SPEAKING AND TEACHING

A woman is giving a presentation at a podium in front of an audience in a library or conference room. A large screen behind her displays a collage of colorful images, including flowers, a sunset, and tropical scenery. The room has bookshelves and framed pictures on the walls.

I’m available for speaking engagements, including teaching, book club visits, readings, and lectures, and panels—both virtual and in-person. If you would like to inquire about booking her, please fill out the contact form here.

TEACHING & SPEAKING

I’ve been teaching craft and publishing workshops for nearly two decades, presenting at numerous conferences, colleges, and literary centers, including:

Portland Book Festival * The Attic Institute * The Muse & the Marketplace * Forest Avenue Press * Lighthouse Writers * Writers Center, Baltimore * Mt Hood Community College * Clackamas Community College * Terroir Creative Writing Festival * Willamette Writers * Corporeal Writing * South Coast Writers Conference* Write on the Sound

MY MOST POPULAR TOPICS:

  • Down the Rabbit Hole: Research Tips and Hacks for Your Writing

  • How to Query and Submit Your Writing: Rejection, Acceptance, and Everything In Between

  • Perfecting Your First Two Pages: How to Keep Agents & Editors Reading

  • Writing Outside the Box: Exploring Non-Traditional Structures for Your Stories & Essays

SELECT SPEAKING & TEACHING GIGS

Willamette Writers Conference: DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE: RESEARCH TOOLS & TIPS FOR CREATIVE WRITERS, August 2025

Terroir Creative Writing Festival: BEYOND WIKIPEDIA: RESEARCHING YOUR CREATIVE NONFICTION ESSAYS, April 2023

The Writers Center Baltimore: CRAFT CHAT with Zach Powers, June 2022

Denver Women's Press Club: PLACE & POWER IN PARADISE, with journalist Donna Bryson, May 2019

NonfictioNow Panel:  WRITING THE DIFFICULT OTHER: The Craft & Ethics of Putting Problematic People on the Page

AWP,  Seattle:  Panel: A BAG FULL OF GOD: FEMALE MEMOIRISTS WITH DADDY ISSUES

Lewis & Clark Gender Studies Symposium: BEYOND HOUSEWIVES AND WHORES: THE FUTURE OF WOMEN’S LITERATURE, with Cheryl Strayed and Lidia Yuknavitch

NonfictioNow Phoenix: NOT FROM AROUND HERE, panel with Sybil Baker, Sarah Einstein, Aaron Gilbreath & Lawrence Lacambra Ypil,

BookBin, Salem, OR: PUBLISHING PANEL,  Indie Bookstore Day 2019

NonfictioNow Panel: NOT FROM AROUND HERE, with Sybil Baker, Sarah Einstein, Aaron Gilbreath & Lawrence Lacambra Ypil, 2018

Corporeal Writing: PERFECT YOUR FIRST TWO  PAGES  
How to Keep Your Reader Reading, October 2018

POP-UP PUBLISHING CLASSES

LIZ PRATO & LAURA STANFILL, 2024

Three illustrated book covers about publishing. The first shows a girl with a note saying 'And now what?', titled 'Small But Mighty: Everything You Need to Know About Publishing with a Small Press.' The second shows a girl with a thought bubble, titled 'Querying and Submitting: Received, In-Progress and . . . HELP ME!', priced $25.00. The third shows a girl with a sticky note saying 'Yes?', titled 'To Agent or Not to Agent: That Is the Question,' priced $25.00.
Digital flyer promoting two publishing courses. The first course, on October 5th, covers submitting to small presses, taught by Laura Stanfill, a publisher at Forest Avenue Press, with a photo of her. The second course, on October 19th, covers publishing with small presses and launching a book, taught by Liz Prato, an editor at larger press, with her photo. Each course costs $30, and registration details are provided. The flyer has a beige background with green and brown accents.