Time to start making workshop announcements!!!! (Registration is not open yet, but we’re excited to start sharing!)
When you start making your ALAN 2024 plans, make sure to have them include staying all the way through Tuesday at 1:45pm, so you don’t miss out on some amazing authors, including:
Time to start making workshop announcements!!!! (Registration is not open yet, but we’re excited to start sharing!)
Monday ALAN 2024 Keynote Speaker:
Dhonielle Clayton
Monday, November 25th
Time to start making workshop announcements!!!! (Registration is not open yet, but we’re excited to start sharing!)
ALAN Breakfast Speaker: Ellen Oh!
Saturday, November 23rd, 2024, 7am
We are now accepting proposals for the 2024 ALAN Workshop annual session dedicated to implementing anti-racist work in schools, libraries, and/or universities. The intent of the session is to continue the conversation and provide actionable items and recommendations for attendees to implement in their different contexts. The speaker(s) will be awarded a $500 honorarium as a way to recognize their labor, care, and commitment.
The theme of the workshop is “Let Them Read.” We will feature authors and presenters who are keenly focused on pushing the field and reimagining spaces—classroom spaces; library spaces; and spaces, at large. We welcome session topics which feature characters and/or themes which celebrate the diversity of young people in our schools and libraries. In US public schools, more than half of students identify as people of color, over one-eighth are served under the Individuals with Disabilities Act, and over one-sixth are living in poverty (NCES, 2023). More than four-fifths of LGBTQ+ high school students report feeling unsafe in schools (GLSEN, 2021).
Important Details
Thank you to all who participated in the ALAN Workshop and our other events held during NCTE!
Please be sure to fill out the feedback and interest survey (open until 1/31) to let us know your thoughts about our events and to express interest in getting involved.
Amber McBride is the ALAN breakfast keynote speaker! The ALAN breakfast will be held on Saturday, November 18. Register for breakfast tickets through the NCTE registration portal.
Amber McBride estimates she reads about 100 books a year. Her work has been published in literary magazines including Ploughshares and Provincetown Arts. Her debut young adult novel, Me (Moth) was a finalist for the National Book Award, and won the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent, among many other accolades. She is also the author of the acclaimed young adult novel, We Are All So Good at Smiling, and her debut middle grade novel, Gone Wolf. She is a professor of creative writing at University of Virginia, and lives in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Join us in Columbus for the 2023 ALAN Workshop featuring keynote authors Renée Watson and Roshani Chokshi.
View the workshop schedule and register today!
Dear ALAN Members,
I am so excited for you to attend the 2023 ALAN Workshop!
The workshop is the highlight of ALAN each year. It is where you will meet with colleagues from across the country, receive copies of some of the best and newest YA and middle grade books, and get to hear from a host of authors. The theme for the 2023 workshop is “Audacious Dreams: Celebrating Imagination, Courage, and Freedom in YAL.”
Below is more information about the workshop and our events during NCTE.
Workshop Times and Registration
The ALAN Workshop is held in conjunction with NCTE’s annual convention and registration can be accessed through the NCTE registration portal. The workshop will take place in the convention center on Monday, November 21 (8am-5pm) and Tuesday, November 22nd (8am-1:30pm).
Being an NCTE member gives you a discount to the ALAN workshop ($250 early registration rate). If you are a member of ALAN and not NCTE, you can also receive discount pricing for registration ($250 early registration rate). Please contact ALAN Executive Director, Mark Letcher (alanexecdirector@gmail.com) for the ALAN member discount code.
ALAN Workshop Buddies
The ALAN Mentorship Committee would like to offer attendees who are new to ALAN and/or an in-person workshop an opportunity to connect with members who have attended previous workshops. These pairings will provide newer attendees with a go-to person for questions they have prior to and during the workshop and an opportunity to build community and connections among ALAN members. If you are a newer attendee who would like to be connected with a more experienced conference attendee or you’ve been to ALAN a time or two (or more!) and would like to support a newcomer, fill out this Google Form by Mon. November 13th.
ALAN Booth during NCTE
Be sure to check out the ALAN Booth at NCTE to learn more about us! There will be fun ALAN swag, author signings, chances to win books, and more!
Schedule of Events
Friday, November 17, 2:00-3:15pm–Connecting Around Young Adult Lit (YAL): Current Conversations About YAL in the Classroom
This ALAN-Sponsored session at NCTE will feature roundtable conversations related to the teaching of young adult literature (YAL) in middle grades and secondary classrooms and current conversations in the field of YAL. Roundtable topics may include (but are not limited to) navigating censorship, pairing YAL titles with canonical texts, securing funding to purchase YAL novels, creating place-based units, and workshopping popular YAL texts.
Saturday, November 18, 7:00-9:15am–ALAN Breakfast featuring Tiffany D. Jackson
The ALAN Breakfast will be held the morning of Saturday, November 19th from 7:00-9:15am. This year’s breakfast speaker is the one and only Tiffany D. Jackson! The ALAN breakfast is an exciting event to attend, for we celebrate and recognize the amazing work our ALAN members and authors do to promote adolescent literature in the classroom. You will need to purchase a separate ticket for the ALAN Breakfast, which you can do through the NCTE registration system.
Saturday, November 18, 5:45-7:00pm–ALAN Master Class: Craft and Creativity
Join us Saturday evening for the ALAN Master Class. This session will feature authors Ruta Sepetys, David Bowles, and Guadalupe García McCall in discussion on craft, creativity, and finding an authentic voice, followed by interactive roundtables with authors and participants exploring ways to develop students’ craft.
Sunday, November 19, 5:00-6:30–ALAN Author Reception
A highlight of the workshop each year is the ALAN Author Reception. Join us at the reception where you will meet authors, hear book talks from the authors themselves, receive signed bookplates, and chat with other ALAN members. The reception will be held on the evening of Sunday, November 20th, from 5:00-6:30. Everyone registered for the ALAN workshop is invited to attend.
Monday and Tuesday, November 20-21–ALAN Workshop
The ALAN Workshop will be held Monday, November 21, from 8:00am-5:00pm and Tuesday, November 22, from 8:00am-2:00pm. Wondering about the ALAN Workshop experience? Prepare to be surrounded by books, authors, and amazing ALAN members who love adolescent literature.
Books
When you arrive early Monday morning, you will check in and receive a big box of some of the newest and very best young adult and middle grade books. These books are generously provided by each of the publishers and are included for each person who registers for the workshop. There will be ALAN members there to assist you in getting your box to your seat if you would like. Some attendees prefer to pack their suitcases to fly their books home. However, as you will receive at least 20-25 books, this gets pretty heavy. For those who would prefer to ship their book boxes home, there will be a nearby shipping station available. Shipping usually costs around $50+ for the box of books, but can be higher depending on destination. (USPS cannot set up a shipping station but if you want to try and find a post office by the convention center to ship book rate, you are welcome to do that). For those who will be driving, the Convention Center has accessible parking within the building at the Goodale Garage.
Authors
Much of the two days is filled with opportunities to listen to incredible authors speak! There will be author panels of three authors, conversations with two authors, and some inspiring keynotes. You’ll sit back, relax, and soak in all of the awesome-ness of being in the space with your colleagues and the authors you love.
Breakout Sessions
We will have one hour devoted to breakout sessions on Monday. Each of the sessions will be on the program, and you will get to choose which session you would like to attend. Each session will feature classroom teacher(s), librarian(s), and/or professor(s) who have prepared interactive presentations with innovative ideas you will be able to bring back to your schools and students.
Lunch
This year, in order to reduce the stress and time-constraints of trying to leave the area to find lunch and make it back in time to hear the next authors speak, we will be providing boxed lunches, the cost of which is included in your registration fee. There will be themed rooms and spaces available for you to sit, chat, and eat with your colleagues and, hopefully, some new ALAN friends.
Traditionally Marginalized Community Luncheon
We are excited to again host an ALAN affinity space for those who identify as traditionally marginalized. This will be a social hour with an opportunity to build community and connect with new and familiar faces. Please look for more details to come!
I can’t wait to see you all in Columbus this November!
Warmly,
Jewel Davis
2023 ALAN President
Registration for the ALAN workshop is now live through NCTE’s convention website! Clicking on this link will take you to NCTE’s registration page. If you are an NCTE member, you can login and register for the ALAN workshop. Being an NCTE member gives you a discount to the ALAN workshop ($250 early registration rate). If you are not a member of NCTE, you will need to create an NCTE account choosing the non-member option in order to access the registration form.
If you are a member of ALAN, but not NCTE, you can also register with a discount code for the $250 early registration rate. Current ALAN members will receive an email with instructions for registering as an ALAN only member. If you are a current ALAN member and have not received an email with a discount code or if you have questions, please contact our Executive Director Mark Letcher (alanexecdirector@gmail.com)
Thank you to everyone who attended the 2022 ALAN Workshop! Please complete this Google Form survey to provide feedback on this year’s workshop and express your interest in future ALAN-related opportunities!
