, what --
what the festival has meant
to you, as a professional.
I'm -- you know,
really, really curious
to know what -- what
you all think.
And -- and while you're --
you know, while you're chiming
in in the chat, Rebecca,
I -- I --
you know, appreciated
what you said about --
you know, this format, and
particularly, it being online,
being a way to -- you know,
kind of humanize authors for --
for students and make them --
make them seem a
bit more accessible.
But also, when you
touched on the fact that --
you know, the -- the genres are
sort of wide-ranging, and so --
you know, there are --
you know, there are --
you know, fashion designers,
and -- and actors, and --
and others who will -- I guess
provide kind of like a --
a broader view of -- like
you said, who can be a writer
and what can be written about.
And so, I think that
that's -- that's --
this a really good reminder.
And -- and again,
a -- a -- a good --
good heads-up again to
check out the -- the --
the schedule and give yourself
some time to take a look
and see what's being offered.
Because there may be something
there that you don't expect,
that your students
might not expect.
So, it's good to keep in mind.
And I see someone has --
has mentioned splaying the NBF
posters to encourage students.
And we'll -- I'll give a link
and a plug to the poster gallery
in just a minute, I know
that's always a draw
for the Book Festival.
But just one -- one last
question for you, Rebecca,
and that's -- you know,
what are you looking forward
to most this year's Book
Festival, having been to --
you know, others in the past,
so that's a question for you.
And it's also a question for --
for the folks in the audience
to let us know in the chat what
they're looking forward to.
So, Rebecca, what do you think?
>> Rebecca Newland: I think --
I mean I don't like to
be too generic about it,
I mean I could list you 15
authors and I'm like, all right,
well, how do I plan my
schedule so I make sure I can --
can participate or
watch all these later.
But I -- for me, it really is
the -- the choices that we have.
And I -- and I could
be wrong about this,
but it feels very much
to me like it grows,
like there are more and
more authors who are --
especially in the
past couple of years
when authors haven't been
able to visit bookstores,
or they haven't been able to
travel and visit libraries,
so they haven't been able to
reach out to their readers,
and that this is such a
great platform to do that.
And there's so many of
them that are doing it.
And they're doing it because
they want to, because they want
to reach out to their
authors, and it just -- it --
it just reminds me -- again --
the community, that
the community
of writers is about readers too.
You know, it's -- without
readers, there are no writers.
Like if there's nobody there --
no, I guess that's
probably not true.
If only you read your
stuff, then that's okay too.
But I like -- I -- I just
thought that -- that --
the communication
back and forth,
that when an author
tells me a story,
I feel like I'm still seeing
a little piece of them, too,
and that they become -- as
you said a little bit earlier,
that -- that it's a relationship
between those two
groups of people.
And I love -- that's
why I love books --
you know, that's why I love
books because I -- I --
it's that -- that window out
into the rest of the world.
And I -- I like that too,
that so many of the authors
that are coming this
year are from all over,
that we're not just talking
about American authors,
or British authors.
We're talking about authors
from -- from African countries.
We're talking about authors
from Asian countries.
We're talking about authors
from European countries.
We're talking about -- you know,
immigrants in all
kinds of places.
It's just such a -- it's
a microcosm of everything
and that reminder that
we're all in this together.
And I think writers
and books give us
such an opportunity to do that.
And -- you know, festival
-- you know, there's no --
you know, there's no funnel
cake, and there's no --
there's -- there's
no roller coaster,
but it's a festival,
nonetheless.
It is a -- a celebration of
all that we can be when we --
when we correspond
with each other,
and we share each
other's stories, and we --
we reach out and say, I
don't know a lot about that,
but I can read this
book, and I can find
out about something I
don't know anything about,
and it's just -- it's exciting.
>> Kaleena Black: That's great.
Thank -- thank you so much.
I -- I was -- got me excited,
again, just thinking about it.
And I think that you have really
encapsulated well the theme
of this year's festival, Open
a Book, Open the World, and --
and all of the -- the different
worlds that we can explore
through books, whether that's
-- you know, physically,
geographically, emotionally.
So, I think that that's just a
-- a great -- a great way to --
to end this conversation
with you.
So, thank you so much for --
for sharing your insights.
I hope that you'll --
you'll stick around with us.
And -- and everybody here --
you know, please do feel free
to -- to chime in the chat.
You know, let us know your --
any thoughts that you're having
about -- about -- you know, what
-- what Rebecca reflected on,
or again, your memories of
the National Book Festival,
or how you use it with students,
how it's impacted you,
as a professional.
We would -- we would
love to know.
And I'm just going to go back
to my slides briefly just to --
just to close us
out for a minute.
I mentioned the poster gallery.
So, I know that posters from the
National Book Festival are --
are -- you know, a
-- a big hit, and --
you know, a big draw
for folks every year.
So, if you're interested in
seeing this year's poster
in more detail, and downloading
it, or seeing posters
from years past,
taking a little --
a little trip down memory lane,
we'll put the link in the chat
for you to -- to
take a look at those.
And I also want to put a --
a plug for a blog post that
was just posted by a colleague
of ours in the Professional
Learning Office,
who talks about the ways
that you can use NBF posters
as an analysis and sort
of reflection activity
with your students.
So, hopefully, we can put
that link in the chat as well.
And then the last thing I want
to do before I open it up to --
to questions and to your other
thoughts was just to recap some
of the resources that
we've shared today.
And this is high level, I
know we put a lot of links
in the chat, there's
a lot to -- to --
to go through, and to read.
But really, I think these are
just some really good starting
places for you.
So, the Book Festival
website, loc.gov/bookfest,
that clickable PDF that I --
I showed you, that sort of has
everything kind of in one place,
or the live event in one place.
The link for poster gallery,
a link to the NVF blog,
which really is the -- the
best source for you to get --
besides the website --
for you to get information
about the event, for
you to get new details,
and updates about the event.
So, I highly suggest that
you take a look at that blog.
And then if you're interested
in other resources and materials
that -- that we produce and
make available for teachers,
please do check out
loc.gov/teachers
for -- for more information.
We'll be posting a
link to these slides,
as well as the recording
next week.
But before then, I think
Kathy put in the chat --
one of my colleagues
put in the chat
that this recording will
be available next week.
So -- you know, if there's
anything that you missed,
you will be able to
access the recording soon.
So, thank you so much
for being with us today.
If you have questions, or
comments, or any ideas to share,
really, anything, you
can put them in the chat.
And then we'll -- we'll be
here happy to answer anything
that we can or point you in
the right direction, at least.
And also, I just
wanted to let --
you know, that participants
who attended
for this entire live event
will receive an automated email
certifying attendance,
and we hope to have those
out within 48 hours.
So -- and keep an eye
on your inbox for those.
But again, thank you so much.
And if you have questions -- you
know, we'll be here, happy to --
happy to answer what we can.
>> Kathy McGuigan:
Thank you, Kaleena.
And I would invite and if
anybody has a question,
you can unmute yourself and ask.
I think we have a -- a --
a small enough group that if
you didn't feel like typing
in your question,
you can just go ahead
on your mic and ask it for sure.
>> Kaleena Black: I
see a question about --
it's related to I guess --
I'm assuming recordings
from the Book Festival.
Well, the Saturday shows we
recorded, available on the web.
I want to watch with
my students.
And yes, the -- all of the
live events will be recorded,
and they will be available
via the National Book
Festival website.
The -- the -- the plan is for
the recordings to be available
within a few days of the event.
So, I would encourage you
to just keep checking the
loc.gov/bookfest website
after the event that you're
interested in has -- has aired.
And then I saw another question
about accessing the
PDF of the slides.
And so, I'm assuming that that's
the slides that we showed today.
And we'll be posting a
PDF on our -- our website.
And hopefully one of my
colleagues can put the link
to that in the chat, but it is
a -- a page on our teachers --
or teacher's website, so
you can take a look there,
in case you missed anything.
I know there was a
lot that we shared.
Thanks for posting
that, Dana, in the chat.
I see a comment about wishing
the posters could be used
as backgrounds for Zoom
meetings, that's --
that's a -- a really good idea.
There are -- yeah,
there's some --
there's some really
cool designs,
I really encourage
you to take a look.
And also, if you haven't had a
chance, there was a blog post,
I believe it came out last week,
about this year's
Book Festival poster.
So, you can learn a little
bit more about the --
the design, some of the --
the inspiration behind this --
this poster, and a little bit
more about the artist as well.
I'm not seeing any
other questions.
I'm seeing a lot of
enthusiasm, which is great.
And so -- you know,
really grateful for you --
to you all for being
here with us today.
Thank you, again, to
Rebecca Newland for --
for her reflections, and -- you
know, her -- her thoughts on --
on how this has benefited
her, as a professional,
and how she's used it
with students, and some --
some ideas for inspiration,
and that kind of thing.
So, just really, really glad
that you can be with this.
And we hope that you enjoy
the Book Festival and --
and get to -- to take part, as
much -- as much as you're able.
I see a question here.
Okay, great.
Thank you, Kathy.
>> Kathy McGuigan: And I'll
make a copy of the chat as well
and send that out to those who
participated because I know
that there were more
URLs in the chat.
So, we'll -- we'll --
we'll follow up and send
an email within two days.
>> Kaleena Black: And
yes, a little bit more
about Rebecca is --
is in the slides.
So, her name is Rebecca Newland.
So, thank you again, Rebecca.
>> Kathy McGuigan: Well, a thank
you to Kaleena and to Rebecca
for a wonderful conversation
around the National
Book Festival.
Yes, Rebecca Newland is her
name, and she is a -- a --
a librarian at Oakton High
School in Fairfax, Virginia,
and a former English teacher.
And she's also a current blogger
-- guest blogger for our poetry
and literature blog through
the Library of Congress.
So, you can stay in touch with
Rebecca through that avenue.
We will be sending out a
follow-up email for those
who stayed for the program --
entire program, certifying your
attendance for CEUs or PDUs.
And we will also
-- I'll send the --
the transcript of
the chat to you.
And then the recording of
this webinar will be posted
on Monday, along with
a PDF of the slides.
So, again, thank you to our
presenters, and thank you
to Dana for serving up the
chat -- the links in the chat.
And we look forward to seeing
you at the Book Festival.
And I hope that you all
have a very happy, safe,
and productive school year.
Thanks for joining
us, everybody.
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