PHAT Fiction at the ALA Conference

Hey y'all, I will be serving as a moderator for the PHAT Fiction presentation at the American Library Association's annual conference in Washington, D.C. this summer.  The session will take place on 6/28/2010 from 10:30AM to 12:00 PM.  I'm really excited about this opportunity.  It's such a blessing that I will be meeting advocates and writers of this genre that quote during my workshops I conduct.  Please see the workshop description listing below:

Phat* Fiction: Engaging Hip-Hop Literature in the Public Library (*phat=popular, hip and tempting fiction)

Why should librarians identify and purchase urban fiction? While book reviews, publishers’ lists, and patron requests drive much library purchasing, mainstream publisher’s omission of hip hop imprints often means patrons are not finding what they want to read on library shelves. This presentation will be both an exploration of the impact of hip hop publishers and authors in public libraries and a comparison of racial, ethnic and regional aspects of urban fiction presentation.

Speakers: Coe Booth, Author; Kimberly Boyd, Librarian, Chicago (Ill.) Public Schools; Paula Chase-Hyman, Author; Kia Dupree, Author; D.L. Grant, San Antonio Public Library, Asst. Mgr., G. W. Carver Branch; Megan Honig, New York Public Library, Teen Collection Specialist; Christopher Lassen, Brooklyn Public Library, Children's Librarian; Vanessa Irvin Morris, Author; Amy Pattee, Simmons College GSLIS, Faculty; Susan McClelland, Reader’s Advisor Librarian, Evanston Public Library; Tachelle Wilkes, Author


http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/pla/plaevents/plaatalaannual/index.cfm