**Friends, I’m still alive and doing dozens of events and appearances every year. I just stopped updating this page because it became too much to keep up with. Sorry for the confusion. If you subscribe to my newsletter I’ll let you know about readings and workshops that are open to the public.**
2014 Events and Appearances
January 22nd, Fort Morgan, Colorado — Blue Horizon’s Teen Writing Workshop!
February 7th, Littleton Academy, Littleton, Colorado — Author Visit for 3rd through 8th grades
February 10th, Coyote Ridge Elementary School, Broomfield, Colorado — Author Visit for 3rd-5th grades
April 5th, Colorado Teen Literature Conference, Denver, Colorado — I’ve been invited to give two presentations. One on “Suicide and Bullying Prevention Through Books,” and the other on “Discovering Creative Nonfiction.” This is one of my favorite conferences to attend, since it brings together teens, librarians, teachers, and writers, all in one big festival. Oh, and David Levithan and A.S. King will be there this year! For more details, visit the Colorado Teen Literature Conference website.
April 12th, Longmont Library, Teen Night! I’ll be there from 7-8, talking on a teen author panel with several other fabulous writers. Should be full of surprises. More details to come.
April 21st & 22nd, Aspen Elementary and Aspen Middle School Visits —I’ll be in Aspen, talking to the wonderful students and teachers of the elementary and middle school for two days! If you’re an Aspen student or parent, I hope to see you there.
April 25th, Fort Collins Main Library, Battle of the Bards Award Night —I was one of the judges for this year’s teen poetry contest. The entries were fabulous, and the winners are outstanding. They won’t be announced, though, until the night of the 25th.
May 9th, Montessori Peaks Elementary School, Littleton, CO —I’ll be at Montessori Peaks all day, working with 4th -6th grades. If you’re a Montessori Peaks student, parent, or teacher, I look forward to seeing you there.
June 10th-12th, Story Catcher Writing Conference, Chadron, NE —The fine folks of Chadron State College have invited me out to give a couple workshops (one on Tuesday the 10th, and two on Wednesday the 11th). This is an impressive conference in a beautiful town. Please check out the website for details.
June 12th-21st, Antioch University, Los Angeles, CA —I’ve been invited out to California to participate in the Writing for Young People residency. I’ll be giving a reading on June 17th, and doing a session on Saturday the 14th from 10-12. I’ll also be participating in other events there. If you’re an Antioch student, please say hello.
October 17th, Colorado Association of Librarians Convention, Loveland, CO —I’ll be at the Embassy Suites reading from 3:30 to 4:00 pm, and signing books afterwards. If you’re a librarian attending the conference (or if you’re one of the hoards of people who like to sneak into librarian conferences to party with the wildest) please drop by. I promise to make it entertaining.
October 25th, ReadCon, Greeley, CO —ReadCon Rocks! If you live in Colorado, you must go! It’s free, and they bring in some amazing authors and speakers. I’ll be giving two sessions in the Bison Room at the Clarion in Greeley (701 8th Street, Greeley, CO). The first session is on Writing Sci-Fi and Fantasy: Making the Strange Believable at 1pm on Saturday, and second is at 2pm on Saturday on Wild Mind Games to Inspire and Revive Creativity. Hope to see you there! (And many thanks to the fine folks of the High Plains Library District for inviting me back after all the crazy things I did last year).
November 5th, Rocky Mountain Elementary School, Westminster, CO —I’ll be at Rocky Mountain all day, working with 3rd-5th grades. Then I’ll be doing a teacher session after school, and a parent session in the evening. If you’re a Rocky Mountain student, parent, or teacher, I look forward to seeing you there.
November 18th, Blue Horizons, Fort Morgan, CO —The fine folks of Blue Horizons have invited me back to Fort Morgan to speak with area high school students and run writing workshops all morning. Please contact Blue Horizons for details if you live in the area and want to attend. These workshops are a blast!
December 12th-21st, Antioch University, Los Angeles, CA —Antioch invited me back for another term. I’ll be participating in the residency period in December. This is an incredible Low-Res MFA program if you’re interested in getting an MFA in Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Poetry, or Writing for Young People.
2013 Events and Appearances
February 9, Denver, Colorado —CCIRA 2013 Conference. I’ve been invited back to deliver two young author sessions on writing and publishing. If you’re going to be at the conference, please stop by on Saturday to attend one of my sessions or pick up a book.
March 15th, Milliken, Colorado —Knowledge Quest Academy Author Visit. I’ll be presenting sessions and running workshops with the fine students of Knowledge Quest Academy in Milliken. If you’re a Knowledge Quest student, I look forward to seeing you.
April 26th and 27th, Fort Collins, Colorado —Northern Colorado Writers Conference. This is a fantastic conference for writers of all genres, and a great opportunity to meet other professional writers, editors, and agents (not to mention a keynote speaker who starred in movies like Pretty in Pink, St. Elmo’s Fire, and Mannequin). I’ll be doing two sessions; one on Friday on Character, Plot, and The Art of Conflict, and one Saturday Morning on writing effective Dialogue and Setting. To register, go to Northern Colorado Writers website.
May 5th, 12th, and 19th, Fort Collins, Colorado —Three Session Novel Writing Workshop Want to write a novel this summer? Starting May 4th, I’m going to be leading a three session novel writing intensive workshop. This class is full of all the information I wish someone had told me ten years ago. It comes with 40 pages of handouts, and plenty of feedback on the novel you’re writing, starting, or revising. To learn more about the class, or to register, visit the Northern Colorado Writers Upcoming Classes page. Spots are limited, so register soon.
May 13th, Fort Collins Colorado —Olander Elementary School Visit. I’ll be writing with the 5th graders on Monday afternoon. Looking forward to meeting the fabulous students of Ms. Hazleton’s class.
September 28th, Firestone, Colorado — Firestone Writing Workshop. Join me at the Firestone library from 2:00 – 4:30 for this free, open to the public event. I’ll be running workshops on dialogue and setting, as well as plot an character. I’ll also be signing books, and answering questions, so if you’re serious about writing, and want to learn more about the craft and how to get published, I hope you’ll come by.
October 8th, Everywhere! — BACKWARDS is released into the wild. Please buy it. I need to feed my kids.
October 11th, Denver, Colorado —Mountains and Plains Booksellers. I’ll be attending the conference in the afternoon. And from 4-5, I’ll be participating in the “Children’s Authors Tea” event, which means I’ll be going around tables, meeting booksellers and such. Please say hi if you see me, as I might be lost and confused.
October 17th, Fort Collins, Colorado —BACKWARDS book launch! & Writers Harvest Benefit Reading . This is it — the night I’m going to send Backwards off into the cold, cruel world with only a blanket and a knife to defend itself with. Please join me for the launch party. It’s free and open to the public. Not only that, it’s a benefit for the Writers Harvest (so if you want to clean out your cabinets and bring a food item to donate, that’s aces). Also, the incredibly amazing poet, Camille Dungy, will be reading with me. It’s all taking place in the Hatton Gallery (in the art building on the CSU campus) at 7:30, so you can even check out some art while you’re there. There’ll be books and food, book signing, alien visitors in disguise, and maybe even wine if you can get away with it.
October 19th, Loveland, Colorado —BACKWARDS book launch Loveland party and reading event! Can’t make it to the Fort Collins book launch? No problem, because on Saturday I’ll be doing a short reading at the fabulous Anthology book store (and coffee shop/bar) in Loveland, on 4th St. The madness starts at 4pm. It’s free and open to the public, so please tell your friends.
November 2nd, Greeley, Colorado —Greeley Read Con. The wonderful librarians of Greeley have invited me out to be part of a panel at this year’s Read Con at 3:00. More on this to come, but here’s a little page on the Books and Brews (beer with authors) that’s happening after the conference. Librarians gone wild!
November 9th, Fort Collins, Colorado — BACKWARDS Book Launch Part III, Electric Boogaloo. In case you missed both October parties, I’m doing a reading/party at Old Firehouse Bookstore in Fort Collins, 7:00pm. This is free, open to the public, and things will be given away, so bring your friends. There’ll be food and drinks and stories and words just in time for the holidays (so why not pick up a signed book for everyone you know?). I hope to see you there.
December 2nd, Summit Charter Middle School, Boulder, Colorado — Full Day Author Visit
2012 Events and Appearances
November 12th, Fort Morgan, Colorado
November 10th, Fort Collins, Colorado
October 15th-17th, Southern Colorado
September 22, Denver, Colorado
September 17, Fort Collins, Colorado
August 25th, Fort Collins, Colorado
August 11th, Berthoud, Colorado
June 14th, Fort Collins, Colorado
June 13th, Fort Collins, Colorado
June 9th, Fort Collins, Colorado
May 31, Denver, Colorado
May 23rd, Denver, Colorado
May 18th, Fort Collins, Colorado
May 9th, Fort Collins, Colorado
May 5th, Boulder, Colorado
April 4, Littleton, Colorado
March 31, Denver, Colorado
March 9, Lusk, Wyoming
February 15th, Fort Morgan, Colorado
February 10th, Greely, Colorado
February 3, Denver, Colorado
January 20, Brighton, Colorado
January 13, Fort Morgan, Colorado
2011 Events and Appearances
November 30, Fort Collins
November 12, Boulder
October 24th-28th, South Texas
October 2nd, Palo Alto, California
October 1st, Submission Deadline
August 21st, Fort Collins, Colorado
June 24th, Aspen, Colorado
June 21st, Fort Collins, Colorado
June 20th-24th, Fort Collins, Colorado
April 17, Broomfield, Colorado
February 23rd, Federal Heights, Colorado
February 7th, Arvada, Colorado
February 5, 2011, Denver, Colorado
2010 Events and Appearances
October 22nd, Boulder, Colorado
October 2, Castle Rock, Colorado
July 22nd, Buffalo, NY
June 18, Fort Collins, Colorado
June 12, Boulder, Colorado
May 10, Fort Collins, Colorado
April 23, Evergreen, Colorado
April 10, Denver, Colorado
March 26 & 27, Fort Collins, Colorado
March 6, Fort Collins Council Tree Library, Colorado
February 12, Mead, Colorado
February 6, Fort Collins Harmony Library, Colorado
2009 Events and Appearances
October 24, Fort Collins, Colorado
October 12, Colorado
October 10, Castle Rock, Colorado
May 22, Colorado Springs, Colorado
May 8, Colorado
April 4, 2009, Colorado
March 18, Colorado
February 9, Iliff, Colorado
February 5, 2009, Fort Collins, Colorado
January 16, 2009, Broomfield, Colorado
2008 Events and Appearances
January 5, Loveland, Colorado
February 4, Broomfield, Colorado
February 6, Fort Collins Colorado
February 6 and 7, Westminster, Colorado
February 8, 2008, Denver, Colorado
February 15, Longmont, Colorado
February 27, Thornton, Colorado
February 29, Fort Collins, Colorado
March 28, Fort Collins, Colorado
April 4-5, Fort Collins Colorado
April 11, Fort Collins, Colorado
April 23, Longmont, Colorado
April 27-29, Aspen, Colorado
May 2, Lakewood, Colorado
May 5, Colorado
May 16, Broomfield, Colorado
June 18, Fort Collins, Colorado
September 18, Fort Collins, Colorado
September 20, Castle Rock, Colorado
September 26, Belmar, Colorado
October 8, Denver, Colorado
October 10, Littleton, Colorado
October 16, Fort Collins, Colorado
October 18, Fort Collins, Colorado
October 23-24, Aspen, Colorado
November 7, Colorado
November 14, Arvada, Colorado
November 21, Windsor, Colorado