Emil Ferris among featured authors at United for Libraries’ ‘First Author’ panel at ALA Annual

BRYN MAWR, Pennsylvania — Emil Ferris (“My Favorite Thing is Monsters”) will be among the featured authors at United for Libraries’ “First Author, First Book panel from 3-4 p.m. on Sunday, June 25 at the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago.

Joining Ferris will be C. Morgan Babst, Devin Murphy, Sarah Shoemaker, and Gregory Scott Katsoulis. A book signing will follow. The panel will be moderated by Barbara Hoffert, editor of Library Journal's Prepub Alert.

Emil Ferris (“My Favorite Thing is Monsters,” Fantagraphics/W.W. Norton & Co., Feb. 2017) grew up in Chicago during the turbulent 1960s. In a previous life, she was an illustrator and toy sculptor for a diverse range of clients. She has an MFA from the Art Institute of Chicago. In 2010, Ferris was made a Toby Devan Lewis Fellow in the Visual Arts. 

C. Morgan Babst (“The Floating World,” Algonquin, Oct. 2017) was born and raised in New Orleans and studied writing at Yale. She and her family evacuated New Orleans one day before Hurricane Katrina made landfall. Eleven years later, she returned home to New Orleans to build a life with her husband and young daughter.

Devin Murphy (“The Boat Runner,” Harper Perennial/HarperCollins, Sept. 2017) grew up near Buffalo, N.Y., in a family with Dutch roots. He holds an MFA from Colorado State University, a PhD from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and is an assistant professor of creative writing at Bradley University. 

Sarah Shoemaker (“Mr. Rochester,” Grand Central Publishing/Hachette, May 2017) is a former university librarian and currently lives in northern Michigan.

Gregory Scott Katsoulis (“All Right Reserved,” Harlequin TEEN, Harlequin, Aug. 2017) is a writer, photographer, composer, lapsed cartoonist and, generally ridiculous.

This program will be held at McCormick Place West, W196c. For a detailed listing of United for Libraries programs at the ALA Annual Conference, as well as information on purchasing tickets and registering, visit www.ala.org/united/annual.

United for Libraries: The Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations, is a division of the American Library Association with approximately 4,000 personal and group members representing hundreds of thousands of library supporters. United for Libraries supports those who govern, promote, advocate, and fundraise for libraries, and brings together library Trustees, advocates, Friends, and Foundations into a partnership that creates a powerful force for libraries in the 21st century. To join, please visit www.ala.org/united or call (800) 545-2433, ext. 2161.

Ways to stay in touch and get updates include: Annual Conference website; Twitter (@alaac and #alaac17), Facebook Event, Pinterest, Tumblr, Instagram (#alaac17).

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