I love to interact with students, book clubs, church groups, and other audiences about matters of faith, marketing, and writing. Contact me to schedule a book signing, teaching, or speaking engagement.
Potential Topics:
- Marketing and Literary Citizenship
- Faith and Literature
- Devotional Writing for Children / Families
- Writing As Activism
- Nature Writing
- Faith and Nature Writing
- Writing about Marriage and Family
- Work Life and Creative Life; Parenting and Creative Life
- Poetry and Nonfiction Craft Topics, Including Formal Poetry, Narrative/Faith Poetry, Point of View in Nonfiction, Use of Extended Metaphor in Nonfiction, Structure in Nonfiction, The Lyric Essay, Dialogue in Nonfiction, Truthiness in Multiple Genres, Research and Its Role in Writing across the Genres
Upcoming Events:
2024
One Poet, One Poem, Pietro’s Restaurant, Grand Rapids, MI, April 11 at 7 p.m.
Festival of Faith and Writing, Book Signing at the Relief Table, April 12 at 2 p.m.
“Finding the Universe in the Palm of Your Hand,” Craft Seminar, Ashland University, April 18 at 5 p.m.
“Be Still and Be Formed: Intentionally Build Resilience in Your Day-to-Day Life,” Ashland Theological Seminary, April 27, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
The Calling Retreat, Ashland Theological Seminary, May 3-4
The Resilient Leader Retreat, Ashland Theological Seminary, May 17-18
Brethren Pastor Retreat, Ashland Theological Seminary, June 22
Brethren National Conference, Lancaster, PA, July 15-18
Past Appearances:
2023
Roberts Wesleyan University Poetry Reading and Identity/Vocation Panelist, March 31-April 1, 2023
More to the Story Guest Author, April 19, 2023
2022
Connecting with Your Children through God’s Word, Park Street Brethren Church, February 22, 2022
Reading from American Honey, Ashland University Spring Reading Series, April 19, 2022 at 4:30 PM
Poetry Reading at Ashland Public Library, April 26, 2022 at 5:30 PM
Creativity in Worship: Inviting Artists Back into the Church – Brethren National Conference, July 17-20, 2022
Family Discipleship at Home: Connecting with Your Children through God’s Word – Brethren National Conference, July 17-20, 2022
Ashland University MFA Program Craft Lecture and Reading, August 1-3, 2022: All the Fun’s in How You Say a Thing
A Night of Nonfiction: Debut CNF Author Showcase/Readings & Discussion – HippoCamp, August 12-14, 2022
2021
Dallas Baptist University Symposium and DOXA Literary Festival, April 16-17, 2021
Roberts Wesleyan College Creative Writing Class Visit, March 10, 2021
Orrville Poetry Club, January 25, 2021
2019
Lit Youngstown Poetry Reading, April 3, 2019
Windhover Writers Festival – University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, February 13-15, 2019
2016
October 28-29, 2016 Presenting two panels – The Ties that Bind: Finding a Structure for Your Nonfiction and Don’t Quit Your Day Job: Making Room for Writing in the Daily Grind at the Indiana Faith and Writing Conference, Anderson University, Anderson, Indiana. I will also give eight consultations during the conference for those interested.
April 14-16 Love and Marriage: Writing our Most Intimate Relationships, with Susanna Childress, Brent Newsom and Addie Zierman. Festival of Faith and Writing, Calvin College, Michigan
2015
October 30-31, 2015 Indiana Faith and Writing Conference, Anderson University, Anderson, Indiana
October 10, 2015 New Buffalo Library Poetry Reading, New Buffalo Township, Michigan
October 3, 2015 Writing Workshop: Creating Poetry from Shadows and Dreams (ekphrastic poetry workshop), Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio
July 31, 2015 Ashland University MFA Program, Ashland, Ohio
May 29-31, 2015 “Negotiating the Plasmapause: Patterned Images, Delayed Revelation, and Sheer Awesomeness in Jo Ann Beard’s The Boys of My Youth” with Jill Christman, River Teeth Nonfiction Conference, Ashland, Ohio
April 9, 2015 “Bravery and Bearing Witness: The Power of Vulnerability in Nonfiction” with Brenda Miller, Kate Hopper, Bonnie J. Rough and Marilyn Bousquin, AWP Conference, Minneapolis, MN
April 9, 2015 Off-Site Reading, Minneapolis, MN
2014
October 31-November 1, 2014 Indiana Faith and Writing Conference, Anderson University, Anderson, Indiana
July 20-August 2, 2014 “Getting Connected: Literary Citizenship,” Ashland MFA Summer Residency, Ashland, Ohio
July 1-August 15, 2014 Online Instructor for The Masters Review Summer Workshop
May 30-June 1, 2014 River Teeth Nonfiction Conference, Ashland, Ohio
April 26, 2014 “Curiosity Killed the Cat, but Research Rescued the Writer,” Columbus State Community College Writers Conference, Columbus, Ohio
April 22, 2014 Poetry Reading, Wayne County Library, Ohio
April 10-12, 2014 Lunch Forum on Publishing, Festival of Faith and Writing, Calvin College, Michigan
April 4-5, 2014 Book signing at Downtown Perk, Ashland, Ohio
April 1, 2014 Reading, Your Vine or Mine, Painesville, Ohio
March 15, 2014 Reading, Borderlands Poetry Series, Main Street Books, Mansfield, Ohio
February 28, 2014 River Teeth 15th Anniversary Reading, AWP Conference, Seattle, Washington
February 28, 2014 Poetry Reading with WordFarm, AWP Conference, Seattle, Washington
2013
November 23-24, 2013 Ashland Poetry Workshops, Ashland, Ohio
November 7, 2013, 7 p.m. Reading at Beehive Books, Delaware, Ohio
October 22, 2013, 7 p.m. Reading at Sip’s Cafe, Mount Vernon, Ohio
May 19, 2013 River Teeth Nonfiction Conference, Ashland, Ohio
May 11, 2013 Reading and Book Signing, Ohioana Book Festival, Columbus, Ohio
March 21, 2013 Class Visit, Taylor University, Indiana
March 20-21, 2013 Ball State University First Books Event, Muncie, Indiana
March 8, 2013 “Faithful Niche or Faithful Kitsch? The Necessity of Christian Literary Publishing” Panel Moderator at AWP Conference, Boston, Massachusetts
February 26, 2013, 6 p.m. Reading at Sip’s Cafe, Mount Vernon, Ohio
2012
Saturday and Sunday, December 1-2 Poetry Workshop at Ashland University, Ashland, Ohio
Monday, October 29, 4:30 p.m. Reading, Schar College of Education, Ashland University, Ashland, Ohio
Thursday, October 18, 7 p.m. Reading, Tim Horton’s, Coshocton, Ohio
Sunday, September 23, 7 p.m. Peripatetic Poets Reading, Columbus, Ohio
Wednesday, September 12, 7 p.m. Reading, Mac’s Backs, Cleveland Heights, Ohio
Tuesday, August 28, 6 p.m. Reading, Sip’s Cafe, Mt. Vernon, Ohio
Monday, August 6, 7 p.m. Ashland University Summer Residency – “Spreading the Word: Poetry in Public,” Ashland, Ohio
Sunday, August 5, 7 p.m. Ashland University Summer Residency Reading, Ashland, Ohio
May 18-20 River Teeth Nonfiction Conference – “Motherhood and Writing” Panel and “Spreading the Word” Panel (on Marketing and ePublishing), Ashland, Ohio
April 19-21 Festival of Faith and Writing – “Poetry As Worship, Poetry in Worship: Inviting Creativity into the Worship Experience”, Thursday, April 19, Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Michigan: This session will explore ways in which canonized and contemporary poets alike have incorporated spirituality into their writing as an act of worship. Tips will be given to help the writer engage the Holy Spirit in the act of writing as well as ideas poets can take back to their places of worship to incorporate the written word into the corporate worship experience. Also sitting on a literary publishing panel Saturday, April 21.
2011
February Poetry Reading and Workshop Y-City Writers Group Zanesville, Ohio
Saturday, July 31, 7 p.m. Ashland University Summer Residency Reading, Ashland, Ohio
2010
Friday, May 7, 6:30 p.m. Poetry Reading – New Beginnings Cafe Marion, Ohio
Saturday, May 8, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Ohioana Book Fair, Author Signing Columbus, Ohio
Ashland University Summer Residency Ashland, Ohio (follow the link to watch my reading)
2009
Sunday, April 19, 2-4 p.m. New Words 2009 Poetry Contest Reading Akron Art Museum in Akron, Ohio
Monday, April 27 at 4:30 p.m. Reading in Conjunction with River Teeth Reading Schar College of Education Building – Ronk Lecture Hall Ashland University in Ashland, Ohio
Tuesday, April 28 at 6:30 p.m. Reading with Joanne Lehman Sips Cafe in Mt. Vernon, Ohio
Saturday, June 6 at 3:20 p.m. Reading Columbus Arts Festival Poetry Tent Columbus, Ohio
Thursday, June 25 at 7 p.m. Reading and Book Signing Bainbridge Public Library Bainbridge, Ohio
Monday, July 27 at 6:45 p.m. Reading to Open Up for Scott Russell Sanders Ridenour Room, Dauch College of Education Ashland University MFA Program Summer Residency Ashland, Ohio
Thursday, August 20, 7-9 p.m. Reading Tim Horton’s in Coshocton, Ohio
Sarah Marie Wells 