How excited are we that JANET MOCK is joining us at the 2017 NJLA Conference?! If this is the very  first time you are hearing of Janet Mock, you are in for a real treat -- and a true inspiration.

On Tuesday, April 25 at 10:10-11:00am in the Wildwood 1 Ballroom, we hope that you can all join us to hear and interact with our first keynote speaker. NJLA President Chris Carbone will be leading a conversational keynote with Janet Mock, as well as moderating a question-and-answer session with the audience. A book signing will immediately follow the keynote. Redefining Realness will be available for sale in the NJLA Book Store throughout the Conference, but be sure to secure your copy early. (If you’d like to purchase your own copy in advance to have it shipped directly to you, please use this Amazon link so that NJLA can benefit from the sale!)

Janet Mock is a writer, TV host and advocate whose memoir, Redefining Realness, debuted on the New York Times bestsellers list in 2014. She is a sought-after speaker, an advocate for trans women’s rights, and the founder of #GirlsLikeUs, a social media project that empowers trans women. A millennial media powerhouse, Janet began her career as a Staff Editor for People.com and has since worked as a correspondent for Entertainment Tonight and host of MSNBC's "So POPular!," a weekly series about popular culture, politics, identity and representation. She also serves as Contributing Editor for Marie Claire, the magazine where she first stepped forward publicly as a young trans woman. Her writing, work and media advocacy has been recognized by the Ms. Foundation, Planned Parenthood, ADCOLOR, TIME, which dubbed her “one of the 30 most influential people on the internet," and Fast Company, which named her "one of the most creative people in business." Hailing from Honolulu, Hawaii, Janet attended the University of Hawaii at Manoa and earned her MA in journalism from New York University. She currently lives and writes in New York City.

And if all of that isn't proof enough that she is going to be a real treat to hear from, check out her recent New York Times Opinion piece, as well as a speech she gave at an event last year.

Along with the NJLA President’s theme, the keynote speakers at the NJLA Conference often set the tone for our three-day experience, and we are thrilled that this year, we’re going beyond -- and truly breaking out of -- the box of stereotypes that exist within our profession and our communities of users. We look forward to continuing to celebrate all the big and little things that bring us together year after year! (Registration is now open, and Early Bird prices run through March 25.)

Kate Jaggers and the 2016-2017 Conference Committee