LLA schedule - 1st up!

Last week, I had the honor of presenting at the Louisiana Library Association conference with fellow author Pamela Courtney in Lake Charles, LA. We spent months working on our presentation and reading some wonderful books about our great state. But even with all our preparations, there was a small fear: Will our presentation be any good, and what if no one attends? Thankfully, we had no reason to worry.

Kirstie Myvett and Pamela Courtney at LLA

Our session, Books from the Boot: Exploring Louisiana's Rich Culture Through Children's Fiction and Nonfiction, featured over a dozen books about Louisiana and its people. We covered picture books, middle-grade novels, biographies, and even a graphic novel! We discussed a wide range of topics in these books, including Louisiana celebrations, food, music, people, Civil Rights, environmental issues, conservation efforts, and, of course, ghosts, because what's Louisiana storytelling without ghosts?

I also gave out bookmarks for my upcoming book, The Four Seasons of Florence Wallace, which comes out in May!

TFSOFW bookmarks!

Oh, and did I mention we had a "highly attended" session? (pinch me)

LLA

Presenting with Pamela was a blessing because not only is she a talented author, but she is prepared, professional, and dives deep, peeling back the layers of books to reveal thoughts and ideas I never considered. Afterwards, attendees flocked to our table with questions and positive feedback.

Please check out Pamela's wonderful book, A Season for Fishin': A Fish Fry Tradition, illustrated by Toni D. Chambers. Also, check out Pamela's feature on the KidLit in Color blog.

A Season For Fishin' cover

I stopped at the Capstone booth to see if my books about Rihanna and SZA were on display, but they weren’t. However, these fantastic books were, and I met a friendly couple who work for Capstone.

The Dolly Parton Imagination Library provides books to readers ages 0-5 in the greater New Orleans area.

And I couldn't have done it without my trusted assistants who serve as photographer, videographer, and most of all my biggest supporters. My lovely kids.

Me at LLA

I loved that they still had Mardi Gras decorations up. Laissez les bons temps rouler!