My love affair with libraries began early. From the beginning of elementary school, my favorite activity wasn’t recess, nor was it art or music class. My favorite activity was that one hour we would get each day to visit the library. I loved walking through aisle after aisle, running my fingers along the worn spines of books displaying the names of authors — from Roald Dahl to R.L. Stine.

 If I couldn’t find the exact book I wanted, I didn’t hestiate to ask our librarian for help. I used to believe that she was born with a permanent smile on her face and the magical ability to read books aloud perfectly. With each recommendation she gave, her love for literature was contagious. Since then, every librarian I have encountered shows a similar passion for books and reading.  Although they are acknowledged infrequently, it is their hard work that turns libraries from mere buildings into fantastical, comforting places that become a second home and a quiet escape.

For all library and librarian lovers out there, the American Library Association, the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the New York Times are accepting submissions for their I Love My Librarian Award. From now until September 12, you can nominate a librarian in a school library, public library or college/community college/university library. Up to ten winners will be selected and receive a $5,000 cash award, a plaque and $500 travel stipend to attend an awards reception in New York hosted by The New York Times. 

If you are interested in learning more about libraries, I encourage you to check out Marilyn Johnson. Dubbed the “library sciences heroine” by the Philadelphia Free Library, Johnson celebrates libraries and librarians as essential players in the information age in her book This Book Is Overdue! How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All (Harper). She has become a sought after keynote speaker at library associations and conferences, libraries, and universities.

We told you that this time things would be different on our blog and we’re keeping our promise. We want to bring you closer to the authors you love by showing you another side of them — their public speaking side. This is the first of what we hope to become a series on Podium 53…Q&As with your favorite authors.

So a little background: I graduated from the College of Charleston in South Carolina. Graduation day can be really nervewracking. I was lucky enough to have a graduation speaker who knew exactly how to calm our nerves — Dorothea “Dottie” Benton Frank. I was able to talk with Dottie and find out her experience being a graduation speaker. Oh, I almost forgot to mention that her son was a part of our graduating class! Did that make things easier? Let’s find out…

1. What was your first thought when the College of Charleston asked you to speak at graduation?

When the CofC asked me to speak at Will’s graduation I was thrilled and honored as any parent would be. But when I realized how emotional I would be watching my son graduate I became terrified. I didn’t want to burst out into tears and mortify him. Usually when I speak I don’t know many people in the crowd but on this occasion my entire family would be there. So I did what I could to control my anxiety by over-preparing. That ten minute talk was finished a month before the date.

2. Did the fact that your son was a part of the graduating class make giving the speech easier or harder?

The fact that William was in the crowd was great. I remember looking at his face and feeling this was a very special day for us — mother and son. I went over the talk with him because I didn’t want to say anything that would embarrass him. He was very cool about the entire event and even said how proud he was of me. More than once. Of course, I told him the same thing about a thousand times. But to your question, it was harder. It’s one thing to talk about your work but it’s another to deliver a talk that will entertain graduates and their families alike — varied generations.

3. Any advice for those who are afraid to speak publicly?

My advice is to prepare and practice and to remember that the people listening to you want you to do well. There’s nothing worse than an unprepared speaker. Pick out a friendly face on both sides of the room and play to them. And stay in the moment. When your adrenalin starts pumping, tell yourself to calm down and listen to every word that’s being spoken. Modulate your talk to advance with place to pause and take a breath. Relax and be yourself.

4. Did you face any pressures in trying to make your speech different and original from the typical graduation speech?

I listened to about fifty  commencement speeches on the internet and then decided the ones I liked the best were the ones where the speakers spoke from their hearts. Who wants to listen to somebody go on and on about how accomplished they are? What graduates want to know is how you got where you are. So talking about things like taking risks and maintaing personal credibility are very important.

5. You used a lot of humor in your speech. How do you determine when is the best time to use humor?

I use humor all the time. The best time to use it is when you want people to listen. Humor is an underrated but very powerful tool.

We would like to once again thank Dottie for her time and thoughtful answers!

To learn more about Dottie and her latest New York Times bestseller Folly Beach, go here.

Okay, I’ll admit it. There was a time when I hated public speaking. I know, what an unusual thing to despise! Most people don’t like public speaking. If you’re someone who wants your heart to be fast, your palms to get clammy and your anxiety to be in full-force, then public speaking may be for you!

The way I got over public speaking was through a college course I was required to take. My first speech wasn’t a total trainwreck, but you wouldn’t mistake me for Aristotle either. After lots and lots of practicing, hours of listening to the Rocky theme song prior to class, and self-motivation, my last speech was a success.

Everyone has their own way of calming public speaking nerves and motivating themselves, including our speakers.

Mitchell Zuckoff, author of Lost in Shangri-La, describes his public speaking experiences including his appearance on The Daily Show:

“I’m pretty calm about speaking engagements (it must be all the time I spend in classrooms with my students). As for motivation, I love talking about Lost in Shangri-La, so as long as I have an audience, I’m motivated! … On the other hand, I will admit to some nerves before doing The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. In that case, I made a mantra out of the company motto of Earl Walter’s 1st Recon Battalion, which led the rescue in Shangri-La. That motto was “Bahala-Na,” which comes from the Tagalog dialect of the Philippines. It translates as “Come What May!” The show went pretty well, so I guess it worked!”

Carmindy, from TLC’s What Not to Wear and author of Crazy Busy Beautiful, has a different method:

“Before I walk out on stage I say to myself “I Got This” then I walk out on stage and totally forget about myself. I think ONLY of exactly the message I want to relay to the audience and choose one woman who becomes my main focal point. Even as I scan the room talking I come back to her and think even if I can empower only her… my job is done.”

There is a way to make your dislike for public speaking disappear. For inspiration check out Mitchell Zuckoff and Carmindy working their magic.

Mitchell Zuckoff on The Daily Show

Carmindy’s Video Clips

7th grade Spanish class with Senora Fox. That’s where I was when the planes hit the Twin Towers.

The lights were off (Senora Fox was showing a slideshow on new chapter vocabulary), when a teacher across the hall rushed through door, shock splashed across her face. Both the teachers left suddenly. They didn’t come back for fifteen minutes. When Senora Fox came back, she turned on the television and we learned what was going on.

That was 10 years ago. I think most people remember that day with every detail in mind, knowing exactly where they were.  It’s a day that changed everything include the lives of one of our speakers — Bonnie McEneaney.

McEneaney’s husband, Eamon, was a senior vice-president at Cantor Fitzgerald, working on the 105th floor of the North Tower.  When he died on 9/11, McEneaney thought she had lost him forever. Something unexpected happened that shook her to the core and reassured her that her husband would never entirely leave her.  mother and former business executive, she had always been quite skeptical of the spiritual world — but after talking to several hundred other family members and friends of loved ones lost on 9/11, she realized she was not alone. Numerous others connected to the tragedy — from financial executives to stay-at-home moms — described their own experiences: premonitions, signs, dreams, visitations, and communications through mediums and psychics. McEneaney began recording their compelling stories in a groundbreaking four-year-long project

In her book, Messages: Signs, Visits, and Premonitions from Loved Ones Lost on 9/11 (William Morrow), McEneaney presents a collection of stories from families of 9/11 victims remarkably similar to her own. These stories serve as evidence that love surpasses the boundaries of life. Bonnie will be featured in an upcoming A&E special for the 10 year anniversary of 9/11.  The special will air on A&E September 10^th at 8 p.m. and re-air on 9/11.

The recent passing of bluesy British musician Amy Winehouse has us feeling sad and listening to her classic “Rehab” on repeat.  Everyone seems to have an opinion on Winehouse’s death and we’re choosing to abstain from commenting. Whether Winehouse’s death was related to her addictions or not, it encourages us to re-examine the effects of addiction. W’e're not here to bring the doom and gloom; instead, we want to highlight those who have battled with addiction and made it out on the other side.

Mary Karr is the best-selling author of Lit, The Liars’ Club and Cherry. Karr’s battles with alcoholism is chronicled in Lit. With the use of humor, Karr shares her brazen battle into adulthood with readers. From marriage and a new child to a search for religion, Karr attempts to figure it out. In the end, Karr does find answers and makes it out sober and stronger. Currently, Karr is a college professor and performs many speaking engagements about her history with alcoholism and recovery.

As someone who won an Academy award when she was 10, Tatum O’Neal’s drug and alcohol addiction has never been kept out of the spotlight. After getting married, O’Neal left Hollywood to be a full-time mother. Following the birth of three children, O’Neal experienced depression, drug addiction and a divorce, which is described in her first memoir A Paper Life. In her newest book, Found, O’Neal tells the story of her journey to being sober and clean, and reconciling her relationship with her dad. 

Critically aclaimed author, TV and film writer, Jerry Stahl discussed his troubles with drugs in the bestselling junkie confessional memoir Permanent Midnight, which went on to become a movie starring Ben Stiller and Maria Bello.  Since then, he has published several successful fiction novels such as Perv: A Love Story, Plainclothes Naked and his latest novel Pain Killers. Stahl is currently working on several film projects while doing speaking engagements across the country at universities, film schools, libraries, literary arts and lecture series.

Anna David has been sober over a decade and has published four books: Party Girl, Bought, Reality Matters, and Falling for Me. Party Girl is about a hard-partying celebrity journalist and is based off David’s own experiences with addiction and recovery. David speaks regularly on college campuses to revolutionize how students think about drinking. She doesn’t ask students to  practice abstinency but instead shows them that they can make wiser choics than she did.

Son of Jack Canfield (the creator of the best-selling self-helps series Chicken Soup for the Soul),  Oran Canfield tells his story of heroin addiction in  Long Past Stopping.  Like Karr, Canfield uses humor as he details his experiences with hippies, circus clowns, drugs, radical thinkers, a broken family, madcap teachers, experimental music and rehab.  In early in 2001, after seven separate stints in rehab, Canfield got clean when attending an experimental treatment center in the Caribbean. Canfield speaks about his addiction and how he is surviving in recovery.

It’s almost the beginning of August and almost that time of year again. I’m talking about those few weeks when Bed, Bath and Beyond is crowded with scrambling parents attempting to find the perfect shower caddy, comforter and mattress foam pad as their bored teenagers sulk four feet behind. It’s that time when Facebook profiles are flooded with friend requests from future roommates, classmates and peers. And it is during this time that students feverishly attempt to finish their summer reading homework before freshmen orientation. Yes, it’s that time – time to leave for college.

A student’s first semester away from home can not only be scary and uncertain, but also exciting. As 18 year olds across the country pack their bags, Mom’s hair begins to show a few grays and Dad takes on the persona of Alan Thicke in Growing Pains, ready to disperse a lecture at any minute. In those few weeks before arriving on campus, a sense of nervous anticipation grows. Will classes be difficult? Will it be easy to make friends? How do you share a bathroom with an entire floor of classmates? Though questions abound, answers don’t always readily appear. Luckily, some of HCSB’s top speakers are here to help college-bound teenagers and parents prepare for the challenges of the next four years.

Adam Shepard, author of Scratch Beginnings and The Best Four Years (pictured above), is the expert on college life and what comes next. During his lively speeches, Shepard explores the most pressing concerns of today’s university students and examines the many aspects (and surprises) of college living. From transitioning to a life away from home to managing on a tight budget; from the necessity of scheduling to taking your health seriously; from the subtleties of campus social life to the dos and don’ts of networking, Shepard offers hope, motivation, and direction to help students sail smoothly through the best four years of their lives and beyond.

Alexandra Robbins is a New York Times best-selling author and award-winning speaker on the lives of teenagers, college students and young adults. While many individuals see college as a chance to be someone different and new, Robbins encourages everyone to embrace what makes them unique. In her speeches, she explains the fascinating psychology and science behind popularity and outcasthood, as well as how the things that set students apart in high school are the very things that help them stand out at college and later in life.

For issues parents face, Madeline Levine presents a wealth of helpful information. Levine is a psychologist with over 30 years of experience as a clinician, consultant and educator. In a world where the idea of success is measured narrowly by test scores and acceptance letters, she offers parents tools to encourage real success. Levine defines real success, an overall sense of competence, well-being, engagement and meaning, which rests on healthy child development.

Last Thursday at 5:56 AM the Atlantis Space Shuttle made its final landing, marking the end of the 30-year NASA shuttle program. The Atlantis landing signals the end of an era, and we can’t help but feel nostalgic.

When we were kids and the teacher would ask “What do you want to be when you grow up,” eight out of ten classmates screamed, “An astronaut!” We knew only a select few got the opportunity to go to space, but we still thought endlessly about how cool it would be if that select few included us. Of course, we grew up, realized what a “select few” actually meant. We settled happily on watching those who did make it live one of our childhood dreams.

In light of this momentous occasion, we’d like to spotlight one of our speakers —veteran astronaut, space scientist, and author, Tom Jones.

 In eleven years with NASA, Jones flew on four (yes four!) space shuttle missions to Earth Orbit. He has spent 53 (yes 53!) days working and living in space. If that wasn’t exciting enough, as a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, Jones piloted B-52D strategic bombers, studied asteroids for NASA, engineered an intelligence-gathering system of the CIA, and helped develop advanced mission concepts to explore the solar system.

He has published three books, the latest is Sky Walking, and is available for speaking engagements to discuss the following topics:

• Reaching the Heavens: Inside-the-Cockpit Tales From an Astronaut’s Four Space Voyages
• Adversity, Challenge, and Success: A Personal Path to the Stars
• The Right and Wrong Stuff: Leadership and Teamwork Examples from the Astronauts Corps

To see the historic Atlantis Shuttle Landing, go here.

If you’re a regular visitor to Podium 53 (hello, and thank you!), you have probably grown tired of seeing that Jan. 4^th post about the lovely Ellen Sarver Dolgen whenever you search for the latest HCSB updates. We feel you. This blog hasn’t exactly featured a wealth of new material lately. That’s about to change.

With the sad news of Borders’ closing fresh in our minds, we’ve been thinking about ways in which authors and their audiences interact. Traditionally, stores like Borders have provided space for readers to meet their literary heroes, and for authors to meet their fans. We love bookstores, but here at HCSB we’re also constantly thinking of new ways to connect authors to their audience.

Speaking engagements serve as a great way to get a personalized experience with your favorite author/speaker. Our speakers discuss everything from their celebrated works and areas of expertise to ruminations on the writing process. Many join attendees at meet-and-greets and book signings.

Some of the authors we’re excited about this summer include:

• Award winning journalist, Mitchell Zuckoff, author of the New York Times best-seller Lost in Shangri-La (he also discusses Ponzi Schemes, journalism, and the career of celebrated director Robert Altman)
• Talia Carner, author of Jerusalem Maiden (she also speaks about women’s issues and women in the Jewish faith)
• Conor Grennan, author of the New York Times best-seller Little Princes (he also discusses volunteerism, international adoption, and Christianity)

Going forward, we hope Podium 53 will also serve as a space for speakers and audiences to interact. This blog is off to a fresh start. Soon, we’ll be featuring author Q&As, posts about current issues in publishing and trends in the speaking world, tips and advice on public speaking, and more. Get excited. Let us know what you want to read, and who you want to meet. We hope this is the beautiful beginning of a renewed author-reader-speakers bureau relationship.

Ellen Sarver Dolgen, author of Shmirsky: The Pursuit of Hormone Happiness, offers a fun yet important perspective on that dreaded thing every woman has to go through eventually: menopause. In her book, as in her presentations, Dolgen talks about everything from the mental, physical, and emotional truths about menopause to finding the fun in aging and mid-life to nuture relationships and and lead fulfilling sex lives. Watch Dolgen’s entertaining and provocative video about Shmirsky here.