Workshop and Seminar Topics

All of my seminars are supplemented with professional-quality PowerPoint presentations. My classes can be in a strictly lecture format or interactive, with discussion and short writing exercises, depending on your goals and time allowance. You’ll find a list of my most popular lecture topics below:

• Introduction to Life Story Writing—A one-hour introductory overview, or a two-to-three-hour presentation with participant interaction and brief writing prompts.
• Writing about People—“Breathing Life into Your “Characters”—60 to 90 min. 
• Writing about Places—“Putting Your Life on the Map”—one hour
• Writing at the Gut Level—“Letting Your Feelings Show—one hour
• Recreating Your World—“Establishing Your "Life Context”—90 min.    
• Breathe Life into Your Life Story-- “How to Write a Page-Turner—Includes discussion about including conflict and suspense, humor, crafting interesting beginnings, writing about “difficult” subjects, and  writing techniques that “show” rather than “tell.”—one or two hours
• Introduction to Journal Writing—one hour
• Introduction to Family History Writing—“How to Make Your Ancestors Come Alive on the Page”—one-or two-hour seminar

• Preserving Your Life---Geared for teenagers. Topics include journal writing techniques, preserving the "artifacts" of your life, and conducting oral interviews of family members.—one hour
                                                                                                                                                                     

2008 Faculty Excellence Award Recipient,
Santiago Canyon College
         
 Speaking Engagements

• Brigham Young University Education Week
• University of Utah

• Carnival Cruise Lines

• Rotary Club International
• Orange County California Genealogy Society
• Genealogy societies in
       West Los Angeles
       Chino Hills
       Palm Desert
       Santa Barbara
       North Orange County
       South Orange County
• Women’s clubs in
      Canyon Lakes
      Ventura,
      Newport Beach
      Perris
      Anaheim Hills
• Orange County Family History Fair