SUZANNE WILLIAMS'
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
I love speaking at conferences. I have been a keynote speaker or featured speaker at many educational conferences and have recently begun to speak at writing conferences as well. Blurbs for my presentations are below, as well as a few accolades from participants or organizers. You'll also find a resume at the bottom of this page.
For teachers and librarians:
Library Lil and Me
Grade Level – K-6
Length – 60 - 75 minutes
The
award-winning author of more than two dozen books for children, including Library
Lil, My Dog Never Says Please,
Mommy Doesn’t Know My Name, Ten Naughty
Little Monkeys, and the Princess
Power and Fairy Blossoms
series,
reveals the “stories behind the stories” in her many
picture and chapter books.
"Thanks so much for your fascinating presentation. I have heard many authors speak, and learned many insights from you that no one else has shared. John and I both appreciated your willingness to share and the effectiveness of your talk." --Peggy Sharp (Designs For Learning)
"Thank you so much for presenting an
exciting program. I personally really appreciated "Library Lil"
as a true heroine. You really kept the audience involved and enthralled in
a warm, crowded room!" --Ginny Pounds
You Too Can Write For Children:
Tips From a Former Elementary School Librarian Turned Children’s Book Writer
Grade Level --all
Length--60 - 75 minutes
Interested in writing? Learn what to expect along the path to publication and what you can do to improve your chances of getting published.
"I was at your presentation today for WLMA and I wanted to thank you for the gift you unknowingly gave me. Your path was familiar: writing teacher, librarian, working while mothering young children, housework ignored while naptime is spent writing... Listening to you, I realized that my dream of being a writer may not be so ridiculous after all. I appreciated your expression of joy over what you do and what you have achieved." --Heather Rader
For writers:
Learn the ins and outs of writing and publishing series fiction for children by the author of four series (published by HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, and Scholastic). Tips range from approaching an editor with a series idea to developing storylines to dealing with revisions, deadlines, and more.
"Thanks so much for your terrific presentation. You provided such personal and wise guidance. Now the students are all buzzing about writing chapter books." --Brenda Guiberson, instructor, University of Washington ext. program "Capstone Writing for Children" and award-winning author of Cactus Hotel and many other books for children.
Navigating
the Bumps in the Road to Publication
Length--60 - 75
minutes
The road to publication is an emotional journey as well as a logistical one, and there are many bumps in that road. It’s hard not to doubt your abilities when everything you’ve written and sent out has been rejected multiple times. Though now the author of more than two dozen books for children, Suzanne Williams remembers what it was like before her first book was published. Excerpts from the journals she kept during that time illustrate the ups and downs and challenges any writer can expect along the bumpy path to that first book contract.
RESUME:
SUZANNE
WILLIAMS
PRESENTATION
EXPERIENCE:
Guest Author Speaker (assemblies and workshops) at over two hundred fifty schools in the U.S. 1992-present.
Featured speaker, "Library Lil and Me," Virginia State Reading Association, Roanoke, VA, March, 2007.
Featured speaker, "Library Lil and Me" and "You, Too, Can Write for Children," Michigan Association for Media in Education, Grand Rapids, MI and Diamond State Reading Conference, Dover, DE, October, 2006.
Featured speaker, "Library Lil and Me" and "You, Too, Can Write for Children," Oregon Library Association, Eugene, OR, April 2004.
Featured speaker, "Library Lil and Me," Montana Library Association
Conference, Great Falls, MT, April 2002.
Luncheon Awards speaker, “Library Lil and Me,” New Mexico State Library Conference, April 2001, Albuquerque, NM.
Keynote speaker, “Library Lil and Me,” South Dakota Reading Council State Conference, March 2001, Huron, SD.
Keynote speaker, “Sowing the Seeds of Literacy,” Celebrate Reading III Conference, July 1999, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Conference speaker at various educational conferences including WLMA (1995, 1999, 2005), and WORD (1997, 1998)
Teacher Writing Inservice Presenter at various schools and conferences in the U.S., 1997- present
Presenter, “Easy Readers Are Hard to Write,” 1994 and “Tapping Your Funny Bone -[How to Write] Humor in Children’s Books,” 1997, Washington SCBWI Spring Conference.
PROFESSIONAL
EXPERIENCE:
Children’s author, twenty-two books (plus six more to 1990-present
be published 2008-2009.)
Elementary library media specialist/teacher
Kent and Auburn School Districts 1976-2000
EDUCATION:
Six-trait “Trainer of Trainers” Training, Summer 1995
Initial Elementary Principal Certificate, University of Washington, 1985
Post-graduate work in Reading Education, SPU, 1982-83
M.L.S. Library Science, University of Oregon, 1976
B.S. Sociology (with honors), University of Oregon, 1975
PROFESSIONAL
MEMBERSHIPS:
Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI)
WRITING
AWARDS:
Library Lil
·
ALA Notable book
·
Winner of the 2000 New Mexico Land of Enchantment Children’s
Choice Award
·
Third Place Winner, 1998-99
Alabama Grades K-2 Emphasis on Reading Children’s Book Award
·
On several other state
Picture Book Award nomination lists including Washington, Nebraska, Arizona,
Colorado and North Carolina
My
Dog Never Says Please
·
IRA-CBC Children’s Choice
for 1998
·
Parent's Choice Award
recommended title for 2000
REFERENCES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST
For further information: sw@suzanne-williams.com