Kidlit Con 2010: Building a Real Community

Print |

Reprint/License |

Subscription |

RSS |

By Elizabeth Burns, SLJ Blogger October 28, 2010

"The Internet doesn't care where you live. It completely levels the playing field." With those words, keynote speaker Maggie Stiefvater began last weekend's fourth annual Kidlitosphere Conference, held at Open Book (home of The Loft Literary Center) in Minneapolis, MN.

kidlit(Original Import) Stiefvater, a blogger and author of the New York Times best-seller Shiver (Scholastic, 2009), spoke about the eight rules of blogging, from the reminder that "blogging is a conversation" to "blog writers should be blog readers."

She gave 100 attendees insight into having a blogging persona ("Maggie online is Maggie—but it is 10 percent Maggie, not a 100 percent Maggie") and words of wisdom: "Don't blog sick, tired, or drunk."

Stiefvater lives in Virginia and, as she explained, her home is not in a cool, artsy part of Virginia. Blogging gives her a platform to connect with her audience and work with other authors. Her critique group, which includes Brenna Yovanoff, author of The Replacement (Razorbill, 2010) and Tess Gratton, who wrote Blood Magic (Random House, 2011), met over the Internet and communicate primarily via email and chats. They also collaborate on short stories that are shared online at The Merry Sisters of Fate. This, despite living in three different states. An author—or blogger—doesn't have to live in New York City in order to be part of the conversation, she says.

Kidlit Con 2010 was well attended and drew people from a variety of backgrounds, from archaeologist Charlotte Taylor of Charlotte's Library and stay-at-home mom Mia Wenjen of Pragmatic Mom to publishers, authors, and illustrators. People drove from Minneapolis and St. Paul and flew in from Montana, Kansas, California, and Rhode Island. While geography and occupation varied, everyone shared an interest in children's and young adult literature and blogging in what has become known as the "kidlitosphere," a term coined by author and blogger Melissa Wiley in 2006.

Panels for the day ranged from the practical and technical aspects of blogging ("Blog Platforms and Best Practices" by Lerner Publishing Group's Ryan Bickett and "Blogging in Learning Communities" by Valerie Struthers Walker of Gustavus Adolphus College) to content ("The Best of the Backlist" by Taylor, Melissa Wiley of Here in the Bonny Glen, Jen Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page, and Carol Rasco of Rasco from RIF; and "Poetry Friday" by Mary Lee Hahn of A Year of Reading, Laura Purdie Salas, Mary Anne Scheuer, Toby Speed, and Amy VanDerwater). As the names and affiliations show, the kidlitosphere embraces publishing and university professionals as well as those whose knowledge is shown from the quality of their online blog posts.

From left: Tessa Gratton, Brenna Yovanoff, and Maggie Stiefvater (aka "The Merry Sisters of Fates") at Kidlit Con 2010.

The Kidlitisphere Conference began as a potluck dinner in Chicago in 2007 and retains its grass roots feel by taking place in different areas of the country, with local bloggers handling on-site arrangements with input from other bloggers. Minneapolis marked the first time that the local organizers were also publishers: Andrew Karre (Carolrhoda), Ben Barnhart (Milkweed Editions), and Brian Farrey (Flux). In addition, HarperCollins provided a lunch for all attendees.

Participants came for a variety of reasons: they wanted information about how to begin blogging or how to be more effective bloggers, and they were looking to meet the people they knew on-line. As Book Nut blogger Melissa Fox said, she wanted "to put faces to names and enjoy conversations in real life. The panels and conversations are interesting and enlightening and it makes you want to be a better blogger."

Local author attendees included Swati Avasthi, author of Split (Knopf, 2010) and Susan Marie Swanson, who wrote The House in the Night (Houghton, 2008). Avasthi, along with Michele Corriel, Janet Fox, and Jacqueline Houtman, spoke about blog touring, and Swanson was on the "Poetry Friday" panel.

This was Swanson's first Kidlit Con, and she came "looking to answer the question, who do I want to be online?" Swanson, like many other attendees, was equally comfortable on both sides of the table, speaking knowledgably about one area and listening to learn more about others.

Illustrator Nina Crittendon just had her first book published, Cedric and the Dragon (Elva Resa Publishing, 2010), and journeyed to the event to be "part of the community." While Janet Fox, author of Faithful (Penguin, 2009) came away from the day realizing she needed to "define who her audience is, perhaps redefine my message, and add teen appeal."

Others were looking for more information on specific blogging issues and questions. Michele Corriel, author of Fairview Felines: A Newspaper Mystery (Blooming Tree Press, 2010), has a website and blog, as well as a Twitter and Facebook presence. She wanted to know, "am I using these to the best of my ability?" and participated in the "MG Blogging in the YA Blogosphere" panel, asking both on the panel and during the breaks, "where are the middle grade book blogs?"

Future Kidlit Cons will be held in Seattle in 2011 and New York City in 2012. Camille Powell of Book Moot, who attended the first conference, said, "I can't get over the difference in the conversation we're having now and four years ago. There has been a real growth and evolution in the community."

Disclaimer: As a kidlit blogger since 2005, Elizabeth Burns has been involved with three of the past four Kidlit Cons. In Minneapolis, she was on two panels, one on Pro Blogging and one on the Kidlitosphere and the Cybils Awards.

This article originally appeared in the newsletter Extra Helping. Go here to subscribe.