2018 was a phenomenal year. I finished my junior year of college, spent the summer in beautiful Maine, started my senior year of undergrad, visited Washington D.C., attended the National Book Festival for the second year in a row, visited Boston, and ended 2018 by rereading the Harry Potter Series in the month of December. I've highlighted some of my literary happenings!
My first thought when I saw Jacqueline Woodson in person was that she was tall—to be fair though, I’m five feet tall, so everyone is tall to me. My second thought was brief panic. There I was, about to introduce myself to a literary rockstar. I don’t know why I was worried; she told me she liked my skirt, and we set off. Jacqueline Woodson was the keynote speaker at Kansas State University on April 21, 2018 for the Sixth Biennial Conference of Children's Literature in English, Education, and Library Science hosted by the Children’s and Adolescent Literature Community, of which I am a member. The conference theme, “Boundary Crossings in Children's and Young Adult Literature,” was inspired by Woodson’s work. Before she spoke, I had the opportunity to accompany Dr. Anne Phillips, my adolescent literature professor, to pick Woodson up from her hotel and accompany her to the location of the conference. I was delighted to have this opportunity, and am so grateful that Anne helped arrange it. On our car ride (through the rare Kansas rain) and short walk, I had the opportunity to ask Woodson a few questions.
Bookishly Bright 