 2023 Keynotes & EventsThe 2023 ARSL Conference will have four days packed full of engaging keynotes and events. All of this year's keynotes will be simultaneously presented live to in-person attendees and livestreamed to virtual attendees. In-person keynote events will include a plated meal (breakfast, lunch, or brunch) which is included in the cost of registration. More keynote speakers will be added once their times are confirmed! Wednesday, September 20Meet & Greet Reception | 7:30-9:00 PM | Advanced Learning Library
Catch up with your ARSL community, make new connections, and enjoy catered snacks and a no-host bar at our kickoff celebration! Transportation Information: Thursday, September 21
Welcome Breakfast with Will Stuck | 8:00–9:30 amWill Stuck has been a storyteller for as long as he's been able to speak, but these days he rarely gets sent to a principal's office for doing so. Will worked in public libraries for 24 years with the last 18 in or managing children's services. His work wasn't limited to the youngest library patrons though, as he planned and performed programs for all ages both in the library and throughout northwest Missouri. Will became a full time professional speaker, workshop presenter, and "edu-tainer" in 2017, presenting for state libraries, conferences, and staff events. No matter the audience, his passion for stories, books, and libraries shines through. Will spends his down time creating wonderful memories with his wife and two children, painting murals, and playing bass guitar in a punk/metal band.
Lunch & Town Hall on Intellectual Freedom | 1:00–2:15 pmJoin Deborah Caldwell-Stone and advocates from ARSL in a town hall-style discussion on the rise of censorship attempts nationwide and what we, as small and rural libraries, can be doing to prepare and respond. Deborah Caldwell-Stone is Director of ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom and Executive Director of the Freedom to Read Foundation. For over twenty years she has worked closely with library professionals and library trustees on a wide range of intellectual freedom issues related to library service in the United States. She has served on the faculty of the ALA-sponsored Lawyers for Libraries and Law for Librarians workshops and is a contributor to the 10th edition of the Intellectual Freedom Manual. She has contributed articles on law, policy, and intellectual freedom to American Libraries and other publications. Brandy Sanchez is a librarian, certified leadership coach, and founder of the SoulFire Collective, an online learning community dedicated to supporting librarians' well-being in the workplace. She has devoted her 20-year career to training development for both patrons and staff. In collaboration with the Center for Trauma Informed Innovation, Brandy has designed library-specific training on trauma informed supervision. Patrick Bodily (moderator) is the Library Director at the Independence Public Library in Independence, Oregon, and is currently serving as the Vice President/President-Elect for the Association for Rural and Small Libraries. In his free time, he enjoys exploring the Pacific Northwest, working on his ever expanding “To Be Read” pile, and baking sourdough bread with somewhat consistent results Rural Library Network Mix & Mingle – The Monarch | 5:30-7:00 pm CTSponsored by Partners for Rural Impact and Save the Children. Rural Library Network Mix & Mingle will take place at The Monarch located at 579 W. Douglas. Please join your fellow colleagues in-person and enjoy libations and appetizers together. Giveaways for the first 25 Rural Library Network member attendees. EveryLibrary Party | 7:30-10:30pm CTJoin EveryLibrary for their Thursday Night ARSL Party again this year! Enjoy a fun night of games, networking, and seeing old and new friends at the Chicken N Pickle. This event will sell out so get your tickets now, which include an open bar, appetizers, and games. We look forward to seeing your pickleball skills in action! Friday, September 22
Breakfast & Keynote with Adib Khorram | 8:00–9:30 amAdib Khorram is the author of DARIUS THE GREAT IS NOT OKAY, which earned the William C. Morris Debut Award, the Asian/Pacific American Award for Young Adult Literature, and a Boston Globe–Horn Book Honor, as well as a multitude of other honors and accolades. His followup, DARIUS THE GREAT DESERVES BETTER, received three starred reviews, was an Indie Bestseller, and received a Stonewall Honor. His latest novel, KISS & TELL, received four starred reviews. His debut picture book, SEVEN SPECIAL SOMETHINGS: A NOWRUZ STORY was released in 2021. When he isn’t writing, you can find him learning to do a Lutz jump, practicing his handstands, or steeping a cup of oolong. He lives in Kansas City, Missouri, where people don’t usually talk about themselves in the third person.You can find him on Twitter (@adibkhorram), Instagram (@adibkhorram), or on the web at adibkhorram.com. Tyler Hahn (moderator) is a Library Director in Northwestern Iowa. Having previously served as a college librarian and youth services librarian, he brings a diverse range of experience to his current role. Tyler co-chairs ARSL's Advocacy Committee, was elected as the ARSL Board's Midwestern Representative beginning in 2024, and also serves on his state library association board. His research interests focus on leveraging education technology to enhance library services and emphasizing connected learning and collaboration within the library environment. ARSL Awards Lunch | 1:00–2:30 pmHelp us celebrate the people who make the small and rural library community so special! All attendees are invited to celebrate the innovations and accomplishments of our 2023 ARSL Award winners, including the Solo Librarian of the Year, Equity Champion Award, Innovative Service Award, and Distinguished Service Award. ARSL Trivia Night Fundraiser | 7:00–9:00 pmWhat’s the collective noun for a group of librarians having a great time? Join as at Trivia Night to flex your knowledge of all things trivial, win the admiration of your colleagues, and support the ARSL Scholarship Fund! Teams will be limited to 8 people. If you arrive in a small group or solo, we’ll join you up with a larger team. We'll play two games of three rounds each. Admittance is by donation, with a suggested minimum of $10. Saturday, September 23
Brunch & Panel Conversation – From Page to Portal: Voices of FantasyOriginally from Kansas City, Charlotte Nicole Davis (any/all) moved to NYC to get their MFA in Writing for Children from The New School. They’ve been living and working in the city ever since. Whether writing about found family and female rage in a western gothic fantasy, about gender euphoria and second chances in a cybernetic near-future, or about dark secrets and twisted traditions in a picture-perfect suburb, the one thing Charlotte is committed to in all their stories is creating characters that Queer and Black kids can call family in worlds that they can call home. Anna-Marie McLemore (they/them) writes stories as queer, Latine, and trans as they are. They are the author of William C. Morris Debut Award Finalist The Weight of Feathers; Wild Beauty; Blanca & Roja, one of Time Magazine’s 100 Best Fantasy Novels of All Time; Indie Next List title Dark and Deepest Red; Lakelore, an NECBA Windows & Mirrors title; and National Book Award longlist selections When the Moon Was Ours, which was also a Stonewall Honor Book; The Mirror Season; and Self-Made Boys: A Great Gatsby Remix. Venom & Vow, co-authored with Elliott McLemore, is out in May 2023 from Feiwel & Friends, and their adult debut The Influencers is forthcoming from Dial Press in 2024.
Britney S. Lewis (she/her) is the Kansas Notable Award-Winning author of The Undead Truth of Us. She was born and raised in Kansas City, Kansas, where she fell in love with the idea that magic moved and breathed in our world. After getting her Bachelor of Arts and Science degree, she worked in marketing and communications for a few years before accepting a position as an editor for greeting cards, where her job is to make sure to get the best words on paper. When she isn't daydreaming about new stories, Britney can be found watching TV shows with her husband and pup or practicing West Coast Swing in one of her local dance studios. The Dark Place is her sophomore novel.
Megan Bannen (she/her) is an award-winning author of speculative fiction, including The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy, Soulswift, and The Bird and the Blade. In addition to her many years working as a public librarian, she has sold luggage, written grants, and taught English at home and abroad. In her spare time, she apparently enjoys collecting graduate degrees from various Kansas universities. Megan lives in the Kansas City area with her family and more pets than is reasonable.
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