YALSA honors literary award winners at ALA Annual Conference
Contact: Stephanie Kuenn
YALSA
(312) 280-2128
skuenn@ala.org
NEWS
For Immediate Release
May 12, 2009
CHICAGO —The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), the fastest-growing division of the American Library Association (ALA), will celebrate the winners of its literary awards with special events and programs July 9-15 at the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago. Registration is available online at
www.ala.org/annual. Advanced registration ends May 22.
Tickets are available for the YALSA Margaret A. Edwards Award Luncheon on July 11, the Morris Award Presentation and YA Authors Coffee Klatch on July 12 and the Michael L. Printz Award Program and Reception on July 13. YALSA will also highlight winners of its annual Alex Awards, which celebrates 10 adult novels with teen appeal, during a free program on July 12, and the Odyssey Award, administered with the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), at a free reception on July 13. Information on all of YALSA’s Annual events is available at the YALSA Wiki (
http://wikis.ala.org/yalsa; click “Upcoming Conferences.”)
YALSA’s Edwards Luncheon will honor Laurie Halse Anderson, recipient of the 2009 Margaret A. Edwards Award for her significant and lasting contribution to writing for teens for her novels “Catalyst,” “Fever 1792” and “Speak.” Guests will enjoy a sit-down luncheon at noon on July 11 as they listen to Anderson discuss her writing. Tickets cost $59 and must be purchased in advance at
www.ala.org/annual.
The inaugural William C. Morris Award, honoring a first-time author writing for teens, will be presented to Elizabeth C. Bunce, author of “A Curse Dark as Gold,” the 2009 winner. Bunce will speak at the Morris Award Presentation and YA Authors Coffee Klatch at 8:30 a.m. on July 12. Tickets cost $19 in advance and $25 onsite; tickets include the second half of the event, in which participants can meet popular YA authors in a speed-dating format (the Coffee Klatch is sponsored by Disney-Hyperion Books).
At the Printz program and reception at 8 p.m. on July 13, author Melina Marchetta will discuss “Jellicoe Road,” the 2009 winner. The reception will also celebrate the 2009 honor books: “The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves” by M.T. Anderson, “The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks” by E. Lockhart, “Nation” by Terry Pratchett and “Tender Morsels” by Margo Lanagan. A dessert reception will follow the author’s presentations and speeches. Tickets cost $29 until May 22, when advanced registration closes. After May 22, tickets will cost $35. Tickets will be available in advance or at the door.
YALSA will also celebrate the winners of its Alex Awards at a program on Saturday, July 12. Winning authors Toby Barlow (“Sharp Teeth”), Stephen G. Bloom and photographer Peter Feldstein (“The Oxford Project”), Hillary Jordan (“Mudbound”) and Todd Tucker (“Over and Under”) will speak. Tickets are not required to attend this program.
The Odyssey Awards, co-administered with ALSC, will honor the best audiobook production for youth on July 13. In addition to the winning producer, narrators of two of this years’ Odyssey honorees — Sherman Alexie (“The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian”) and Mirron Willis (“Elijah of Buxton”) — will also speak. Refreshments will be served, courtesy of Audio Publishers Association. Tickets are not required to attend this program.
If you have already registered and would like to add a special event to your registration, you have two options: (1) By phone: Call ALA Registration at 1 (800) 974-3084 and ask to add a workshop to your existing registration; (2) Online: Add an event to your existing registration by clicking on
this link. Use your log in and password to access your existing Annual registration and add events in the “Your Events” section (screen 6). Then simply check out and pay for the events you’ve added.
For more than 50 years, YALSA has been the world leader in selecting books, videos and audio books for teens. For more information about YALSA or for lists of recommended reading, viewing and listening, go to
www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists, or contact the YALSA office by phone, (800) 545-2433, ext. 4390, or e-mail,
yalsa@ala.org.
