Children’s Institute to Feature Three TED Talk Speakers

To provide booksellers with a wide range of educational opportunities at this April’s Children’s Institute in San Antonio, Texas, the ABC Children’s Group at ABA has planned two focused, 45-minute talks and an hour-long education session that will feature leading experts in their fields.

Graphic designer and author Chip Kidd, author and social media expert Austin Kleon, and professional storyteller Anastasia McKenna are among the presenters who will be sharing their expertise with booksellers at the institute.

“Booksellers will be there for one day, so we wanted to pack as much into it as possible,” said ABA Senior Program Officer Joy Dallanegra Sanger. “We’re trying something new with our scheduling and are bringing in these compelling speakers as a way to add more value to this event. It’s going to be a jam-packed day.”

Here are the details about the April 7 sessions featuring Kidd, Kleon, and McKenna.

Featured Talk With Chip Kidd: 10:10 a.m. – 10:55 a.m.

Award-winning graphic designer Chip Kidd’s 2012 TED Talk was titled “Designing Books Is No Laughing Matter.” At Children’s Institute, he will bring to life many of the ideas from his recent book, Go: A Kidd’s Guide to Graphic Design (Workman), and discuss a number of dynamic and interesting design projects for curious children that bookstores can offer as authorless events. With playful explanations of color, form, and other basic elements, Kidd will also share design ideas for bookstores.

Engaging Your Audience Through Social Media, With Austin Kleon: 2:25 p.m. – 3:25 p.m.

Austin Kleon, bestselling author of Steal Like an Artist and Show Your Work! (Workman) and a keynote speaker at the 2014 SXSW Interactive Festival, will talk with bookseller Julie Wernersbach of Austin’s BookPeople. His 2012 TED Talk, “Steal Like an Artist,” is a creative manifesto, and at the Children’s Institute, Kleon will present strategies for building an audience, promoting and growing your business, and connecting with your community of book buyers in the age of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, bloggers, and the digital space.

Featured Talk With Anastasia McKenna: 4:45 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Anastasia McKenna, a bookseller at The Twig Book Shop in San Antonio and a traveling children’s storyteller, gave a 2013 TED Talk on the art of storytelling and the magic of storytime, titled “Stories, Not Just for Bedtime Anymore!“  McKenna — known to children as “Miss Anastasia” — will discuss with booksellers how to host a lively and entertaining storytime, on a budget and with limited staff.

Registration for the Children’s Institute, which kicks off in the evening on April 6 with an opening plenary and reception, is open to booksellers at all ABA member stores. The conference fee is $79 per person and is nonrefundable. A maximum of three registrants are allowed per member business. To learn more about Children’s Institute programming and to register, visit BookWeb.org/ci2014.

The Children’s Institute host hotel is the DoubleTree by Hilton San Antonio Downtown Hotel, located at 502 West Cesar E. Chavez Blvd. in San Antonio. The ABA group rate, which is subject to availability, is $119 for singles and doubles from April 4 through April 11. Reservations must be made before March 7 and must be booked directly with the hotel. The DoubleTree by Hilton’s reservation number is (800) 560-7753, or rooms can be booked online through the hotel’s special CI reservation page. An ABA group code is required; see BookWeb’s Children’s Institute hotel information page for details.