BEA 2007 - book nerd, enhanced.

despite skeptisicm from others, this past weekend i indulged my inner uber nerd. yes ladies and gentlemen, i actually attended a book convention. after much deliberation, i can safely say that book expo america is significantly LESS geeky than a star trek convention, infinitely MORE interesteing than a plastics convention and as expected, MORE buttoned up than a comic book convention.

BEA event director & friend lance fensterman wrangled me into this page turner of an event (oh come on - i couldnt resist!) a few months ago. intrigued by his enthusiasm and promises of a star-studded list of apperances, i agreed to put on my good walking shoes and spend 24+ hours over 3 days in the jacob javits center in midtown manhattan. unknowingly, i also agreed to stand sardine-style in a hot box of miles of aisles of publishers, agents, authors, librarians and enthusiastic professionals.

there were numerous high points to this trip, but i'd prefer to express my feelings in the form of a list:

amazing folks who always go the extra mile: reed expo - lance, steve, diane, marni, nancy, mike, kelly, jen & ed; "locals" - rhett, mindy, johnathan & payel

pub houses & affiliates who never fail to impress me: coffee house press, graywolf press, milkweed editions, algonquin books, source books, independent publishers group

star-studded cast: alan greenspan, stephen colbert, ken burns, lisa see, khaled hosseini, roy blount jr., jennifer egan, john lithgow, tom perrotta, alice sebold, ben karlin, ian mcewan, andrew & elizabeth shue (promoting book version of movie gracie), lynn johnston (for better or for worse), bill amend (foxtrot), gary trudeau (doonsbury), patrick mcdonnell (mutts comic)

bizzare happenings in manhattan: while sipping a beer with mindy, waiting in limbo for a party to start, i noticed a 30-something man carrying a potted palm plant down the street. two beers later i noticed an elderly man leaning entirely too far out his window. said man was apparently naked, or half naked as his large belly covered any evidence of clothing "below the belt". shoes made for walking are not necessarily made for standing in, and vice versa. having the bus not stop to pick you up b/c it's too full, and then beating it to your destination b/c of traffic is mildly exciting and a great distraction method when you're carrying a 30 lb bag.

next year? LA, here i come!