Everything is Bigger in Texas

I spoke on Tuesday at the Texas Library Association Conference in Dallas, Texas. Mind you, I'm a native. I was born in Houston. Still, every time I get back to the Lone Star State, I'm impressed with how big everything really is, even their library conferences. Everything really is bigger in Texas. Even the panels.

I was on an amazing panel with Linda Joy Singleton, Beverly Patt and Gabriele Goldstone. Each of us talked about multiculturalism in our books. And we must have done something right because we were asked to come back next year to TLA when it is in Houston, my home town. Very cool.

I have to say, conferences really are the best for authors. They are a great chance to get out of the worlds we create and into the one teeming around us. And I got to meet people. Real people. Not the ones I've created. I'd never met any of the authors on my panel face to face, except one, so going to the conference and meeting up with them was like meeting up with real live pen pals. It was a great. We brainstormed, we talked, we exchanged book ideas.

If you're reading this and wondering how to get your hands on their amazing books, as well as a very cool listing of our favorite multicultural books, search no more. We came up with a Multicultural Book Picks list. Just click here to download: http://www.stacyanyikos.com/multiculuralbooks.htm. There is a pdf file there with all the books listed.

And if you missed us this year, please come on down to Houston next year. We'll be joined by the amazing Cynthea Liu, a debut children's novelist with two books coming out next year. So yes, even our panel will be done, well, Texas style. Bigger and better!