Conferences for Educators or Writers
My passion for books is central to my life. It makes sense that I love connecting with educators and writers–people who share that passion! For professional development sessions, my style is casual, revealing, honest, and practical. And sometimes funny. Explore the details and photos below, and don’t forget to check out a few references on the Presentations page!
Programs for Educators
I’ve spoken at regional and national conferences and given professional development sessions to individual schools and districts since 2009. Here’s a sampling of the kinds of programs I’ve either created or been part of. I’m happy to present keynotes or breakout sessions or be part of a panel.
- Big Things Come in Small Poems (my most popular program)
- Using Mentor Texts in Informational Writing
- Using Images as Poem Starters
- Gamification and Poetry
- Inquiry: How I Read a Poem
- Writing Poetry in the Wild
- Empowering Students with Innovative Nonfiction
- Lessons Learned as a Children’s Writer
- Wonder as a First Ingredient in Nonfiction
- Poetry Picks
- Authentic Voice in a Digital World
- 10 Things I’ve Learned About Reading and Writing Books
- Things You Might Not Know About Picture Books
- Transforming Writers’ Lives with Digital Tools
- Passion-Driven Research
- Into the Poem: Active Strategies for Engaging Kinesthetic Learning
- Revved for Research
- Quick and Easy Poetry-Writing Activities
- Reading Poetry Across the Curriculum
- Playing with Poetry
- CLA Notable Books in the Language Arts
- Poetry Blast
- Where Poems Come From
- Poetry for Paupers from Recitation to E‑Books; Infusing Poetry into the Classroom
- Copyright Questions Around Sharing Poetry
Programs for Writers
As a former teacher, I love working with writers of all ages! I’ve given many sessions at various conferences for writers. Here are some examples.
- Using the Elements of Fiction to Strengthen Your Nonfiction Picture Book
- Putting Together a Picture Book Poetry Collection
- How Much Money Does a Writer Make?
- The Basics of Children’s Poetry
- Feel the Beat: Scan Your Poetry or Rhyming Picture Book
- Rhyme and Nonfiction: A Great Match
- Writing on Demand: Breaking into the Educational Market
- The Nonfiction Book Proposal
- The Publishing Middleman: Working With Book Packagers
- Multiple Choice: Writing Assessment Materials
- Making a Living from Words
- From One Timid Promoter to Another
Fees
I wish I could tell you I had set fees for speaking at conferences, but it depends on a lot of things. National conferences for educators, for instance, don’t pay speaker stipends. Still, I love to speak at them. But a girl’s gotta make a living. Here are some guidelines for my typical fees, though I sometimes earn more or less depending on location, an organization’s budget, the audience size, school visits scheduled along with the event, time of year, etc.
- For Twin Cities (or virtual) conferences or retreats, my fee is $500 per session.
- For conferences requiring flights or more than a 90-minute drive, my fee is $1,200 daily (for up to two sessions), plus travel expenses.
Interested?
If you think I might be a great fit for your event, let’s chat! Just drop me a note through my Contact Page and let me know what you’re planning. Give me as much detail as you can: your audience, your location, your budget, and your goals. I’ll get back to you quickly with thoughts on how I might be able to help. Thanks!
