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2014 Midwinter Highlights Cognotes • Page 9

Green, Pauley, Sedaris, and Sinek Among All-stars Coming to PLA 2014

The speaker slate is full to the brim for the Public Library Association (PLA) 2014 Conference, March 11 - 15 in Indianapolis. From motivators, to informers, to entertainers, to authors, there's somebody to please everyone on the agenda.

Bookending the conference at the Opening and Closing Sessions are Bryan Stevenson and David Sedaris, respectively. Stevenson is the founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, AL, and his powerful message of equality and social justice will likely resonate with the work of our public library attendees. Fast forward four days, and end the conference on a high note with award-winning and best selling author and humorist Sedaris.

New at PLA 2014 will be the Big Idea Series: invigorating, all-attendee sessions (included in the cost of the conference) featuring thought-provoking speakers and presentations. Thursday morning, Simon Sinek, author of Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action, will kick things off with a bold goal to help build a world in which the vast majority of people go home every day feeling fulfilled by their work. Friday morning will feature three up-and-coming “Big Idea” thinkers: Megan McArdle (The Up Side of Down: Why Failing Well Is the Key to Success); David McRaney (You Are Now Less Dumb: How to Conquer Mob Mentality, How to Buy Happiness, and All the Other Ways to Outsmart Yourself); and Clive Thompson (Smarter Than You Think: How Technology is Changing Our Minds for the Better). The series will wrap up on Saturday morning with Time magazine “Game Changer” Amy Cuddy. She'll show attendees how to channel nonverbal behavior into persuasive leadership, by demonstrating that physical posture not only affects how others see you, but also how you see yourself. It affects hormone levels, performance, and important life outcomes.

PLA Conference is also known for its popular author events - several lunches and a special dinner that bring attendees close to some of their favorite wordsmiths. Special registration is required for these events. The Author Lunches include:

Opening Lunch with Richard Ford (Canada, Bascombe trilogy) on Wednesday, March 12

Adult Author Lunch with Jane Pauley (Your Life Calling: Reimagining the Rest of Your Life) on Thursday, March 13

Children's Author Lunch with Brad Meltzer (I Am Amelia Earhart, The Inner Circle) on Thursday, March 13

Adult Author Lunch with Craig Johnson (Walt Longmire mystery series) and Lisa Unger (Fragile, Heartbroken) on Friday, March 14

Young Adult Author Lunch with John Green (Looking for Alaska, The Fault in Our Stars) on Friday, March 14

And once again, the Audio Publishers Association Dinner on Thursday, March 13, brings together three best selling authors and one award-winning narrator. Guests include Mary Kay Andrews (The Fixer Upper, Savannah Breeze); Andre Dubus III (Townie, House of Sand and Fog), Katherine Kellgren (2011 Booklist Voice of Choice), and Walter Mosley (Little Green, Devil in a Blue Dress).

Offered biennially, the PLA Conference is the premier event for public libraries. Registration and housing is now open. For more information about PLA, contact the PLA office at (800) 545-2433, ext. 5PLA, or visit PLA's website at www.pla.org.

The following 2014 Midwinter attendees have won prizes that will make their 2014 ALA Annual Conference visit even better. Winners include Kathy Short, Michael Ciccone, Barry Baker, Walter Betts, Mary Lou Sowden, Allison Kaplan, Robert Schnare, Bruce Whitham, Stephanie Beverage, William Paullin, Wendy Lukehart, and Jane Marino. If you are a winner, ALA Conference Services will contact you about your prize.

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