Conferences

Whether it's giving the keynote speech, being part of a panel discussion, or presenting a session, I love being part of a conference.  At my most recent conference, the evaluation system consisted of being scored from 1 to 3 in three categories and I received all 3's (the highest) along with comments such as, "Great!", "Wonderful presentation!", "Would love to have her come to our school!", "Excellent!", and "Very informative, practical information."  There were no negative comments.  I find this to be true at all the conferences I have presented at.  I believe this is because I come very prepared and work very hard to give more than expected.  When I am an attendee myself, I want to forget time because I am so interested, and that is what I try to give every moment that I am presenting.  Usually my fee is $650, but if your conference is a small one, and funds are tight, I am flexible.  Contact me at JanaGD@aol.com.

I can prepare an original presentation for your conference or you can choose from one of the presentations or speeches below:

Magic Moments and Abiding Mysteries:  Jana Dillon explores the moments in a life that turn the child into a reader and writer and the adult into an author.  She explains how the books, libraries, and the storytellers in her life influenced her, and how she got started as a published author.  She shows how she creates stories and how she plans and executes the illustrations.  She discusses how the mysteries of the world, of life, of ourselves compel humankind to creativity in the search for answers.

From School Visits to Research: the Collaboration Between Authors and Librarians:  Jana Dillon discusses how she works with local librarians to research her writing and illustrations.  She discusses how the librarian can organize a visit to a school by an author for its optimum success.

Inspiring Children to Read, Write, and Edit:  Jana Dillon shows how she creates a book from the original brainstorming to the published hardcover.  She shares the techniques she's discovered that inspire children to want to write, the role-playing that turns them into willing and enthusiastic editors, and the unending contest that sparks them into reading.

Children As Authors and Illustrators: Suggestions for the Classroom:  Jana Dillon reveals methods of igniting children's interest and imagination in creating a book.  She discusses how to help children find story ideas that fuel desire to work on and finish the book.  She shows how to demonstrate character development in illustrations.  Jana will reveal the step-by-step process of the creation of her own books and how this can be explained vividly to children.

Teachers as Inspiration:  Every child wants the satisfaction of writing a book.  Many adults do, too.  This presentation will demonstrate how to inspire students to find a riveting idea, construct an interesting plot, write it clearly and richly, and enthusiastically finish it.  We will use the techniques that work not only for published authors but for the children the presenter has taught during workshops, presentations, and as a former teacher.  It's a multi-disciplinary approach using acting, drawing, and visual prompts.