After a quick breakfast and attendance at the BCALA Executive Board meeting, my mom and I caught the shuttle to the convention center. As soon as we got off the shuttle, we headed to the information booth to determine where we should go to see Mrs. Michelle Obama. We were told to go to hall H. At 10:30 am, the line was quite long. Focused on our intent, we got in line. About an hour into sitting, my mom headed over to the Exhibit Hall.
Thankfully, I had Dan Chan, an artist and writer for numerous zines, and other line mates to keep me company. I also met a future, BCALA board member and her daughter. The wait was interrupted by an impromptu moment of cheering for Dr. Carla Hayden who walked past the line. It was once we entered the hall that the real party began.
I happened to sit behind a group of women who were equally enthusiastic about the music playing in the hall. What began as individual seat dancing led to an impromptu Soul Train line. We also passed the time by guessing the name of songs and sharing info about ourselves. One of my seatmates shared my excitement about Dr. Hayden and was willing to be my photographer as I tried to get a close-up picture of one of the gurus in the library world.A few minutes after 4 o'clock, the hall filled with the sounds of live music and we saw a group of teenagers on stage playing instruments. I learned they were a group of musicians brought together by Trombone Shorty, a well-known jazz musician and children's book author. The infectious sounds made us clap our hands and pat our feet. I was especially impressed to see a young lady leading the band before Trombone Shorty came on stage. Next, we were provided with words of encouragement by Jim Neal, the President of ALA, as well as an introduction of the new board and upcoming President of ALA, Loida Garcia-Febo. After his introduction, we received more words of encouragement and recognition by the mayor of New Orleans, Mayor Cantrell. Then, we were introduced to Mrs. Michelle Obama.
An intimate conversation between the former First Lady and the Dr. Hayden, the two engaged in a conversation regarding Mrs.Obama's memories of her time in the White House, as well as her gratitude for her parents, her parenting style, and her love of books. Mrs. Obama also remarked on the way books allowed her a chance to "get out of her own way" and take a break from the outside world. Her words were sweet to the ears of the audience of librarians and bibliophiles. An added bonus was the relaxed style of the conversation between the two and the feeling that we were a part of an intimate conversation between friends.After the discussion, I hugged my seatmates. We held back tears as we marvelled at the moments we had just witnessed. A wonderful beginning to the conference, I knew the rest of my ALA adventure would be just as satisfying.
