CLOSING GENERAL SESSION
TUESDAY, JUNE 26, 9:30 am - 11:00 am – Closing General Session and Inaugural Event
New this year ALA President Molly Raphael will pass the gavel with the announcement of the 2012-2013 ALA President Maureen Sullivan and Division Presidents.
J.R. MARTINEZ
Long before J.R. Martinez won legions of fans as the 2011 winner of Dancing With the Stars, he was inspiring audiences of all kinds with his remarkable story. While serving in Iraq in 2003, the Humvee he was driving hit a land mine leaving J.R. trapped inside the burning vehicle. Suffering smoke inhalation and severe burns to over 40% of his body, J.R. spent the next 34 months in recovery, undergoing 33 different surgeries, including skin grafts and cosmetic surgery. J.R. decided to use his experience to help others, visiting with several of the patients in the hospital, sharing his story and listening to theirs. J.R. started to get noticed by the national media as he began speaking at events all over the country. His message of resilience and optimism inspired a wide variety of organizations, from corporations to veterans groups and schools. While J.R.’s experience was certainly difficult, he credits it for the life he is living today. J.R.’s new book Full of Heart will be released November 2012.
Sponsored by Hyperion Books
PRESIDENT’S PROGRAM AND ALA AWARDS PRESENTATIONS
New in 2012 the President’s Program will also include presentations of ALA Awards. Join ALA President Molly Raphael for this expanded and enhanced afternoon celebrating ALA award winners.
JODI PICOULT & SAMANTHA VAN LEER
SUNDAY, JUNE 24, 3:30 – 5:30 pm
Jodi Picoult is the author of eighteen novels, including the #1 New York Times bestsellers House Rules, Handle With Care, Change of Heart, Nineteen Minutes, and My Sister’s Keeper. Her new book, Lone Wolf, comes out in February 2012, and her first YA novel, Between the Lines, written with her daughter Samantha Van Leer, comes out in June 2012. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband and three children. Visit her website at www.jodipicoult.com.
Samantha Van Leer is a junior in high school, who conceived the idea for Between the Lines and pitched it to her mom while she was in the middle of a book tour. In her spare time, she can be found playing softball, doing contemporary dance, acting and singing in musicals, and cuddling on the ground with her two dogs, Dudley and Oliver—for whom the prince in this fairytale was named.
Sponsored by Simon & Schuster
WWW.ALAANNUAL.ORG ALA ANNUAL CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION / PRELIMINARY PROGRAM 5
