I had been dreaming of it for years, and this time I had the immense joy of going to the Bologna Children’s Book Fair. It is a fireworks display. There are so many stimuli that you have to ask your body to hold on and be patient while it processes everything.

I ran into people I hadn’t imagined I would see, and I missed so many others because we simply couldn’t make it. I gave some interesting interviews. I presented my books in Italian. I had to cancel the talk with Francesca and her students from the University of Bologna, because that’s how it is: there just isn’t enough time, or body, or heart.

I heard people speak and read in all the languages of the world. I raised a glass. I ate delicious food. I hugged. I received hugs. I looked. I looked. I looked.

It isn’t enough. In Bologna, nothing is enough. I have to go back.