Yesterday I spent in the air, on my way to the Rabbit Hill Festival in Westport, Connecticut. I arrived late at La Guardia in New York and got to experience the commuting pleasures on I-95 (people do this every day?) but it was worth it. Once I arrived in Westport I was treated to dinner at Rabbit Hill, the original home and studio of Robert Lawson, who wrote Mr. Popper’s Penguins among other books.
It’s not every day I get to sit down to dinner and chat with colleagues like Gail Carson Levine, Neal Shusterman and Jeannie DuPrau. (I came in too late to talk with Andrea Pinkney, though I look forward to hearing her Saturday.) We were bemoaning the fact that we rarely get to hear each other speak, because we’re usually off doing our own spiels. It looks like we’ll have at least some opportunity this weekend to listen to each other. The incomparable Tim Ditlow of Listening Library fame was also at dinner and gave us a ride to the Westport Library for the festival opening. Leonard Marcus gave a thoughtful and thorough overview of fantasy literature from the Brothers Grimm through Harry Potter. I learned so much I felt like I should be getting college credit. Apparently a lot of people in the audience were!
Today, my favorite part: off to the schools to talk to the kids! Our author entourage will be visiting two middle schools. Then there’s a dinner tonight for librarians and other grown-up festival attendees. I’ll let you know how it goes!