As an intern, the Book Expo of America is, initially, hugely overwhelming.
The colossal floor of the Javits Center is lined with booths from publishing house giants to independent booksellers, and hundreds of people are busily making connections and shilling books. By the second day, it all falls into place, and I moved easily through the aisles, pausing to scoop up the best complimentary tote bags, sample snacks from cookbook writers, and even getting to speak to authors! The variety of writers was one of my favorite aspects of the expo—I was able to talk at length with fledgling authors signing their first book, and catch starry-eyed glimpses of famous authors as well. Or, in the case of Internet sensation Grumpy Cat, a famous cat with a book due in the fall. 
BEA is a great opportunity to get people interested in Beaufort books, and as an intern one of my chief assignments was to publicize our author’s book signings. One of our most popular authors was certainly Jennifer Pharr Davis, shown here with her lovely and well-behaved baby Charlotte. Called Again is an engaging memoir about a record-breaking hike on the Appalacian Trail—Jen was walking an average 47 miles a day!
Another Beaufort favorite was Jeff Alt’s Get Your Kids Hiking—BEA has a tons of kids books, so as a result there were lots of children’s librarians, booksellers, as well as excited parents and kids who wanted to meet Jeff and receive a signed copy of the book. Get Your Kids Hiking is especially timely now, with school letting out for the summer and kids often leaning more towards Super Smash Brothers than getting outside.
The carnival aspect of BEA is also fun—there were Lego sculptures 
and balloon animals and people dressed as pirates and fairies, sprinkling glitter on enchanted passersby. While the days were long–most exhibitors arrived by 8 in the morning and stayed until 5—there’s an absolute sense of camaraderie to be surrounded by so many book-loving people. The sheer scope of the expo was also reassuring: if you want to write, publish, or just read books, there is certainly a place for you at BEA.