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Adrian Fogelin
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Adrian Fogelin, daughter of a fiction writer, grew up in a house littered with manuscript pages. It is no surprise that before long she began to write stories of her own. Adrian is the author of six novels for middle grade readers and one Young Adult novel. She draws on experiences that include a stint as a zoo illustrator and years lived aboard a boat in the Florida Keys. Her books have received numerous prizes including two Florida Book Award gold medals, ALA’s Voya Top Shelf, IRA’s Notable Books for a Global Society, as well as numerous state lists, and second place for the Premio Selezione Bancarellino, the highest children’s book award in Italy. She is a frequent conference speaker and visits classrooms all over the country where she shares her stories of becoming a writer and teaches her innovative creative writing program “Think Like an Author.”
KEYNOTES FOR TEACHERS
These are the keynotes I am currently giving. I will also write a speech to meet the needs of a specific group.
- In Love With Words
This is a humorous and insightful look at how we relate to language, how we acquire a sensitivity to good writing and how, as teachers and writers, we can engender a love of language in readers who are just beginning a long relationship of their own with words and literature. Includes plenty of stories!
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Keep the Lights Burning
As an author who visits dozens of schools a year all over the country I have had ample opportunity to observe the struggles and the triumphs of teachers. This talk is designed to help teachers focus on what they have gained from the conference and to return to the day-to-day job of teaching renewed. This one is a great conference closer. Both inspirational and encouraging, it takes an appreciative look at the role of teachers in the world.
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Every Kid a Writer
I share my own road to becoming a fiction writer—complete with the bumps along the way and lots of great stories. I then introduce a novel approach to uncovering the creative writer in any student—even the most writing-resistant. This keynote is unusual in that it is entertaining but it also gives teachers some hands-on exercises to take back to the classroom.
WORKSHOPS FOR TEACHERS
(I do these as conference sessions and as in-service workshops at schools)
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Think Like an Author: a creative writing workshop
I designed “Think Like an Author” for a public library in a poor rural community where the young people were deeply suspicious of writing—even reading. Traditional creative writing exercises just weren’t going to work. The program I came up with (and have now used all over the country) begins with oral group exercises and moves painlessly into the writing process. With my program, confidence grows, writing becomes cool! Prompts include wrapped boxes with mysterious contents, keys, a shard of ancient Indian pottery, a pair of wingtip shoes, scraps of colored paper, and an ancient book bearing the inscription: “Open with extreme caution. Ignore warning at your own peril.” Intrigued? Young writers are too. This workshop will arm teachers with exercises that bring out the storyteller in the most reluctant student writer.
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A Life in Words: Journal/Memoir Workshop
Want to live your life twice? Write it down. The value of journal-keeping is hard to overstate. Our journals remind us of who we are, they clarify our dreams, they leave a record that can be passed on. The hard part is getting started. This workshop is about beginning what becomes for many a lifelong journey, an important discipline for busy teachers. It seems only fair that teachers practice what they preach by writing. This journal-keeping lesson, passed from teacher to student, may be the best gift a teacher can give.
In the workshop I share some of my own journals, including my fourth grade lock-and-key dear diary, the tiny notebook I kept in high school, my college journal (complete with illustrations) and the “writers’ journals” I currently keep. Together we do a series of stimulating exercises that help participants begin putting their lives on paper. Attendees will need to bring photographs and personal mementos—and a box of Kleenex! Participants will leave with skills that will enrich their own lives and exercises to get their students started in the enjoyable process of writing down their own life stories.
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