By Lydia Frankenburger
 
Not long before I attended the 2019 ALA Midwinter Conference I saw #ownvoices on a list for types to book to read for the year, which made me reflect about the books I get for my high school. Am I getting books that my students identify with?  I like to think I am, but I need to make sure I am more conscious about it. I should add that a month or so before seeing the hashtag one of my big fantasy readers pointed out that he was not seeing any new fantasy books with a male protagonist. Because of this conversation, I searched for more recently published fantasy books with a male protagonist, which I found is not easy. I also connected the student with one of my favorite fantasy books, The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss, which he loved, but I digress.
 
When I saw that there was a session featuring #ownvoices authors I knew ...(CLICK HERE to continue reading)

By Lydia Frankenberger

Rick Steves, American travel writer, advocate, and TV personality was one of the auditorium speakers during the 2019 ALA Midwinter.  He spoke for over 75 minutes about his travels in Europe, especially related to his book, Travel as a Political Act. One thing he spoke about was concerning current issues such as world trade, the environment, and the opioid epidemic where America’s views or solutions differ from much of the rest of the world’s. (Click here to continue reading)