I attended Thursday's keynote presentation, "The Saving Grace of Stories," presented by Sandra Benitez, author of "The Weight of All Things," the book chosen for MLA's one book, one conference program. She was humorous, and called library workers, "The Keeper of the Stories." She talked of her lifetime relationship with stories and how libraries influenced her through access to materials, and included anecdotes of her res"earch experiences. One question she called a library with was, "How long does it take for rigor mortis to subside?" They suggested she call the police department. She realized that she hadn't introduced herself as an author first...
"All of you are beloved; all of you are important to what we [authors] do."
