School Visits, Conferences, and Motivational Speaking

Speaking to kids, teachers, librarians, and groups of business creatives—either in person or virtually—is one of my favorite things to do!

You’ll find my most popular workshops described below, but we can come up with something new to fit the needs of your group, especially if we’re doing Zoom programs. If you can imagine it, we can do it. We’re #inthistogether!!!

Contact Me

Please contact me at [email protected]. I’d love to hear from you if you have questions about my books, my speaking events, or even your own path as a writer. I receive about 500 emails a day, though—so you might not hear from me on the same day. If you send me a note and don’t hear back, just send another!

To save you some time and wondering, here are the most frequently asked questions:

Do you do Zoom programs?

Yes, I love connecting with readers via Zoom!

What are your virtual program fees?

$500: Virtual Workshop or Assembly with an optional Q+A included (see the Program Descriptions on this page)

$250: Virtual Q+A only (20 min)

How much do you charge for an IN-PERSON school visit or conference?

$2400/day for three sessions (local)

$4000/day for three sessions (if overnight travel is required)

Can you do more than 3 sessions/day?

Absolutely—I can do up to 5 sessions per day for an extra fee; each additional session (beyond the regular 3 sessions) will be $800.

Can you autograph books for us?

Yes! Allyson Hickey at booked authors does a fabulous job of organizing book sales; she will make everything easy for you. Please reach out to her at [email protected].

Will you answer students’ questions—after your visit?

Responding to students after my visit—and making sure that everyone feels seen and heard—is something that I love doing. I can use email, Google doc, Padlet, or any other format you’d like!

Program Descriptions

Program Descriptions – for Zoom and In-Person Visits – 30-45 minutes (your choice)

These are my most popular sessions, but we can work together to develop any type of program that you’d like.

Poetry Suitcase

Each item in my Poetry Suitcase—the cat, dog, shark, big pencil, and much more—comes with a poem or story. Kids love choosing items from my Poetry Suitcase, and they learn about many different areas of the curriculum (including writing and SEL) when I talk about the poems.

5 Tips for Becoming the Best Writer You Can Be

In this program, I talk about the importance of reading, writing multiple drafts, sharing writing with friends and family, finding personally-meaningful topics, and more.

From Lawyer to Poet

I usually mention my career transition briefly as part of any program; but in this program, I focus on my career transition from a Yale Law Graduate and Director of Labor Relations at Universal Studios to an anthologist and publisher—describing the many stops along the way.

Let’s Get Moving!

I always incorporate some movement in a session, whether virtual or in-person; but with this option, I build LOTS of movement in. Focusing on the poems in HOP TO IT: Poems to Get You Moving, it’s AEROBICS + POETRY!

Q+A Option

I include a very short Q+A session in all of the programs described above—but for schools on a limited budget that cannot afford one of the options above, I can do a virtual session for $250 that is Q+A only for 20 minutes.

Author visits make a difference. Thank you for making it happen!!!