Evening Receptions to Celebrate Main Streets, History, and Free Expression

Hotel ABA's Legends Ballroom is the place to be on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday nights at this year's BookExpo America. That's when three of ABA's Book Sense Publisher Partners are holding receptions featuring food and drink and some of booksellers' favorite authors. These great networking opportunities, open to all ABA members, run from 9:00 p.m. to midnight each evening.

Award-winning author Ann M. Martin will be the guest of honor at Scholastic's Wednesday night "Block Party" celebrating the publication of Welcome to Camden Falls, the first title in her newly launched Main Street series. The party will also celebrate the spirit of Main Streets everywhere, as well as their locally owned stores, business communities, and the associations that support them. In keeping with the Block Party theme, refreshments will include ice cream, popcorn, and other snacks, and the foyer will depict Martin's imagined Main Street in Camden Falls. Guests will receive a Main Street tote bag, including a finished copy of Welcome to Camden Falls, an audio book, information about the My Main Street Book Sense Contest, and five "Ask me about the Main Street Contest" pins. The contest encourages children ages six to 12 years old to submit a painting, drawing, photograph, or written or video essay to participating stores about why their town's main street is special.

A Presidential Memorabilia Exhibit and Reception is on tap Thursday night. The event, sponsored by Collins, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, will feature historians Barry Landau (The President's Table: 200 Years of Dining and Diplomacy, on sale November 2007) and Jordan Wright (Campaigning for President, on sale January 2008) and more than 80 objects from their private collections of presidential memorabilia. One-of-a-kind pieces, including campaign buttons, state dinner menus and seating arrangements, and an original key to the White House, will have booksellers looking at history in a whole new light.

On Friday, Chris Finan, president of the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression and friend to booksellers everywhere, will be feted at "A Publication Celebration!" marking the release of his new Beacon Press title, From the Palmer Raids to the Patriot Act: A History of the Fight for Free Speech in America. The reception, sponsored by Beacon and the Friends of Chris Finan, will be a book signing, an ABFFE Fund Raiser, and dessert party (with coffee, tea, cookies, and fruit) rolled into one.

All ABA members are invited to end their days at the evening receptions, which have become a highlight among the opportunities to network and socialize at BEA.