June is Audiobook Month and ALA Annual! We’re heading down to the Big Easy to celebrate the many ways that audiobooks make it so EASY to combine our love of reading with our favorite summer activities. Stop by BOT in the Penguin Random House booth #2041 to pick up the perfect swag for audiobook lovers: Listen while you knit with our free pouches —perfect for needles and yarn, listen while you garden with phone fans, or press pause on a too-busy day with meditative listens and a stress ball. Find these giveaways, audio inspiration for displays, and much more in our booth—and be sure to mark your calendars with the exciting ALA audio activities below! We’ll see you in New Orleans! Psst—Tell us what you’re listening to en route by tweeting @BOTLibrary.
Events and Panels:
ODYSSEY AWARDS
Monday June 25, 3:30 – 5:30 pm
Morial Convention Center, Rm 265-268
No Ticket Required
Celebrate the best in audiobooks produced for children and young adults at the annual presentation of the Odyssey Award. See your favorite narrators perform a piece from their award-winning audiobooks at this engaging event. Reception follows ceremony. All attendees receive a FREE audio!
Do you offer our award winners The Book of Dust by Philip Pullman read by Michael Sheen and A Boy Called Christmas by Matt Haig, read by Stephen Fry? Learn more about them here.
RUSA LITERARY TASTES: Celebrating the Best of the Year Sunday, June 24, 8 – 10 am
Morial Convention Center, Rm 218-219
***Ticketed Event***
What could be better than signed books and breakfast? Join your fellow readers and listeners to meet some of the year’s best authors from RUSA’s book and media award winners and Best of Lists plus a famed audiobook narrator! Featured panelists include author Thi Bui (The Best We Could Do) and award-winning narrator, Scott Brick (Dead Wake), Kathleen Rooney (Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk), Seanan McGuire (Down Among the Sticks and Bones), Alyssa Cole (An Extraordinary Union), and Jason Fagone (The Woman Who Smashed Codes). Panelists will discuss their works and the craft of writing and narrating as well as sign books/audio immediately following the event.
PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE BOOK AND AUDIO BUZZSunday, June 24, 11:30 am – 12:30 pm
Morial Convention Center, Rm 279-280
Join the Library Marketing and BOT Teams to get the scoop on the hottest titles, enjoy New Orleans refreshments like hurricanes and beignets, and grab one of Penguin Random House Library’s amazing tote bags! RSVP here 
THE ART OF AUDIOBOOK NARRATION Sunday, June 24, 2:30 – 3:30 pm
Morial Convention Center, Rm 289
No Ticket Required
The interest in audiobooks has reached an all-time high, as evidenced by the enthusiasm for public libraries’ digital download and physical collections. RUSA presents this panel featuring Mary Burkey, recipient of the Louis Shore Award for outstanding audiobook reviewing and audiobook columnist for ALA’s Booklist, Renee Young, NoveList’s audiobook appeal factor expert, Dan Zitt, GRAMMY-winning producer and VP of Content Production at Penguin Random House Audio, and Scott Brick, award-winning audiobook narrator. Free earbuds for the first 75 attendees!
REBEL GIRLS QUOTE CARD GIVEAWAYSaturday, June 23, 10 am
Penguin Random House booth #2041
Signing Area — Table 3
Declare yourself a rebel librarian and inspire patrons of all ages with these beautiful Rebel Girls quote cards! Featuring the words of fierce female celebrity narrators from the June 19th audio arrival of the bestselling bedtime books, Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls 1 & 2, these are colorful cards you’ll want to collect (while supplies last).
FAIRY TALE POSTER SIGNINGSaturday, June 23, 2 – 3 pm
Penguin Random House booth #2041
Signing Area — Table 3
Get our dreamy exclusive audiobook poster from our F. Murray Abraham-led production of Hans Christian Andersen’s Fairy Tales signed by the illustrator Leuyen Pham.
NARRATOR SCOTT BRICK AUDIO SIGNINGSaturday, June 23, 4 – 5 pm
Penguin Random House booth #2041
Signing Area — Table 4
Meet award-winning narrator Scott Brick and receive a FREE signed copy of Tom Clancy’s Power and Empire.
Series praise:
“The reading of Scott Brick is simply splendid. The richness of his performance makes for a great audiobook.”—Library Journal
Friday, June 22, 4 – 5:30 pm
Morial Convention Center, Exhibit Hall F
Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden to Moderate A Conversation with former First Lady
NARRATOR NEWS: Michelle Obama will narrate the audio edition of Becoming, arriving November 13, 2018.
Closing General Session: Viola DavisTuesday, June 26, 10 – 11:30 am
Morial Convention Center, New Orleans Theater B
Viola Davis will close the 2018 Annual Conference as she discusses her children’s book, Corduroy Takes a Bow.
Arriving on audio September 4, 2018. Narrator to be announced soon!
