As often happens at these conventions, popular culture quickly takes over from literature. The BEA’s official slogan has been trumped by last night’s appearance of the design-enthusiastic Barbra Streisand and this morning’s children’s breakfast featuring the center of the tabloid story of the moment, Sarah Ferguson. You can add to that an astounding long line down the middle of the show floor to meet singer/actor-now author Rick Springfield, who was warmly embracing fans and posing for pictures. (Ironically, far fewer attendees showed up to hear Springfield speak at his Author Stages session earlier in the day.)
The crowds are here as well, with aisles clogged all day so far (including those people catching up on the floor appointments they accidentally made for yesterday, when the exhibits were not open). For a rolling sense of the action–as well as some useful real-time intelligence–check out our BEA-specific Twitter feed, @liveBEA (also available in the News section of our BEA To Go app). We recorded long lines for James Patterson, Bobbi Brown, Neil Sedaka, Carl Hiassen, Scott Turow, Lou Gossett, Jr. and more along with another mammoth line for Cornelia Funke (and other live tips on giveaways, food lines and more.)