On the morning of my last day at NCTE 2017, I walked toward the Convention Center in St. Louis, a cold chill pouring through my inadequate fleece jacket. I desperately needed a hot cup of coffee.
This yearly trek I make early in the morning before 7 a.m. on the last day of NCTE is one I make alone (sleepily), but I am determined to get to the Children's Literature Assembly Breakfast because I know the time will feed my love of books.
I arrive outside the room-- a line having formed. I am about twentieth -I estimate. As much as I think I was alone in this pursuit, I am not. I take a table close to the front, greeting people I know and sitting with a friend. It helps to sit with someone you know here. But if I can't do that, I know that at least the others sitting at my table will be friendly. After all, they are here because they love books, too.
We chat as the coffee pot is passed around and bond over the common need for it. Bits of conversation stream across the noise of over 200 people in a ballroom. I am able to separate a few nuggets: news of upcoming projects, where everyone is from, and what we've enjoyed at the conference.
I reflect on my own previous CLA Breakfast experiences as I take everything in. I try to remember how many of these I have attended. I remember by thinking of the featured speaker featured in previous years because each has had an impact on my work as a librarian. I either reread their books, or come back and share them again.
- Sy Montgomery & Nic Bishop - 2013
- Jon Klassen - 2014
- Kadir Nelson - 2015
- Christopher Myers - 2016
This year, the author is Kevin Henkes. Of course I am very happy about this, and as he begins to speak, I gain a new appreciation for him, far beyond his books. His words are insightful -- giving us a glimpse of what it is like to create stories read by so many. The theme of his speech to us that morning is "Waiting"-- referring to his latest three books that share this common thread.
He very brilliantly walks us through each of these books, explaining the waiting in each, and sharing the thinking and the process for the art. The room hung on his every word, as did I, and sure enough, I began to think of all of the waiting I have done in my own life.
I have waited for so much and so many.
To recount:
I have waited for milestones, dates on the calendar, arrivals, my husband, classes, books, packages, lunch, friends, appointments, answers, phone calls, and e-mails.
I have waited for grades, orders, coffee, notifications, letters, and dreams to come true -- some of which already have.
And at this point, I realize this:
I am waiting for new dreams. New goals.
Mr. Henkes talked about the character Rabbit in Waiting, and I have decided I am most like this character in the book (even though Rabbit wasn't waiting for any certain thing). Rabbit is okay in waiting. And so am I.
While I wait, I work. While I wait, I learn. While I wait, I realize what is around me, and what needs my attention. I am not anxious for the next step, only expectant --if that is possible.
When the breakfast concludes, I realize what a valuable experience it has been. It spurred some writing. It brought on reflection. I have realized something important about my work, while also learning more about children's literature from an author I admire so much. (And, thankfully, I finally got my cup of coffee.)
The Children's Literature Breakfast at NCTE remains a lovely memory. I only have to wait for it again next year.
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