rgz NYC HOST: Summer Fun is Underway!

Your NYC HOST, Micol, is here today! Yay! Here she is:

I can’t believe that summer only officially began last week – here in NYC, we’ve been getting bookish for ages now – and that’s a good thing! I have tons and tons to fill you in on:

Book Expo 2010 kicked off nearly a month ago, and in addition to taking in major info overload on the Expo floor, I also attended a Meet the Booksellers party at one of my fave indie bookstores, Books of Wonder. While there I chatted with author Shani Petroff, who was days away from turning in the third book in her Bedeviled series. Can’t wait to read it!

Another highlight of BEA week was the 2010 Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPYs), where So Punk Rock was honored with a silver medal! Shiny!

I had the chance to break from the convention for coffee with Andrew Karre, the brilliant editor who first acquired Punk Rock over at Flux. Andrew is now working as Editorial Director for CarolrhodaLab Books ], and his launch list – due out in fall – looks edgy and intense and all things awesome!

Later that week, it was back to Books of Wonder for a panel featuring chapter book authors and illustrators.

I had a blast hearing about the interplay between text and art, and fell in love with the new series, Frankly, Frannie, about a little girl who wants nothing more than to have a real, grown-up job. Anyone hiring? Franny is written by A.J. Stern, pictured here with her extended publishing family.

Every month in NYC, author/editor/wunderkind David Levithan morganizes a Teen Author Reading Night at the New York Public Library, and finally, in June, I was able to attend! So many amazing new releases, so little time...but let me tell you, I’m getting my hands on Little Blog on the Prairie, by Cathleen Davitt, stat! (I never did quite outgrow my Laura Ingalls Wilder phase.)

Finally, June also saw the release of fellow Vermont College-er Jessica Leader’s Nice and Mean, and she came all the way up north to celebrate in style! We feted Jess at Bank Street Books, where she signed books and socialized with her adoring fans (see below).

Yup, summer is in full swing here in New York City, and it looks like the fun times are still heating up. Next up – July 4th weekend and catching up on my reading, of course!

See you soon!