Richard Peck|2013 National Book Festival

In September I was in Washington D.C., which some of you might know, was when the Library Of Congress National Book Festival was. Several lovely authors were there, and I was excited to be able to slide in on a few presentations, one of which was Richard Peck's. I have always been a huge Richard Peck fan, and so of course when I saw him on the line-up list, I had to go see him speak.

Just to give you who have never before this minute have heard of Richard Peck, here is a quick blurb about him from the Scholastic website:

Richard Peck has written over twenty novels, and in the process has become one of America's most highly respected writers for young adults. A versatile writer, he is beloved by middle graders as well as young adults for his mysteries and coming-of-age novels. He now lives in New York City. In addition to writing, he spends a great deal of time traveling around the country attending speaking engagements at conferences, schools and libraries...

Mr. Peck has won a number of major awards for the body of his work, including the Margaret A. Edwards Award from School Library Journal, the National Council of Teachers of English/ALAN Award, and the 1991 Medallion from the University of Southern Mississippi. Virtually every publication and association in the field of children s literature has recommended his books, including Mystery Writers of America which twice gave him their Edgar Allan Poe Award. 

Here are some of my favorite quotes from his presentation:

"Writers have three lives.

One that stays at home and listens for voices in an empty room,

One that markets their books

And one that goes out and looks for a story."

"Humor is anger that went to finishing school."

"The writer's best tool is viewpoint. It's not what is happening, it's what you think is happening."

"A story is always about something that never happened to a writer. If it happened to you nobody else cares."

Mr. Richard Peck!

Mr. Peck was an absolutely fabulous speaker, he was hilarious but also made us tear up (just a little bit) . He isn't as young as he used to be, but he was very animated, and had a very good sense of style. Sadly, he dressed better than me. If you haven't read any of his books, I highly recommend that you do. A Year Down Yonder is one of my favorite books, which he won a Newberry medal for. Not to mention it was a sequel. I mean, who wins a Newberry for a sequel?! Yes, that's just how fabulous he is. 

The thing that was really incredible about the Festival to me was that everywhere I went, there were people that love books, that love reading, that were there for to support their favorite authors. You could sit down beside anyone and strike up a conversation just because you knew they liked to read. And how amazing is that? 

There was an electric feeling running through the air, and everywhere you could hear snippets of conversation floating around.

And guess what everyone was talking about?

Books. 

It felt so magical, like I was in another world. A world of books and words, where everything was familiar, but at the same time, new. So what about you? Have you ever been to a book Festival? Did you feel the magic too? And, if you haven't ever had the chance to attend one, what is the one author that you've always wanted to meet?