Dear librarians and teachers,

I’m a flexible, super easy presenter who’s comfortable with any group size. I can adjust the content of my presentations for younger or older audiences, and virtually or in-person. If you’re interested in a particular topic or book, I can tailor a presentation to meet the request. 

 

The overall theme of my presentations is the development of a book or story,

from where ideas come from (usually small moments) to research (even for fiction!)

to revision (for older grades) to more revision (seriously?!) to The End (Phew!). 

                                           Where do ideas come from? Who gave me the idea to write “An Egg is Quiet”?
                                           A three-year-old? Hmm. Why did I write “An Orange in January”? Did an angel in
                                          disguise and an act of kindness inspire it? How long did it take to research and write
                                          “A Shell is Cozy”? A year? Maybe 8? What is my favorite book? “An Orange in
                                          January” or “Dream Something Big/The Story of the Watts Towers” or “An Egg is
                                          Quiet”? Are they tied for first? Why do I write mostly non-fiction? Does plotting a 
                                           fictional story cause me to break out in hives?

I allow plenty of time for Q&A. The kids may not permanently
absorb a lot of the content of a presentation, but they’ll remember
the interaction between us – hopefully a reply that inspired them
to think about how they might turn their question to a story!
Or something that made them laugh. Or a reply that just made
them feel good. In any case, their questions are the best part of
a presentation – at least for me! I want to know what they’re
curious about and if I can, give them an answer, and if I can’t, well, I’ll throw that question back to them. “Why is there nature?” a child asked. Uh… “Why do you think there’s nature?” Ultimately, what seemed like an unanswerable question became a springboard into my nature books and why I write them. In a world that’s sometimes downright nonsensical, nature makes sense. What relief and comfort there is in the natural world.
                                                When you hire me for 3 presentations, I’m yours for the day – (that means
                                                in between presentations and following the last presentation) – and you’re
                                                welcome to form a schedule that works for everyone. I can speak to any
                                                group size, even virtually, but I’ve found that virtual visits for one or two
                                                classrooms are livelier, more memorable, and much more personal. For onsite
                                                visits, it’s best to limit the audience to two grades. Ultimately, the goal is
                                                that my visit will be a fun extension of learning. Thank you for the
                                               opportunity to share my love of science, social studies, reading, writing, and
mostly, for welcoming me to your library, where I hope to make meaningful connections with your students!  
~ Warmly, Dianna