EARCOS conference 2023, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

Part of a series: Asia, March 2023:

• Taiwan—Taipei American School 
• Malaysia—EARCOS conference (Kota Kinabalu)
• Malaysia—Survivor Island (Borneo)
• Cambodia—schools and history in Phnom Penh
• Cambodia—Siem Reap
• Cambodia—Angkor Wat/other temples

After seven days of speaking (within which my record was seven times in one day) at the Taipei American School, I flew to Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, which has a much different vibe than the other part of Malaysia I’d visited, Kuala Lumpur. KL is urban (though has a natural side). KK is coastal (though likely has a downtown of some kind).

Not that speaking is ever a grind for me, but it felt even less like work in this setting: a resort in a tropical paradise on the South China Sea. (“Coastal” undersold it.)

view from my room

I was one of two children’s authors speaking at a conference called EARCOS (East Asia Regional Council of Schools), the other being the epically kind Susan Tan.

I was originally scheduled for 2021—but COVID. So I was (conditionally) rescheduled for 2022—but still COVID. 

My appearances were spread over two days, consisting of two talks and a screening of Batman & Bill in a huge banquet hall, after which I did a short Q&A.

The morning before my first talk, I puttered around the harbor.

 

Both afternoons after my commitments, I changed into shorts and got a smoothie at the pool (no line but no rush—took about 20 minutes). The second evening, I watched the sunset over the ocean from the small beach in the “backyard” of the hotel.

Possibly the best photo I took over my three weeks in Asia:

One friend commented that the moon and what looks like a star are close to forming the crescent and star symbol of Islam. (Malaysia is a Muslim country.) 

But it is not a star. The same friend noted the possible “occultation,” when the move passes in front of another celestrial body—in this case, Venus.

One of my favorite aspects of Malaysia was how grateful locals are when you say “thank you” in Malay (“terima kasih”). 

Terima kasih again to Ed Greene and Kristine De Castro for the invitation and for throwing a great conference/party.

Oh, the reason I couldn’t say for sure if Kota Kinabalu has a developed downtown is because I did not leave the resort for my three days there—with one exception.

Survivor Island.

OELMA 2022 keynote

Thank you again to the Ohio Educational Library Media Association (OELMA), in particular Kris Kronik, Karen Gedeon, Lisa Barnes-Prince, and your team, for inviting me to keynote (along with my friend Donalyn Miller) your first in-person conference since 2019. It was a privilege!

photo: Donalyn Miller

Donalyn is every bit as great a speaker as you've heard.

Questions that can come up when your talk is during lunch.

I happened upon two of my Junior Library Guild books 

on a table in front of the JLG booth.

This was the sixth state library conference I've had the opportunity to keynote; the others were in Tennessee, Virginia, Maryland, Michigan, and (virtually) Pennsylvania.

Feedback on my keynote:

• LOVED Marc Tyler Nobleman!
• I went home and watched the Marc Nobleman documentary. Loved it!
• Nobleman is an excellent speaker. His connection to research as solving a mystery would be an excellent way to introduce research to students of any age. Would definitely like to see him return to OELMA.
• Uplifting.
• Marc was amazing!
• I adored them both. (Donalyn) Miller reminded me why I became a librarian; Nobleman gave me more tools as a teacher librarian assisting with research.
• Loved MTN's connection to research and primary sources.
• multiple responses of passionate, inspiring, informative

Keynote for Pennsylvania School Librarians Conference 2021

On 4/15/21, I had the privilege of delivering the 1.5-hour opening keynote for the Pennsylvania School Librarians Conference…from my basement office. Shoeless.

Such are our times.

Sometimes your work and a conference theme just understand one another.

I’m lucky that my story is so twisty that it holds attention whether shared on stage or by screen. Because we are now all members of Zoom Nation, I tell viewers (AKA audience members) to think of my talk not as yet another yammering head in a box but rather as a very low-budget Netflix film. I don’t know if that makes the experience more palatable for anyone, but I want them to know I empathize. 

The conference organizers kindly shared with me the feedback I received. A sampling by category:

GENERAL

• “What a tremendous presentation! Absolutely brought tears to my eyes. We learned some excellent strategies for teaching primary source that we can all incorporate into our lessons.”
• “What a story! I was a fan of Boys of Steel…but what a change Marc made [for Bill Finger’s] legacy. I will share with my students for years to come.”
• “I love how he used his investigative skills to uncover the truth. Great speaking skills! I’m playing the recording for my husband.”
• “Marc is a great storyteller! So inspiring!”
• “I loved Marc’s tenacity and positive attitude!”
• “Being able to hear from a terrific author, I didn’t realize how deeply I had been starved of that, and it helped breathe life into my library soul.”
• “Marc’s depth of knowledge and passion for his writing and books is impeccable.”
• “This entire presentation was amazing!”
• “This was so good!”

BRINGING ME TO THEIR SCHOOL

• “I just LOVED this keynote! I can’t wait to figure out how to get Marc to present for my school.”
• “Would love to have Marc speak at my school!”
• “Fascinating. I would love to host an author visit at my school and feel this is such a great story for all my students to hear.”
• “I loved Marc’s strategies for conducting research and I hope to be able to have him do a school visit with us in the future.”

TAKEAWAYS ON RESEARCH

• “This presenter was a research all-star. I can use his examples of deep research to inspire students to keep digging for information.”
• “His research experience was incredible. Something students would love to hear about.”
• “I teach research skills to high school students and one of the most important attributes to be successful is perseverance. Marc’s story is a perfect example of this.”
• “Marc’s talk is a great public service announcement for the research cycle/process!”
• “I will share his ideas with the MS and LS librarians. I will use his examples of research and use of primary sources in my instructional classes. Good for advisory groups!”
• “I would love to use your story to teach students that the internet is not the only resource.”
• “Demonstrating his perseverance and commitment to finding the truth through primary source research can serve as a great role model for our students.”
• “Ask questions now—you don’t know if you’ll ever get the chance to again.”

TAKEAWAYS ON OTHER EDUCATIONAL TOPICS

• “I have SO many ideas to utilize Marc’s story to teach my students more about intellectual property, the value of personal story, the importance of credit and honesty, and the power of each individual person.”
• “Marc gave excellent ideas on lessons about truth and history, intellectual property, and the power of research. Even though I teach HS students, I think discussing the stories he uncovered can be a great lesson.”
• “I already ordered Marc’s book. It can be used to teach copyright, research skills, ask questions you can’t Google, letter writing, and persistence. I will suggest this book to my teachers as a mentor text.”
• “I would love to share with my students Marc’s story about the importance of proper credit. Such an impactful message!” 
• “I am planning on using his book with a lesson on plagiarism for my elementary students.”
• “Teaching people to speak up for injustice is part of being a good citizen.”
• “I had never considered evaluating credit to see if there was an error that needed correction.”

THE POWER OF A SINGLE VOICE

• “The idea that there is always truth to be told. That one person CAN make a difference. And that we all need to speak up when the truth is not out.”
• “The story demonstrated how one person can make a difference in history.”
• “There is so much from this keynote that can be utilized in my work. This is such a wonderful example of the impact one person can have.”
• “It was a wonderful message about every voice having power and learning how to use your voice for good.”

“WHAT INFORMATION WAS OF GREATEST VALUE TO YOU?”

• “Can I say all of it? I particularly enjoyed Marc’s passion for the project, the way he connected with the community during the course of his research. I’m not sure he realized what a part of the story he has become by inserting himself into the journey as our guide. The narrator is a strong voice that keeps the story alive. We are all stories, and I thank Marc for sharing his and Bill’s.”
• “This was one of the best keynotes I have heard!”
• “I was in awe of the entire story.”
• “Marc had such a passion in his presentation that was infectious.”
• “A captivating, real-world example of the research process for a book that was relevant to adults and children alike.”
• “The author’s story was very inspiring.”

Thank you again, PSLA!

Michigan Association for Media in Education conference 2019 opening keynote

Thank you to MAME, especially Cat Kerns and Klaudia Janek, for your efforts to bring me to Michigan to open your lovely conference! It was an honor.

Texas Library Association Conference 2019

From 4/15-18/19, I was an honored guest and Featured Speaker at the legendary Texas Library Association Conference, this year held in Austin.

I was invited by the conference itself and not sent by one of my publishers, which means I was scheduled to speak but not scheduled to sign—and I didn’t realize this till a day after I got there. Therefore, it was too late to slot me in to sign books, which disappointed a number of attendees (not to mention myself). No matter—they can still get the books!

The night before the festivities began, I explored the neighborhood around my hotel, where I found three things that made me feel at home: a bar named for the chupacabra (a southern U.S./Central America thing), a bar named for bats (an Austin thing), and a donut shop—in particular, a grape-flavored donut. You rarely see grape desserts and never have I ever seen a grape donut.

Special points for naming the donut after a semi-forgotten Hanna-Barbera character.

On 4/15, strong winds stranded a number of guests in their respective airports/hometowns, one of whom was my pal Tom Angleberger. At 8:45 pm, I was recruited to pinch hit for Tom in an author vs. author game show starting at 9 p.m. hosted by a puppet. (You read that right. Again, this conference is legendary.) 

My team consisted of Chris Barton, Jo Whittemore, Andrew Smith, Stacy McAnulty, and myself. We competed against Jennifer Ziegler, Lesa Cline-Ransome, Carmen Oliver, Shelley Johannes, and Jeff Anderson. 

The three-part challenge started with Pictionary, for which I had to draw as many idioms as my team could guess in two minutes, followed by story-in-round, concluding with (hard!) literary trivia. Trivia is usually one of my things but almost all of these questions stumped me. (Who knew Neil Gaiman’s first book was about Duran Duran? Well, someone on the other team…)

We did win, but it was so close.

On 4/17 at 8:30 am (which seemed early to me but doesn’t faze librarians), I gave the first of my two featured talks, this one on Bill Finger. My second was scheduled for the next day, at 10:30 am, which was close to the end of the conference (and after the exhibit hall would be closed), so I feared few would show up. However, I had at least double the audience for a talk on Thirty Minutes Over Oregon; my angle to discuss the book was empathy, and that also described the crowd. They were very kind to me and my story.

At that talk, a woman who had attended my talk the day before gifted me a bat-themed thank you for an enjoyable presentation.

One night, with Tom Angleberger (who was able to fly in earlier that day), I visited one of the city’s bridges from which thousands of bats famously emerge nightly to the thrill of hundreds of onlookers.

Except that night, they didn’t. (Well, four did.)

I was under the impression that this happened without fail soon after sunset every evening, and the large crowd gathered there gave me no reason to think otherwise. 

Alas, now I have to try again, and I don’t know when I will be back. 

The other disappointment of TLA also had to do with something that flies. As I’ve been doing since Nerd Camp last summer, I hid several fairies on site. (Rather they hid themselves.) Whoever found one and tweeted me a photo of it would win a copy of Fairy Spell. 

But no one did.

I may be disappointed but I am not surprised. 

Fairies are notoriously hide to find. And as Frances says in the book (i.e. in life), maybe it's too hot for them here...

Two schools and the Kutztown Children’s Literature Conference in PA

I spent three days with students, educators, and ghosts in Pennsylvania, though I saw only two of the three groups. 

On 4/11/19, I had the pleasure of being the 90th author (!) to visit Newtown Elementary in Newtown. Librarian Liz Dobuski has been at it for a quarter-century and has a stunning wall to prove it.

Among the dizzying array of sanctioned graffiti were a bunch of friends who’d blazed a trail there before me.

And I was especially excited to see one of my childhood favorites, José Aruego, illustrator of the immortal 1971 picture book Leo the Late Bloomer. I had never heard of him doing school visits. He died in 2012 (on his 80th birthday).

Liz’s students prepared for my visit in part by building a precious fairy garden.

I’ve come across my share of Boys of Steel postcards, but Liz had one I don’t recall seeing before.

A day later and 40 minutes down the road, I had a blast at J. M. Grasse Elementary in Sellersville. Librarian Kim Mulloy recruited a chatty group of students of all grades to join me for lunch, and they were so much fun to play around with. On her desk was a photo of her family in this frame:

Turns out the superintendent of her school district had gifted that frame to every employee. What a meaningful gesture in support of life-work balance.

On 4/13, I was honored to be one of four author keynotes at the 21st annual Kutztown Children’s Literature Conference on the campus of Kutztown University. The other three: Duncan Tonatiuh, Andrea Warren, and Brendan Wenzel, none of whom I had met before. The audience was engaged and humbling.

The other authors and I stayed in the charming Main Street Inn, which was probably also haunted. The only surface in my room suitable for a laptop was the vanity…in the bathroom.

And those ghosts? I believe I was the only guest at the Temperance House in Newtown and was hoping one would join me, but if s/he did, I didn’t notice. I did, however, take this photo…look closely behind me. Maybe you notice…?

Featured Speaker at 2019 Texas Library Association Conference

Among authors of books for young readers, the Texas Library Association Conference holds an almost mythic status. Some say it's the second best library conference (after the American Library Association's) and some say it's the most fun of all literary conferences.

I'm about to find out firsthand.

In April, I'll be participating in my first TLA, and as a Featured Speaker. I am always grateful and humbled to be asked to speak but did not realize the extent of this honor till I saw the conference program. Though the conference is huge, there are only two pages of Featured Speakers; I would have guessed many more.

In any case, I look forward, Texas-style (i.e. in a big way)!

NCTE 2018 and an Orbis Pictus Honor 2019

The 2018 National Council of Teachers of English Annual Convention (held in Houston) featured many of the same beats as past NCTEs I have attended (only one of which I've documented here): it hosted a panel I pitched, I hung out with author and educator friends I see far too infrequently, I signed books, I made school visit inroads, I learned a thing or two.

But the event also surprised me with something new.

One of my books received an award.

The Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children was first given out in 1989. My first Orbis Pictus award was given out 30 years later (not to imply I expect there will be more).

Thirty Minutes Over Oregon: A Japanese Pilot's World War II Story was one of the five titles named a 2019 Orbis Pictus Honor Book.

Lisa DiSarro, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt's Director of School and Library Marketing, kindly accompanied me to the 11/17/18 luncheon where the two 2018 Orbis Pictus winners spoke and the new class was announced. HMH had invited me to attend the luncheon before they knew that Thirty Minutes Over Oregon would be among the honored there. They did find out a day beforehand, but chose not to tell me—which I so appreciated. It was so memorable to be surprised by the announcement made to the room of 35+ tables of 10 people apiece, including many author friends (some of whom were similarly honored, though many of the honorees were not there).

Lisa was at a table next to me and surreptitiously took photos of my reaction.

My panel was called "The Dirty Truth About Nonfiction." My co-stars were Don Tate, John Hendrix (whom I'd not met before), and Leah Henderson. (All of them are articulate and impressive, and all also have great radio voices. I do not.)

We were expertly moderated by Dylan Teut, who stepped in at the 11th hour when the moderator I'd originally lined up was no longer able to attend NCTE. I was thrilled at the turnout...if not quite standing-room-only, close enough that some people sat on the floor. (Wait, what? Sitting-room-only?)

At my signing later that day, HMH had already blinged out the book with the official Orbis Pictus sticker and a starbust.

Last year, I did a panel with Audrey Vernick, but this year saw her only in passing. In that passing, in a symbolic passing of the torch (but not really), I posed for a photo with her and Don (who, as you'll recall, was on my panel this year).

The other highlight of NCTE for me was an activity I did not participate in (or even witness). At 6:15 am on Saturday morning, a group of authors and educators met for a game of basketball. I would've joined them but I was picked last enough in high school.

The ones I can name (L-R): 

Laurie Halse Anderson, Loren Long (mostly obscured), 

Chad Everett, Phil Bildner, ?, Cornelius Minor,

Colby Sharp, Travis Jonker, Sara Ahmed, ?

Kwame Alexander, ?, Matt de la Peña

Thank you again to HMH and NCTE for a humbling experience.