USF's Hipple collection

I recently had the pleasure and honor of donating some of my books to the University of South Florida's Hipple collection, a special collection of over 2000(!) signed Young Adult manuscipts, Advanced Reading Copies, and published editons--basically the entire life cycle of a YA book.

It's the only YA collection of it's kind in the State, since while there are other special collections of YA manuscripts, all the books and manuscripts in the Hipple collection are signed. It was a labor of love started by the indominable and energetic Dr. Joan Kaywall (that's her next to me in the picture) in memory of her dear friend and mentor, the late Professor Ted Hipple. 

It was such a delight be around Dr. Kaywall, she just brims with excitment for YA literature and is clearly a woman devoted to her friends.

More later,

Tammar