Kris regularly speaks at writing conferences, schools, and business events. She has taught workshops for Fortune 500 companies, military commands, and university groups, and she has given talks from small book clubs to standing-room only audiences at public events. Some of her favorites writing workshops and presentations include:
“Self-Editing Secrets” Workshop
“Mining Your Life for Memoir or Fiction” Workshop
No matter who you are, you have stories to tell, and some of these stories are made to be captured on the page. Whether you have always wanted to write your life story but just haven’t quite known where to start, or whether you have been curious about how you could transform your own experiences into a fictionalized narrative, this workshop is crafted to enable you to dive in. It is designed for anyone ready to mine their memories to create something powerful, just for themselves or for greater audiences.
“Grammartopia”
When we think about grammar, often we thi
nk of the dry instruction we received in school or the intimidating jargon we never quite learned. But strong grammar is essential to powerful communication, no matter the form or genre. “Grammartopia” is an entertaining game-show style event, where three to twelve contestants—or the audience members themselves—battle it out for grammar prowess. What was the punctuation mark first found in graffiti of ancient Pompeii? A member of what boy band once left the stage mid-concert to correct the apostrophe on a fan’s sign? Should we “flesh out” or “flush out” an idea? Prizes for winners and audience members include book edits, professional development workshops, free books, and more.
“Baba Yaga: The Feminist, Mother & Crone Colliding with Modernity”
Every culture has stories about witches, but Baba Yaga is so much more than just a witch. She may grant your wish or eat you for supper. She might imprison you within the gates of her fence made of human bones, or she might give you the power to create your own destiny. Living in a hut that stands on chicken legs deep in the woods, flying through the skies in a mortar and pestle, Baba Yaga is a complicated icon of fear and female identity itself.
This presentation is ideal for book clubs and university settings, and can easily be paired with conversations around Kris’s novel, The Baba Yaga Mask, and/or her nonfiction title, Becoming Baba Yaga: Trickster, Feminist and Witch of the Woods.
“Story Stop Tour” Events
Initiated as part of the book tour for Kris Spisak’s third book, The Family Story Workbook, and once held in partnership with the Smithsonian Institution’s “Museums on Main Street,” Story Stop Tour events take on two formats:
- Programs with local storytellers taking the virtual spotlight, sharing the family stories that shaped them as well as memories from their own lives that impacted their personal creative missions and the greater world around them.
- Workshops where attendees are guided through memory prompts and creative techniques for preserving their own stories in more powerful ways than ever before.
In partnership with indie bookstores, writing organizations, historical societies, and community groups, Story Stop Tour events can spark profound community conversations and treasured personal histories.
“Unraveling Wonderland: Hidden Modern Empowerment within Lewis Carroll’s Alice Books”
So often considered simply “nonsense,” Lewis Carroll’s famous children’s books are actually much more thoughtful than most readers ever notice. Steeped in allegories and philosophical examination, Charles Dodgson (writing as Lewis Carroll) explores complex subjects including identity, politics, education, social norms, mindfulness, and personal growth—if we only take the time to look. His questions about the world we live in are as relevant today as ever.
This presentation is ideal for book clubs and university settings, and it can easily be paired with Kris’s forthcoming fiction and nonfiction (more details coming soon).
“Changing the World One Word at a Time” Presentation
There are more people writing today than ever before in human history. We communicate personally and professionally, and getting it right matters. After all, what is more important than connecting with other humans—across the office and across the world—through our language use? Those concerned about the state of writing today will be shocked to learn that the first known use of “OMG” was in a 1917 letter to Winston Churchill, and an argument can be made that modern-day emojis connect with Egyptian hieroglyphs. In Kris’s presentation, “Changing the World One Word at a Time,” she will share the fascinating history of the English language and of world storytelling, as well as how we can empower ourselves in both the present and the future through thoughtful and compelling language use. AI is only the beginning of this conversation.