I just really like the ceiling of the courtyard in building 1 of the MDC campus. The geometry of it is very pretty.

Another day, another two hours in the car, but still totally worth it. I’d already walked most of the fair on Saturday, so I planned ahead and plotted a route from conference to conference. There was another impressive array of authors on the docket and my day ran the gamut from memoirs and literary fiction to children’s books young adult.

Helen Mitsios (seated) and her friend Cyn who stood in for Helen’s mother

I started out in building 3 where I waited for a reading by Helen Mitsios, co-author of Waltzing with the Enemy, a memoir by herself and her mother, a holocaust survivor. Her mother, unfortunately, was not there as she had passed away earlier this year. For anyone interested in World War II or the Holocaust, this book is a powerful look not only at what it took to survive those horrifying years, but the effect that fear had on the next generation of Jews like Helen. Helen’s mother raised her as a Greek Orthodox and although she never personally abandoned her faith, it became a secret she held onto until the last years of her life.

Hillary Jordan, Jaimy Gordon, and Tea Obreht

Because of the cancellation of another YA event, I ended up in a reading and question session by three award-winning literary authors: Hillary Jordan, Jaimy Gordon, and Tea Obreht. Each read a selection from their books and while each possessed a intriguing descriptive quality, I found myself most drawn to Hillary Jordan’s When She Woke, an almost sci-fi book that is a modernization of the Scarlet Letter. In When She Woke, criminals are no longer jailed, they are chromed, their skin dyed according to the nature of their crimes. The main character wakes up in the beginning of the story and her skin has been dyed red, the same red as freshly shed blood, as punishment for undergoing an illegal abortion. When she refuses to name the father of the child or any of the people who helped her obtain the abortion, she is sentenced to be a “Red” for sixteen years. I’ve always disliked the scarlet letter, but Jordan’s retelling of the story sounds fascinating.

It’s Jon Scieszka!! 😀 The picture is bad, but the light above his head ruined it…

I had a block of time and nothing scheduled, so when I heard someone recommend sitting in on Jon Scieszka’s talk because he was absolutely hilarious, I thought, “Sure. Why not?” Only after I’d already sat down did I realize that this is the genius behind The Stinky Cheese Man (which, apparently is called The Little Man of Cheese in France) and The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs (which, in Denmark, is called The Sugar is Empty… ?)!! I adored those books in elementary school! They are also on the shortlist of books that I loved at a young age and can actually still go back to, read, and enjoy. After his talk I went up to him and said, “This is probably going to be both good and bad to hear, but I loved your books in elementary school.” He laughs and says, “I love hearing that!” But then he blinks and realizes how old I am and says, “Ahh. Yep, I see the bad.” Jon has a fantastic sense of humor and had the whole audience (who ranged in age from his target reading group of 1st-4th graders all the way up through middle-aged parents) in fits of laughter. I was very happy that I wandered into his room and wished that I still had my old copies of his books so I could have gotten them signed.

Jennifer Knight, Jessica Martinez, and Danielle Joseph

My requisite YA event of the afternoon was a panel of two debut authors (Jennifer Knight and Jessica Martinez) and Danielle Joseph who is touring to promote her third book, Pure Red. They all did readings as well as answering questions, and I definitely want to read Jessica’s book Virtuosity. It’s the story of a violin phenom who is approaching the biggest, most important  competition of her career. She’s addicted to anti-anxiety medication which is the only way she can perform, but taking away the anxiety has also taken away any pleasure she has being on stage or pulling music from her violin (which is worth over a million dollars). As the competition looms closer, she begins falling for the boy who is wrong for her in almost every way, but is also her most dangerous competitor. The prologue absolutely pulled me in and I think I shall be downloading this to read while I’m taking a break between edits of Sing, Sweet. To top off the draw, Jessica is a violist herself and performed a small selection from her character’s competition concerto. I missed the first few seconds of it, but most of the impromptu performance is recorded for posterity and you can watch it at the bottom of the post. 🙂

This costume is so incredible!

That event (and a fast growing headache) brought my day to a close, but I am so happy I was able to attend. I met some great authors (and gathered further proof for my theory that authors are some of the best people on the planet) and heard from those who have succeeded the best advice they could offer. Check the internet for local bookfairs and do yourself a favor if you’re an author or a reader: GO!

And now, please enjoy Jessica Martinez’s beautiful performance of a Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto: