Attendees at last year’s conference in Hartford told us in their evaluations that they wanted to hear more authors speak at future conferences. The Conference Steering Committee, cochaired by Randi Ashton-Pritting and Paula Cook, is lining up a showcase of authors for the April 2008 conference. I am very pleased and excited to report that the following authors have already agreed to appear at the conference.

More Award-Winning Authors to Attend CLA Annual Conference!

Amy Bloom's latest novel, Away, has been chosen as one of the ten best books of 2007. She will discuss the creation of this critically acclaimed book and share the personal experiences that led her to write it. Bloom received a National Book Award nomination for Come To Me, a collection of short stories, and the O. Henry Award for Semper Fidelis. She was also nominated for a National Book Critics Circle Award for A Blind Man Can See How Much I Love You.

Katharine Weber is the author of Triangle, a novel based on the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist fire and winner of the 2007 Connecticut Book Award for fiction. Weber will talk about the common themes found in the narrative strategies of her four novels, including her current work in progress. Her other works include: Objects in Mirror Are Closes Than They Appear, The Music Lesson, and The Little Women.

Debby Applegate is the author of The Most Famous Man in America The Biography of Henry Ward Beecher, winner of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Biography and a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Best Biography Award of 2006. The New York Times Book Review and National Public Radio’s Fresh Air also named her book as one of the “best books” of 2006. Other awards include the Victorian Society in America Book Award and the Frederick G. Melcher Book Award for the most significant contribution to religious liberalism in 2006.

Michael C. White is the author of four novels: A Brother’s Blood, a New York Times Book Review Notable Book and a Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers nominee; The Blind Side of the Heart, a Book-of-the-Month Club alternate selection; A Dream of Wolves, which received starred reviews from Booklist and Publisher’s Weekly; and The Garden of Martyrs. White’s new novel, Soul Catcher, was published in September.

Steven Torres is the author of Precinct Puerto Rico: Book One, Death In Precinct Puerto Rico: Book Two and Burning Precinct Puerto Rico: Book Three, the first novels in a mystery series featuring Luis Gonzalo, the sheriff of Angustias, a fictionalized small town nestled in the mountainous heart of the beautiful island of Puerto Rico.


James R. Benn is the author of the Billy Boyle WWII Mystery Series. The 2006 debut title, Billy Boyle, was a Booksense Pick for 2006, a finalist for the 2007 Dilys Award, and one of Kirkus Review's Autumn/Winter Preview 30 "highly anticipated, must-read titles". The 2007 follow-up, The First Wave received a starred review in Library Journal and was featured in Marilyn Stasio's Crime column in the New York Times Book Review. Also, see the story on page 4 of the October issue of Connecticut Libraries.

Tuesday's Featured Dinner Author

Elizabeth Berg appears regularly on The New York Times bestseller list. Both Durable Goods and Joy School were selected by ALA as Best Book of the Year. Talk Before Sleep was short listed for the American Bookseller’s Book of the Year. Open House was an Oprah’s Book Club Selection. In 1997, Berg has won the New England Booksellers Award for her body of work and has been named a “literary light” by the Boston Public Library.

Dynamic workshop speakers include...

R. David Lankes is director of the Information Institute of Syracuse. Lankes is interested in combining theory and practice to create active research projects that make a difference. Lankes is a passionate advocate for libraries and their essential role in today's society. He also seeks to understand how information approaches and technologies can be used to transform industries.

Stephen Abram, a leading international librarian and lighthouse thinker in the North American library community, leverages his extensive experience in library technology and trend forecasting, new product conceptualization, and market development for SirsiDynix. Abram has more than 25 years in libraries as a practicing librarian and in the information industry.

Steven J. Bell, associate university librarian for research and instructional services at Temple University, and John D. Shank, instructional design librarian and director of the Center for Learning Technologies at Pennsylvania State University, will present a program on "The Blended Librarian." If you teach library instruction classes or want to learn more about "blended librarians," you won’t want to miss this session.

The College & University Section will present Megan Fox, web & electronic resources librarian at Simmons College, who will talk about trends in mobile tools and their applications in libraries.

Also scheduled to appear is Lee Rainie, founding director of the Pew Internet & American Life Project in Washington D.C., which conducts research on how people use the Internet and how it affects their lives. Before founding the Pew Internet Project, Rainie was the managing editor of U.S. News & World Report.