Experienced and evidence-based

events

Wow. You are easily the best presenter I have heard through one of these webinars. I appreciate your information a great deal, but I appreciate your thorough research and preparation even more. . . . I learned things I’ll use immediately!

Susie D., High School Librarian

/ Webinar Attendee

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

what I offer

With hands-on experience as a youth services librarian, publishing freelancer (editor, book reviewer, and journalist), and author, I have an intersectional perspective on the book world. For over ten years, I have shared my experience in conference talks, webinars, and workshops, providing attendees with a thorough grounding in the most up-to-date research on a topic, plus practical strategies they can implement right away. I also design dynamic, engaging school and library visits for middle and high school readers and writers. Explore the list of programs below or contact me to create the perfect event for your organization.

my values

As a librarian and journalist, I have a passion for lifelong learning, literacy, and evidence-based practice. Attendees at all of my events can expect professional respect and approachability and content grounded in factual, cited research. I expressly welcome attendees from marginalized communities and will not work with any group that excludes or discriminates against people on the basis of race, color, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, disability, religion, national origin, or socioeconomic class.

programs

Why We Should Let Kids Choose Their Own Books (and How to Explain This to Parents)

Offered as either a webinar or in-person presentation, this talk for librarians and educators shares foundational research on reading choice and its effect on literacy development. I share a broad look at up-to-date education scholarship as well as a focused look at hot-button topics, including graphic novels, comics, audiobooks, and “inappropriate” books. The talk concludes with a look at best practices for communicating this research to skeptical parents and how parental support of a child’s intellectual freedom can benefit the child’s psychological development and healthy decision-making. (60-90 min.)

Adult Writing Workshop

In person or via webinar, I offer 45-90 minute workshops on the following topics:
‣ Creating Stories that Matter: What Storytelling Science Can Teach Us About Writing and/or Illustrating Books;
‣ Organic Pacing for Novelists: Practical Strategies for Planning and Revision Based on Oral Storytelling Techniques and the Unique Needs of Your Book;
‣ From Fanfic to Feature: Mining Your Fanfic Inspiration to Create an Original, Saleable Project (Short Story, Novel, Graphic Novel/Comic, Screenplay, or TV Pilot); and

‣ Strengthening Voice in Narration and Illustration: Practical strategies for creating a consistent, distinctive voice for your book.

Youth Writing Workshop

In hands-on Creative Writing workshops for grades 3-5, 6-8, or 9-12, I break down the storytelling process into manageable chunks, using age-appropriate strategies to help young writers brainstorm, plan, and begin prose or poetry projects that inspire them. Length and format depend on the age of participants but can range from 30 min. for elementary schoolers to up to 90 minutes for advanced high school writers.

Reasons to Hate Me School Visits

Tailored for high school English/Language Arts, Creative Writing, or Drama classes, I offer fun, engaging activities for high schoolers related to Reasons to Hate Me‘s themes of personal bravery, anti-bullying, and honesty. Programs are tailored to the particular school and classroom, but examples include guiding students to write their own “embarrassing story” blog post, to write a play monologue from the perspective of someone whose point of view is hard for them to understand, to perform scenes from Jess’s short plays in the book, to write a three column poem with three layers of meaning, or to brainstorm “Honest Personal Statement” ideas for college essays.

experienced & evidence-based education

I have been presenting conference talks and children’s and adolescent programs since 2011. Reach out to learn more about what I can offer to you and your organization.

Get in touch

I’m happy to tailor programs for your specific needs or to provide one of the exact programs described on this site. Fill in the form, and I’ll get back to you with more information!

Having trouble with the form?

Email me directly at [email protected]. Please include the following information:

‣ Your name, organization, and zip code

‣ Desired program and length

‣ Date(s) or approx. time frame