Conference has officially begun! Opening session kicked off with NCFL president Sharon Darling, U.S. Congressman John Yarmuth, and literacy pioneer Rosa Pesqueira speaking. Pat Pineda then announced the 2008 Toyota Family Literacy Program Teacher of the Year …congratulations to Katy Kibbey! As part of her award package, Katy was featured on a jumbotron in Times Square.

The featured speaker today was author Anna Quindlen (pictured with Kibbey), who reminded attendees that reading is the cornerstone of a successful society. She offered that “reading is the ultimate democratic act of a democratic society.”

The featured sessions are off to a great start, and we are already looking forward to hearing from David Murphy, president of Better World Books.

For those of you who were there, what else happened Sunday? Help us compile a journal of the events through your eyes in our comments section. Just click on “Respond to this post” below.

And here’s a photo gallery of some snapshots we took today.

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