I’m going back out on the road tomorrow to do two book events in Orlando, Florida!
On Saturday morning, at 10 am, I will be participating in a mini food swap and signing copies of Food Swap at Bookmark It, Orlando’s premier independent bookstore. Bookmark It is located in the East End Market, a neighborhood market and cultural food hub inspired by Central Florida’s local farmers and food artisans. I honestly cannot wait to visit this market and all of its amazing vendors offering sushi, daily baked bread, freshly roasted coffee, Italian prepared meals and sweets, Kombucha, organic juice, raw food specialties, artisan cheeses, savory soups and sauces, local groceries and flowers. Yum!
At the special “POP-UP SWAP” hosted by Bookmark It, attendees will not only learn more about creating a swap in their own communities, but if they bring two of their own items to swap, they will get to leave with two items from other attendees! It’s like a mini food swap. Plus, Bookmark It will be donating extra swap items to the hardworking volunteers at The Center, a local GLBT nonprofit, that is located nearby. In light of the recent tragedy in Orlando, I applaud this gesture of good will and community spirit. The POP-UP SWAP is free but we ask that you register in advance if possible.
The reason for my trip to Orlando is the American Library Association’s (ALA) annual conference. I will be demonstrating a recipe from Food Swap on the What’s Cooking Stage at 11:30 am on Sunday. The demonstration will be followed by a Q&A and a book signing.
I am so excited to talk to librarians from all over the country about the food swap movement. Librarians are always looking for new programming ideas, and I have been told that food-related programming reliably draws a crowd. I hope that I can convince some of the attendees that their libraries should start their own food swaps or at least encourage them in their communities. My publisher has created a downloadable event kit for Food Swap to help with that very thing.
Sunday’s demonstration is open only to registered conference attendees. For those of you attending the conference, I would love to see you on Sunday at the demo or afterwards. I would be happy to talk to anyone who is curious about food swapping. For anyone else in or near Orlando, come out on Saturday to the POP-UP SWAP at Bookmark It!
