Welcome to Whoville, Crandall. Glad To See You Left Your Grinch Behind and You Came To Write. #NWPAM14 #NCTE14

Yep, I'm in the Capital. President Snow, I thank you for the train ride from my district in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and for bringing me to the grandiose hoopla of conferences, conventions, and national meetings. The holiday bonanza is a true treat and I love the snow that fell at 9 p.m. during the Christmas lighting ceremony last night before I went to bed. I expected Rudolph and Herbie to come at me with turkish delights and shot glasses, all in the spirit of ol' St. Nick. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Let Nothing Thee Dismay....

Wait? What do you mean I haven't had a slice of pumpkin pie and turkey dressing yet? The Macy's Thanksgiving parade isn't until next week? Whoops. I'm jumping ahead a little.

It's NCTE! It's NWP! It's a location for everyone who loves literacy to come together in Maryland for sessions, conversations, intrigue, and scandal.

Scandal? That's Thursday night, right?

Okay, I admit. I ate fried food last night and it was scandalous. Yet, when in the greater Washington, DC, do as the greater Washington, DC, does. Go to an Irish Pub, order Smithwicks, and then lose all sense of decency. Get the $21 Fish and Chips (and two pints).Yep, I did. And my stomach hurts.

Still, I had enough time to already run into old friends (Jean Wolph of LWP is like finding a unicorn in a forest of angst and frustration - a beautiful site to behold) and I'm looking forward to the next four days of meeting more. Today, I will present on CT-Fairfield Young Adult Literacy Labs and the the OpEd cowritten with the young men participating in the Upward Bound program @FairfieldU. In the evening, I hope to meet with my colleagues who launched the Newtown Poetry Project and to run into more friends who have convened at this location for reading/writing/speaking/
thinking/performing high fives.

Finally, those of you who know me will appreciate that I am actually smiling at this destination. They did not charge us $25 extra a day for wi-fi. Kudos to this year's planners. I'm sure we're paying for it somewhere, but at least I'm not hit with the sticker price when I check in.

These facilities are really beautiful and I feel fortunate I've been invited to be a part of them. Thumbs up so far!!!