Hi Amic,
Last week was YALC 2019 and it was my third year going. So here is my wrap up of the 3-day event.
Sidetracked
On Friday I got a little sidetracked as I had ordered the wrong ticket for my mum. This would have meant her going in the main entrance. As she is very disabled I didn’t want this to happen. I ended up getting this sorted but I felt that finding the information desk at LFCC very hard. It was very clear. As I spent time wondering lost around LFCC I did miss out on some things at YALC.
Goody Bag
As I had bought my three-day ticket early I as one of the people that got a YALC goody bag. This bag was much better than the one from last year. It contains a map, lanyard, Pen and Badges.
Signed Books
Over the weekend I got three books signed.
Sanctuary Vic James new book
The Twisted Tree by Rachel Burge
Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone Deluxe Illustrated edition signed by Jim Kay.
Accessibility
I have fibromyalgia and ankylosing spondylitis and my mum was on a mobility scooter. I had only applied for the extra help band for my mum, as I thought I would be ok. Now I know better and I will be applying for one next time.
It was a little worrying that we were told wheelchair lift at reception hadn’t been serviced since it was installed several years ago. As we had trouble getting it to work, but luckily we had more help from the staff this year regarding the lift than we did the year before.
I felt that the layout was more accessibility this year for my mum’s scooter. There was more room around stalls, and by having Virtual queue stopped long queues blocking the way.
The only thing I would like to happen next year is for people going to YALC to be more aware of the people around them. As some treat my mum is invisible on the scooter which causes her to stop abruptly so she didn’t run them over.
This year we had a larger Chillout Zone, I was glad to see the bigger space for people to sit out of the way. But the amount of seat was disappointing, I guessed that seating wouldn’t be great so I brought my own camping chair so I had somewhere to sit if I was sitting down for a long time.
Giveaways
I was happy to see that raffles were still being used at this years YALC, but disappointed to see several first come first wing giveaway as well as scavenger hunt giveaways. As someone that has mobility issues, I ended up not doing these unless I was in the area when it started or I stumbled across it. I felt like I was missing out, and made me angry at my limitations as the years before I would have been able to do it.
I understand that it more fun for the people running the stalls but it’s not so much fun for the people with disabilities. The book community is a community where I see people with a range of disabilities and we shouldn’t have to be left out.
Here some ideas that could be done if the stall don’t just want to do raffles;
- Photo Challenges
- find all the stickers photo challenge
- Puzzles (Word search, Crosswords etc)
- Quiz
- Tombola
- Colouring Comp
- Guess the amount
- Votes for a favourite – The people that vote for the favourite names are pulled out to win.
- Card Game – i.e Find the queen etc
- If you find a special bookmark in a book you buy you win a prize.
If any of the stall what help with an idea just give me a shout I have several more in my head.
Books I came home with.
I was more restraint this year and came home with fewer books than in previous years. I would have bought more but by Sunday several stalls were running very low.
Free/ Won
Throne of Swans by Katherine & Elizabeth Corr
Jackpot by Nic Stone
Scards like Wings by Erin Stewart
Songs of the Abyss by Makia Lucier
Empire of Sand by Tasha Suri
Circle of Shadows by Evelyn Skye
Books I bought
Nevernight by Jay Kristoff
Godsgrave by Jay Kristoff
Courting Darkness by Robin Lafevers
Lifelik3 by Jay Kristoff
Evermore by Sara Holland
Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte
The Shadowglass by Rin Chupeco
The Soul of Power by Callie Bates
All the Wandering Light by Heather Fawcett
Fierce like a Firestorm by Lana Popvic
Sanctuary by Sebastien de Castell
Kingsbane by Claire Legrand
Contender by Taran Matharu
Overall
I had a good time overall, I bought nice prints and books. Talked to nice people and authors.
As my health has changed my main question is next year will I go all three days or just the one?
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Thanks for reading,
