Speaking

Kekla presents at schools and libraries nationwide, in addition to conference and book festival appearances. She is highly in demand as a speaker. Kekla offers keynote speeches, content-specific talks related to individual books, as well as custom presentations for special events.

Kekla provides options for auditorium presentations, classroom presentations, and small-group writing workshops. She tailors her presentations to audiences of all ages and backgrounds.

For more information or to invite Kekla to speak, please complete the form below.

For Children (K-6th grades)

Kekla offers presentations focusing on her picture books, chapter books and/or middle grade novels, as well as writing workshops that emphasize play and generating story and character ideas. Themes of her talks include making a difference, fitting in, friendship, nonfiction writing and research, and children’s role in the civil rights movement.

For Teens (7th-12th grades)

Kekla offers presentations focusing on her young adult novels, as well as writing workshops that emphasize finding and trusting your own creative voice. Themes of her talks include grappling with multiple perspectives, understanding Black American history, making connections to current events, civil rights and civic engagement, and using your voice through writing and activism.

For Educators and Librarians

Kekla offers professional development workshops for educators. She regularly appears on panels at regional and national teacher and librarian conferences (ALA, NCTE, ILA, etc). She provides resources and tools for using her books in the classroom, as well as recommending other texts. Themes of her talks include teaching Black American history and fiction that promotes empathy.

For Writers

Kekla offers presentations about developing your writing craft, living the writing life to the fullest, and navigating the publishing industry. She taught writing at the MFA level for nearly ten years, and regularly presents at SCBWI conferences, writing retreats, and Boyd’s Mills Children’s Writers Retreat Center (formerly the Highlights Foundation).

 

“It was wonderful to have Kekla in Minneapolis! The students were more engaged than I’ve seen, and the teacher at CHS who was our contact for this program exclaimed, “I’m going to have to quit – the school year can’t get any better than this!” 

—Heather Fisch, Hennepin County Library (Minneapolis, MN)

“Many issues are coming up culturally and academically in our buildings and classrooms that we just weren’t seeing before so overtly, as they were living and festering below the surface. Since Kekla’s work is a direct match with all that we are seeing day to day, we did not want to lose the opportunity for her to have her voice as an author writing and living this reality. Kekla…embodies everything we are trying to instill in our young students; hard work, humanity, intelligence… and I could go on forever.” 

—Karen Duff Chenery Middle School (Belmont, MA)

“Our fourth and fifth graders wanted to know all about Kekla’s writing process. They left not only eager to read her books, but also seeing themselves in her stories and as writers.” 

—Mary Ann Scheuer, Berkeley

“Kekla was great!”

—Megan Fink, Charlotte Country Day School (Charlotte, NC)

“You’re coming to SF? Can you come visit my kids!?! What do I need to do to make this happen?” 

—Amy Cheney, Oakland Unified School District (Oakland, CA)

“We appreciate her brilliance and her presence in our community.” 

—Karen Duff, Chenery Middle School (Belmont, MA)

Here are a few articles written about Kekla’s author visits:

Scheduling