Opening Keynote – Kate DiCamillo, "Owning the Power of Stories, Harnessing the Power of Connection"

With a message to independent booksellers to more fully embrace their role as centers of community literacy, Kate DiCamillo will offer ideas about how to build business through stories and connection.  As the 2016 National Summer Reading Champion and an ambassador emeritus for children’s literature, Kate knows the important role booksellers serve as cultural institutions in their communities, as beacons of education and literacy, and as places of connection for readers of all ages.  With a love for children’s books that began as an indie bookseller herself, and having toiled for several years as a writer before receiving her first acceptance, Kate can relate to the incredible challenges booksellers face in their day to day operations, but choose to persevere with the same grit and determination she has shown throughout her career.